Effective special education teachers and staff open a world of opportunities for children with learning differences. Attuned to a child’s unique needs and strengths, special education professionals have the knowledge and expertise to help students gain independence and reach their full potential.
It’s imperative for schools to hire qualified special education personnel, but finding specialists in today’s environment is especially difficult. According to a Rand Corporation report teacher turnover increased by 4 percentage points post-pandemic, reaching 10% nationally at the close of the 2021–2022 school year. At 7%, Special Education positions had the highest vacancy rate of all teaching roles in public schools in October 2022.
The struggle to recruit and retain educators impacts all students’ growth, well-being and achievement—especially those requiring additional resources or support. Staff augmentation services offer a solution to staff your special education department in an efficient and timely way.
What is Staff Augmentation?
Staff augmentation is the process of adding additional staff to your school or district to fill shortages or enhance programs. Schools and districts attempting to fill positions on their own soon discover the burdens associated with and levied on administrative staff. Connecting with dozens of agencies, setting up multiple bill rates, fielding phone calls, and answering dozens of emails subtracts from what really matters—providing students with quality care and education.
Staff augmentation specialists, like BlazerWorks, consolidate the activity into one streamlined process. One phone call to BlazerWorks unleashes the power of ten or more firms working hard to find the right fit to fill your positions promptly. You’ll work with one representative experienced in the special education industry who listens to your specific needs and paves the way for a simpler workflow. The program will allow you to manage all contractors on one invoice freeing up time for your staff and saving you money.When you partner with BlazerWorks—with over 30 years of education industry experience—you relieve the burden of managing your temporary staffing challenge and create time to elevate your special education programs.
Benefits of Staff Augmentation
The body of research suggests that quality educators are an important factor for successful student outcomes. The right staff augmentation partner supports that important result in several key ways.
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Leaders are free to do their essential work outside of stressful staffing logistics. Dedicated service providers work behind the scenes and draw on nationwide staffing partners to connect you with a few highly skilled, fully vetted professionals to interview.
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A stable, highly qualified staff improves student outcomes. Students and families benefit from knowledgeable personnel that provide developmental opportunities and a learning process that improves each child’s quality of life and school experience.
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Concierge-level care. You’ll be assigned an expert in the field of special education to attend to your specific needs at your district. Each partner—knowledgeable in state-by-state requirements—ensures your hires comply with federal regulations.
BlazerWorks, one of the country’s leading special education advisory service providers, is uniquely equipped to support K-12 districts with specialized staff augmentation. Each dedicated service provider—an expert in special education—strives to save you time and money by expertly sourcing, screening and interviewing candidates based on your needs.
Clinical Advisor Support System
Once exceptional candidates are successfully placed in your school, BlazerWorks continues to support teachers, staff and students with a team of Special Education Clinical Advisors skilled in speech-language therapy, psychology, occupational therapy and other special education disciplines. A foundation of support relieves stress and promotes teacher and staff retention elevating the educational experience of students, staff and families.
To learn how BlazerWorks is evolving the special education experience and improving outcomes for all students, check out this podcast episode featuring Dr. Jaime Sowers.
Meet The Author
Jaime Sowers
Ed.D.
Clinical Advisory Team Director
Dr. Jaime Sowers, is the Clinical Advisory Team Director at BlazerWorks. Jaime earned his doctorate in innovation and leadership in 2018 from Wilmington University in Delaware. Prior to joining the BlazerWorks team, Jaime spent three years as the special education director for Santa Fe Public Schools in New Mexico. He is nearing the 20-year mark in education, spending time as a teacher, coordinator, and principal prior to becoming a director. Currently, he serves on two volunteer school boards and is an active member of the Council of Administrators of Special Education and the Council of Exceptional Children.