In recent years, the Pleasant Valley Community School District has been dealing with a concerning decline in the number of special education aides, or paraeducators. Due to extreme budget constraints, staffing shortage and low wages, school districts have recently been struggling with retaining these vital educators.
Paraeducators are staff members who assist teachers in providing support to students with disabilities or special needs. They help the students navigate through social and academic challenges in the classroom.“I love bridging the gap between general education and special education. I love sharing our students’ strengths and building friendship based on those strengths,” said paraeducator Dawn Dittmer, who currently works at Forest Grove Elementary School.
Despite their pivotal role, paraeducators are some of the lowest paid staff in the education system. The salaries are frequently not sustainable, forcing them to get additional jobs. Nationwide, the annual salary ranges from $24,000 to $35,000. In the Pleasant Valley School District, the salary falls around $17.51/hr. Due to such a minimum viable income, paraeducators often quit their profession.
The lack of paraeducators directly impacts students with disabilities, as without enough aides, students who need individual attention don’t receive it. This can lead to teachers feeling overburdened and overwhelmed, making it difficult to give the necessary support to all students.
The shortage also increases behavioral challenges along with a decline in overall quality of tailored education assistance. “Supporting students with complex needs requires significant time, patience and emotional investment,” said special aide teacher Megan Wachendorf, who is currently employed at Forest Grove Elementary School. “The planning required to address the diverse and complex needs of students is both intensive and demanding.”
Ensuring that paraeducators are valued and adequately compensated is essential to providing equitable education. “The term aide and paraeducator have been both used to describe people, who in my opinion are superheroes. I work with several students and I have been doing this for about 10 years,” said Dittmer. “I will always have the mindset of what I would want for my child, how I want my child to be treated in this situation. Some of the days it gets extremely difficult, but the joy outweighs the reward far outweighs the difficulties.”
Investing in paraeducators is an investment for a student’s brighter future. When schools fairly compensate aides, students with disabilities receive individualized support and help. Increasing the paraeducators wage and providing better benefits ensures schools have a stable and inclusive learning environment.
