Special education teachers play a vital role in helping students with disabilities achieve academic, social and emotional success, experts say. But these positions are often unfilled.

These teachers develop Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), attend meetings, manage paperwork, teach and typically work 40 to 50 hours a week.

The Pew Research Center reports that U.S. public schools serve about 7.3 million students with disabilities from kindergarten through 12^th grade, a number that fluctuates each school year. However, the number of available teachers continues to decrease, and both public and private schools have reported difficulties in finding candidates.

According to the Institute of Education Sciences, 40% of public schools and 44% of private schools found it very difficult or were not able to fill the vacancies for special education.

As of May 2023, the median salary average for special education teachers in the United States was $65,910. Top earners reported making around $84,000 across the United States while the 25^th percentile made about $50,000 per year.

So why are these positions still unfilled?

Data from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that during the 2020-21 school year, public schools hired 541,000 special education teachers across the country. However, 8.5% of these teachers left the profession and 9.2% transferred to different schools the following year, leaving schools with unfilled positions.

Job burnout is a major factor. This occurs often with teachers when they feel exhaustion and lack of accomplishment. A study conducted by the National Library of Medicine found that special education teachers’ job burnout is associated with engagement and their students’ IEPs.

Special education educators are integral in their students' IEPs which outline specific goals, accommodations and services to ensure the success of the student. Parents and other administrators are often involved, along with their teacher monitoring their progress.

While special education teachers often receive the same salary as general education teachers, they typically manage larger caseloads, face more student demands and handle more paperwork.  

The demand for special education teachers continues to rise and schools face difficulties in hiring these positions. To address this, districts across the U.S. have begun offering incentives and resources to recruit and retain these teachers.

Lexington County schools are also taking action. Lexington One formed a salary committee to address issues with retention in all positions, including special education teachers. The committee identified special education as one of the hardest-to-fill roles.

Lexington One’s salary committee presented a recommendation regarding special education teachers. The committee recommended the board implement a teacher retention stipend, including $1,000 for year one, $2,000 for year two and $3,000 for year three and up. Lexington Two offers a $2,500 sign-on bonus to new teachers in special education.