INDIANAPOLIS — There are nearly 200 openings for special education teachers across Indiana. Getting special education teachers in the classroom is harder now than it ever has been before.
A program in partnership with the Indiana Department of Education is helping train people interested in the field to fill the gap.
"The number of individuals seeking a career in special education is at an all-time low,” Carey Dahncke, Executive Director of CELL at the University of Indianapolis, said. “It’s alarming to many people.”
The center is located at the University of Indianapolis. It looks at ways to better education outcomes in the state.
Staff there noticed how difficult it is for schools to hire special education teachers. In partnership with the Indiana Department of Education, the special education-assisted licensure program, or I-Seal, was created.
"I think this is a perfect avenue for teachers that just want to get a special license at no cost,” Andrew Bova, Special Education teacher at Perry Meridian Middle School, said.
That is precisely what I-Seal does. It trains current teachers or people interested in special education and covers the cost of their training.
Bova is one of about 1,200 people across the state to use this program to advance his education.
"This program has allowed me to be a better educator,” Bova said. “Giving me skills to teach in academia, as well as this program, really allowed me to dive into special ed in general."
CELL says fewer people in Indiana are seeking a four-year degree, which is one factor playing into the shortage.
Perry Township Schools says they have around 3,200 students in the Individualized Education Program (IEP). Thanks to the seal program though, Perry Township Schools says their special education is now fully staffed.
“With the program, because they know the students that they are servicing as they are learning alongside, they can ask the right questions in the program, and they can help support other teachers as well as the students at the same time,” Dana Vittorio, the Director of Special Education for Perry Township Schools, said.
The program is free of charge for both the teacher and school district.
Education experts say the program will continue with a new administration taking over at the statehouse beginning the first of the year.
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