LIVERMORE FALLS — Several staff positions may still be open when school starts Aug. 30 for most students in Regional School Unit 73.
On Thursday, Aug. 24, Superintendent Scott Albert responded to a request from the Livermore Falls Advertiser regarding positions still open in the district.
“I really cannot speculate on whether we can fill these positions fully or not,” Albert wrote.
Positions still open in RSU 73:
Food service
One part time cafeteria worker position
Transportation/Maintenance
Two custodian positions
One van driver
Four bus monitors
Primary school
No openings
Elementary school
One Title 1 math education technician [ed tech] two position
Middle School
One nurse position
One alternative education ed tech three position
High School
One RTI teacher position
Special Education
Three special education teacher positions
Two ed tech two positions
Two ed tech one positions
“From memory, other than the custodians and bus monitors we started last year fully staffed,” Albert wrote Sunday night. “Our ed tech openings are always revolving based on special education needs.”
An article on the Sun Journal website Sunday, Aug. 27, stated special education teachers are in especially short supply this year. “The issue is particularly acute among educators trained to teach students with special needs. There is a shortage of special education teachers at every grade level in Maine, according to the U.S. Department of Education,” the article noted.
That article stated special education positions are hard to fill, which means school districts continue struggling to provide the appropriate education required by law to some of their most vulnerable students. Special education students need individualized and specialized instruction to benefit from their education, which requires training and preparation, it continued.
The article further noted, “Low pay, what some see as a lack of respect for the field, and challenging work all are blamed for the overall shortage of educators, especially those serving special-needs students. Historically, the shortages largely affected urban and rural districts with higher levels of poverty.”
“There is a shortage of special education teachers across the state and with federal law not allowing emergency certifications anymore I don’t see things getting better anytime soon,” Albert wrote.
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