Mt. Diablo Unified Faculty District scrambling to fill scarcity of particular schooling academics
Mount Diablo Unified School District is addressing the shortage of special education teachers
There is only a few weeks left before personal learning resumes. The Diablo Unified School District is working to find special education teachers to fill 112 positions. Rob Roth from KTVU reports.
WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA. – Grace Cannon says she looks forward to starting personal study at Northgate High School in Walnut Creek next month.
“I miss seeing my friends,” she said on Thursday.
Grace has special needs. And there is a concern in the Mt. Diablo School District these days about a significant lack of special education assistance to help students like Grace in the classroom.
“Break things down for her and repeat things for her. And just be there to support her through the day so she can get the most out of her school experience,” said Grace’s mother, Traci Cannon.
Head of Mountain John Rubio, Human Resources for the Diablo School District, says he plans to fill 112 special education positions, which is about a fifth of the total number of assistants.
“We are ready to hire new people and are looking for a lot of people,” said Rubio.
The district sweetens the pot. It offers a $ 1,500 bonus for those who are hired, $ 500 upfront. The job pays up to $ 21 an hour.
“And we’re even looking at a possible loyalty bonus to keep them here for another year … We’re optimistic that these types of incentives will help us,” he said.
The district says the pandemic that led to distance learning is largely responsible for the shortage, not just in special education but in everything from school psychologists to caregivers.
“We had to take a break from hiring last fall because we didn’t need that many people last year. We were able to let our paraprofessionals and specialist assistants work from home,” said Rubio.
Other districts are also hiring.
San Francisco has about 70 teacher positions. Oakland has around 50 slots.
“It’s going to be pretty competitive for all school districts,” said Rubio.
For those interested in applying, click here.
