TRAVERSE CITY- Michigan has a shortage of more than 2,000 special education teachers. Solving that shortage is now a top priority for the state and is one of the top ten goals in the Strategic Education Plan.
Northwest Education Services is working around that shortage trying to make sure their students don’t feel the impact and reach their full potential.
“We want to make sure that every child that we have gets the maximum opportunity for them to succeed, whatever their dreams and goals are,” says TCAPS Superintendent Dr. John VanWagoner.
For some that are still figuring our their dreams, the Traverse City Area Public Schools gives those students opportunities to find them
“We participate with our intermediate school district, Northwest Education services and a teacher in that program”, continues VanWagoner. “So students go to our career center and they actually learn the elements of being a teacher. And we have lots of students that in our peer to peer program of both Central and West High schools that are participate in work with students with a lot of of needs that they have, whether it is special education services or if it’s general education services or it’s extracurricular activities, whatever those are.”
Back in 2021 michigan also created a task force called OPTIMISE that has since attracted more than 20,000 job seekers to the over two thousand special education job listings.
“Fortunately, we have seen a little uptick in applicants. Right now, we are staffed fully for our special education services…some of the programs that our state legislature have enacted that are encouraging more students to go into those fields at the university.”
And special education teacher Sarah Olree says that while those shortages have reached their school system, they do what they can to make sure their students needs are met.
“I would like to think that in our school we try to make it so the students don’t feel the impact, right? That would be the work that we do daily,” says Olree. “But what I would say on the back end is that it means that daily the administration is making a game plan right there, figuring out how to get coverage for every every spot, every student. So I think it just means that like almost that game of Tetris or that figuring it out every day for our staff is even greater on those days that we’re down people.”
And part of Michigan’s OPTIMISE campaign is to spread word of the rewarding benefits of special education.
“So you really get a nice team approach, which is why I think also part of what makes it a unique position.” continues Olree. “It’s the best feeling. And what’s cool about probably all aspects of education, but especially special education, is you get to celebrate the small wins.”
