The Denver school district is adopting all possible measures to make sure that it has a sufficient number of special education paraprofessionals right from the day of their opening.
The step is taken in a bid to ameliorate the overall educational experience for children with disabilities.
Director of the special education section at Denver Public Schools, Robert Frantum-Allen, affirmed that the fundamental purpose of the pursuit is to provide a wholesome environment for seeking knowledge, without parents or students having to worry about the facilities and care, right from the very first day.
Realizing the challenges ahead
Although the district began its academic year without ample support from special education attendants, it soon realized the need to effectuate change and fulfill the vacancies to aid students such as an eight-year-old with Down syndrome who requires additional assistance in her learning.
That said, the Denver Public Schools management recognizes that the real challenge lies in not just hiring the right people for the right role but also retaining them. The region has been facing a spike in turnover rate owing to unsatisfactory pay.
For promoting the pursuit of talented and extremely dedicated paraprofessionals, the district management has decided to increase the starting pay rate to fifteen dollars ($15) an hour. Moreover, it is offering five-days training to professionals who will deal with students with a behavioral disability.
With a separate special education funding added to the state school budget coupled with position cuts at the central office earlier this year, the Denver public schools hope to give a new lease of life to its elementary schools, which are in desperate need of help to cater to students with emotional and physical needs.
A recruitment fair, slated to be conducted on Aug 08, will seek special education professionals who can be directly allotted to schools where vacancies do not fill up.
Parents and teachers demand integrated classrooms
The district currently serves more than ten thousand students with single or multiple disabilities. Last month, the management received a number of requests from parents and teachers to include the differently-abled children in existing classrooms instead of isolating them in a special class. This request necessitated the search for teachers and professionals with special educational experience.
The district’s talent acquisition manager, Lacey Nelson, remarks that thoroughly training these professionals for the role will be a crucial part of the recruitment tool. She also believes that the schools are in dire need of special education teachers who are committed to the role, the students, and the management.
After all, providing intensive support to boosting their potential to the full is no simple task.
