INDIANAPOLIS — Right now, if you look at the job openings in virtually any local school district, you'll see a long list of positions that need to be filled.
And at virtually every district, special education jobs top the list.
It's been a continued struggle to find teachers who help kids who struggle to learn, but at least one initiative working to improve things is showing promise and progress.
At the McKenzie Center for Innovation and Technology in Lawrence Township, kids learn life skills and work skills along with getting work experience in industries like automotive repair. Some of the classes are aimed at special education students.
Educators at this school and throughout the district are working to put the brakes on a teacher shortage, specifically in special education.
There are 37 vacancies right now, some for teachers and many for instructional assistants in special ed.
"Many times we're in competition with other districts, in competition with other industries, so it is a challenge to fill those roles," said Karen Niemeier, Lawrence Township Schools' director of exceptional learners.
It's challenging for all Indiana school districts.
A new survey, released just in the last few weeks from Equitable Education Solutions, that shows 80% of superintendents reported a shortage of special education teachers in 2022. That number far outpaced needs for any other subject area.
At the same time, there are more special ed students than ever.
"It is a serious issue. It needs to be addressed," said Carey Danhcke, executive director of the Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning at the University of Indianapolis.
Danhcke says he is starting to see a change.
UIndy, in partnership with Indiana's Department of Education, has been helping schools chip away at the shortage by helping them grow their own through a program called I-SEAL.
That program, which started in November 2021, clears barriers for current teachers, so they can earn special education coursework and gain credentials for free.
"So the teacher can take the coursework, have the tuition and books paid for by us and then at the conclusion of it, transition into a career as a special education teacher," Dahncke said.
"Because that is one of those barriers, is cost," Niemier said. "So through I-SEAL, knowing that those dollars are available for someone to take that coursework is huge."
It is working. In just over a year, Dahncke says 732 teachers have been involved in I-SEAL. Eighty have already finished and are now in special ed classrooms. Lawrence Township has several in each of its schools.
Speeding up certification, though, is just one solution. Educators say increasing teacher pay would help, too. They're also selling the reward factor of working with exceptional learners. That's a benefit that just can't be quantified in numbers or dollars.
"It's just so rewarding and amazing just to see the outcomes and how far students come who have a variety of different needs," Niemeier said.