By Njura Kinyua
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Parents told a Baltimore public school advisory committee Monday that they are concerned about insufficient training and a shortage of teachers that they believe is hurting students with special needs.
Attendees who spoke at the meeting of the Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee said staffing problems have been a long-standing issue that impacts the efficacy of the education Baltimore County students with special needs are receiving.
Sharon Saroff, a special education consultant and parent advocate for kids with learning disabilities, said class sizes are too large and there is “not enough attention for each student.”
“Where the child could benefit from more time with a teacher, they can’t, because the hours just aren’t there,” said Megan Stewart-Sicking, a co-chairperson of the committee.
Sicking said the shortage of educators is more of an issue now because of COVID-19. She stressed that new special education services and programs require more staff. She said many positions are currently unfilled because school employees left for other jobs.
Participants of the meeting also mentioned that training is necessary for aides who assist the teachers. One parent, John Dingle, said the aide at his school did not have the skillset to help as much as a teacher during extra time with his child.
Grace Ziegler, a former Maryland teacher who homeschooled her daughter last year during the pandemic, told the committee that she is frustrated by the teacher shortage and lack of staff available to assist her child. She says her child is at risk of falling behind because of the staffing problem.
“Last year was a waste,” Ziegler said. “Time is of the essence. I can’t take it anymore. That’s why I’m here tonight.”
Dawn Greenberg, who attended the meeting, said that increased salaries would bring in more qualified staff. Leaders of the meeting explained that the only way to increase salaries would be to increase the school budget.
For the past seven years, the Office of Special Education (OSE) has requested to increase personnel and other resources are available through a yearly staffing plan. In the 2020-2021 proposed staffing plan, the OSE said it has 47.2 open teacher positions based upon the growth of special education enrollment.
The Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee (SECAC) met virtually at 7 p.m. to allow parents, educators, and other individuals concerned with developments in special education to speak up about what they feel needs to be fixed. The group uses the forum to make recommendations and assist Baltimore County Public Schools on issues pertaining to children with disabilities.
SECAC created a list of recommendations it sees as key issues to address to improve schools.
These included:
• Added training of administrators and evaluators to ensure they can properly identify and implement the best practices.
• Ensuring kids know of the accessibility features when using technology.
• Assessing how school leadership views the importance of inclusivity.
• Evaluating how special education students are assigned during class scheduling.
The committee hopes to address these concerns with Superintendent Darryl Williams at its next meeting on Tuesday.