ASPEN, Colo.—As students enter their second week of school, the Aspen School District still needs two more teachers and three teacher aides.
The district is looking for an early childhood special education teacher, a middle school teacher specializing in reading, and three paraprofessionals to help children with special physical or educational needs.
Substitutes, rotating professional staff and administrators helped cover the gap during the first week of school, but Assistant Superintendent John Maloy said it’s critical for children with special needs to connect with the same teachers and aides every day.
“Having a consistent aide every day really makes a difference for their emotional, psychological and intellectual growth,” he said.
Maloy said the number of special-education students has risen, partly because of the addition of pre-kindergarten classes that have added students to the district.
“The special education population across the country has grown exponentially,” Maloy said.
He said it has been a challenge finding qualified teachers interested in moving into special education.
The high cost of living in Aspen also has made it a challenge to attract teachers, he said. Starting salaries for paraprofessionals are between about $23,000 and $29,000 a year.
The district is advertising for potential teachers on the Internet and is asking recently retired teachers if they would be willing to return, Maloy said.
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Information from: The Aspen Times,
