10 August 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Teacher shortages are making the start of the school year hard across the country. Special education departments, they are dealing with the effects of a lack of paraprofessionals to help assist their teachers.
Locally, Wichita’s USD 259 is 118 paraprofessional positions short heading into the first week of school. The issue can be seen in smaller districts across Kansas as well.
The Butler County Special Education Interlocal hires para professionals for nine school districts in the county. Their director says the retention rate suffers due to paraprofessionals not being paid during the summer. This causes them to find other jobs that may pay more, leading them to not return for the following school year.
“The drawbacks are that we don’t have as many hours as some of the businesses in the private section, and our para’s are not paid during summer, so that can be a little bit of a challenge,” said April Hilyard, Butler County Special Education Interlocal Director.
Hilyard added that they have increased the pay this year. They have also added paid holidays and snow days to entice people to apply.
For those interested, the position requires a high school diploma or GED. It may also be a good fit for parents as the position has similar hours to teaching.