Kingsville ISD is working to overcome a shortage of special education teachers by offering new incentives aimed at attracting and retaining staff ahead of the upcoming school year.
“It’s a very rewarding field,” said Rene Ramirez, a special education teacher at Kingsville ISD. “Working with the students in special education, seeing them grow — that’s what makes it worth it.”
However, like many districts across Texas, Kingsville ISD has faced challenges in staffing its special education department.
According to the Texas Education Agency, there is currently one special education teacher for every 25 students with special needs across the state — a ratio that puts pressure on educators and impacts student support.
Staff like Erika Rosales and Pamela Avelar say they’ve had to step up to meet student needs.
“We would just divide up the workload, get things done, and make sure our kids are being taken care of,” they said.
In response, Kingsville ISD launched a recruitment effort that includes a $6,000 stipend and a $500 signing bonus for special education teachers.
“We did have several openings, and we were anxious to recruit teachers to the Kingsville Independent School District,” said Dr. Ada Besinaiz, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction. “So we began by offering stipends and additional trainings to recruit our teachers.”
The strategy has paid off — with all but one special education position filled just in time for the first day of school on August 11.
“Now that we have everybody on board,” Rosales and Avelar said, “we can tackle this together as a team and make sure that we close the gaps.”
The school district is still seeking an early childhood special education teacher to work with three-year-olds and is encouraging qualified local residents to apply.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
