Districts Offering Financial Incentives for Paraprofessionals to Fill Special Ed Roles
July 29, 2019
By: Shawna De La Rosa
Source: Education Dive
Denver Public Schools is getting a jump start on filling positions for special education paraprofessionals this year by raising pay to $15 per hour and providing five days of summer training for aides who work with students who have autism or emotional disabilities, Chalkbeat reports.
Typically, the district — which has about 10,000 students with disabilities — starts the year with dozens of openings for these roles, which can put special needs students behind academically.
To better serve this student group, the district has created a task force of teachers, parents and advocates, and it is also looking to include students with disabilities in traditional classrooms after the school board passed a resolution pushing for more inclusive practices.