ELLICOTT CITY — There’s a nationwide shortage of special education teachers.
Ahead of the school year, districts are working hard to recruit special education personnel for the classroom.
Howard County officials have been working hard since the fall to recruit special ed teachers.
They have some vacancies heading into the school year and are currently looking to hire people.
Dr. Terri Savage is the Chief Academic Officer for Howard County Public Schools.
She is also a former special ed teacher who says working in special ed comes with it challenges, but it's also very rewarding.
“The thing that brings us a smile to most of our faces is the smiles you see on our learners faces when they are able to accomplish something they thought maybe they couldn’t do, said Dr. Savage.
That’s why Dr. savage is hoping more people will sign up to be special ed teachers.
The district has been working hard on filling those vacancies.
“We’ve been out and about since early spring to attract and recruit the very best special educators. We’ve had our own job fair. We’ve connected with higher institutions of higher education," said Bill Barnes, the Howard County Public Schools Superintendent.
Barnes says Howard county has roughly 6600 students in special ed in K-12 and at least an additional 700 in Pre-K.
“We are an attractive school system for families who have students with disabilities, and our numbers continue to increase and I take that as a point of pride, but it also challenges us on the back-end to keep up with staffing," said Barnes.
Dr. Savage says that means teachers may have a heavier workload.
“One could be adjusting the current schedules of our existing staff, such that they may need to work with a few more children, than we had originally planned," said Dr. Savage.
Dr. Savage has a pitch for anyone interested in becoming a special ed teacher.
"I would encourage people to ask questions, to apply, just learn as much as they can about the profession," said Dr. Savage.
If you're interested in working for HCPSS, you can visit thiswebsite.