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Special education leaders urge steps on staffing and retention; board discusses stipends and compliance gains
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Summary
Special education director Marissa told trustees the district faces hiring and retention challenges, outlined possible $5,000–$10,000 stipend models other districts use to retain SPED teachers, reported progress on compliance (MDR timelines and Medicaid audits) and highlighted graduation gains from a student success coordinator.
Special education director Marissa told the board teacher recruitment and retention are the district’s largest challenges in special education, noting the district currently has about 72 certified special‑education teachers, eight long‑term substitutes and 23 staff in alternate‑route certification programs.
She said some districts have used stipends to retain special‑education teachers and that research she reviewed suggested $5,000–$10,000 supplements help retention; trustees proposed a $10,000 target while staff noted some state 'shine' funds already supply approximately $5,000, meaning a district top‑up would partially bridge the gap.
On compliance, Marissa described a manifestation determination review (MDR) noncompliance issue tied to data mismatches between local records and Skyward. The team put in weekly cross‑checks and now reports meeting the MDR timeline and improved data accuracy. She also reported a 100% compliance result on Medicaid billing audits for eligible services.
Marissa highlighted a student success coordinator role consolidated from three part‑time posts that has supported students to graduation and praised Unified Sports results at Tooele High.
Next steps: staff will provide additional data on how many additional special‑education teachers would be needed to close gaps and will return with cost projections for stipend options and staffing targets.
