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Holyoke officials flag special-education staffing gaps; district outlines licensure and retention steps
Summary
The Holyoke joint City Council–School Committee meeting heard that 63 special-education staff are working on waivers, the district spends roughly $10 million on out-of-district placements for about 128 students, and leaders described stipends, licensure pipelines and vendor partnerships as mitigation strategies.
Across a joint meeting Dec. 10, Holyoke public officials highlighted persistent shortages among specialized special-education staff and outlined a multi-pronged effort to recruit and retain qualified clinicians and teachers.
Councilor Israel Rivera introduced an order calling for a joint update after families reported frequent turnover among staff providing speech, occupational therapy and related services. Superintendent Anthony Sotos and Mary Ann Courier, chief of pupil services, told the committee the district faces unusually high numbers of waiver-held special-education staff and must balance recruitment with the fiscal impact of out-of-district placements.
The most immediate figures cited: Courier said the district has 63 special-education staff working…
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