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Board hears detailed steps to address special-education staffing shortages at Mitchell Elementary and districtwide
Summary
Ann Arbor Public Schools staff told trustees they are using university partnerships, a Grow-Your-Own pathway, higher pay for critical long-term substitutes, outside agency contracts, and formalized internal exit interviews to address special-education shortages; staff said two vacancies remain at Mitchell Elementary.
District staff outlined a multi-pronged response to special-education staffing shortages that trustees and public commenters had raised.
Miss Lewis said district support teams had visited Mitchell Elementary to assess needs, that the district will formalize internal exit interviews to better capture reasons staff transfer within the district, and that administration is partnering with local universities to identify candidates and interns. She described a Grow-Your-Own pathway to allow AAPS employees with a bachelor's degree to pursue a master's in special education at no cost, and said the district has increased pay for long-term substitutes in critical ASD and CI rooms to improve recruitment.
Lewis also said the district is contracting with outside agencies to bring specialized expertise (including board-certified behavior analysts and registered behavior technicians) for students with high-need profiles. She said that, when services are delayed for reasons beyond district control, teams will create compensatory plans to make up for missed supports.
On Mitchell specifically, Lewis said two special-education positions remained open; interviews for one position occurred last week and interviews for the other were scheduled this week. Trustees asked for the district to provide written, bulleted documentation of the actions Lewis described so board members and the public could follow progress.
Parents and community speakers had asked for a more-specialized program at Mitchell and for exit interviews and data about transfers; several speakers said staffing instability and reliance on contracted staff had harmed services and urged immediate remedies. Superintendent Jazz Parks thanked Lewis and reiterated the district's commitment to supporting student needs and to taking reports of hateful language seriously.
