It’s a circular problem. I have one young relative with a special Ed masters who is not teaching, and another who is considering leaving and trying to get into admin. The job, as designed, is just too tough. Classes too big, not enough supprt from admin or from paras. My relative didn’t have lunch breaks for years because her kids needed to eat in the classroom, much less did she get planning breaks. And some of the kids were violent. And she keeps getting shuffled to where they need her. She was really invested and committed but this is breaking her. We can’t expect people to do one of the hardest jobs in the world and not give them lunch breaks and other supports! And give them more authority over where they get transferred—it’s like being in the military, they just send you wherever.

And then you have the issue of widening gaps between "good schools" and "mediocre/bad schools."

From the article:

Stacy Ganz Kahn, president of the Winston Churchill High School PTSA, says special education programs are dealing with the brunt of the teacher shortage in MCPS. Offering bonuses in high-need areas and pathways to teacher certification for paraprofessionals could help remedy the situation, she said.

Still, Ganz Kahn says the Potomac school is pretty well-staffed, unlike other schools in the county, because people want to teach there.

Anonymous wrote:Agree, special ed is in an abysmal state. How many special needs kids aren't getting the education they need and are entitled to have? How many long term subs in those classrooms that are a disaster?

MS SpEd para here. We're mostly covered (one part time position open), but still stretched really thin with no subs.

Agree, special ed is in an abysmal state. How many special needs kids aren't getting the education they need and are entitled to have? How many long term subs in those classrooms that are a disaster?

Go to this website and you can see how disproportionately the staffing shortages affect special education students as compared to other staffing vacancies:

https://mcps.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobsearch.ftl?lang=en&portal=101430233

When you select Potomac, you can see how uninformed the PTA president who was quoted in the article is about the community she represents.

Anonymous wrote:It's not a lack of funding, it's a lack of qualified/interested applicants.

It is definitely not a lack of funding when there are millions of dollars in unspent ESSR grants.

Anonymous wrote:It's not a lack of funding, it's a lack of qualified/interested applicants.

They should increase salaries then.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not a lack of funding, it's a lack of qualified/interested applicants.

And that’s not going to get better. Get used to more quitting.

We could always try the tactic of yelling at them for not doing better and/or some stern lectures about how our kids deserve better. That should sort things out quickly. /s

Do you blame them?
MAGA has made it impossible to be good teachers. They are afraid and I don't blame them.

People come on DCUM complaining all the time about all kinds of things in our schools. Well, guess what maga you did this.

Kari Lake knows that the MAGA mob must stay ignorant in order for Trumpism to work. And so she pushes for less education in public high schools. "Who says we have to have this many hours of science, this many of math and history? We can change that up," she says. Because heck, you don't need to think in order to get a job. Belief in the GQP only works if voters lack critical thinking skills — and that's what she's counting on.

Seriously? 36% of our country supports this utter crap.

MCPS has Bethany Mandel the nut job who doesn't even school her kids to school, daily spewing and hurting teachers.

In Florida we have DeSantis scaring the death out of teachers.

And you wonder why teachers are leaving. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA maga sure are stupid.

Look at Virginia they voted in Youngkin who lied about CRT has teachers afraid to say anything and he sends his own children to school in MD with max mandates and vaccine mandates. Sure maga that's just amazing.

Anonymous wrote:It's not a lack of funding, it's a lack of qualified/interested applicants.

And that’s not going to get better. Get used to more quitting.

It's not a lack of funding, it's a lack of qualified/interested applicants.

Besides Special Education staffing shortages that are affecting the implementation of student IEPs, students who have qualified for compensatory services are not receiving those services as well. MCPS only offers a fraction of what private services cost, so waiting for the MCPS reimbursement is not an option for many students.

What is MCPS spending the ESSR COVID funding on? It should be to hire teachers instead of irrelevant pet projects. Special Education students keep being ignored and are an afterthought for the county. Our family has lost patience with the broken IEP services so we will be taking MCPS to Due Process.

Although there is a national teacher shortage, you wouldn't know it at my school. Seems like any other year.

At the school I work at it is really bad. Paras are solely used for class coverage and not for benefiting students like their jobs are meant to do.

Its a sad messy situation for everyone..

https://bethesdamagazine.com/2022/11/02/parents-say-mcps-teacher-shortages-are-hurting-students-academic-progress/