Association for Education discusses staff vacancies in Eastern Iowa

Cedar Rapids, Iowa – Thousands of students in eastern Iowa will be going back to school this week, and several school districts have openings for specialized roles as the school year begins.

These are for roles such as paraprofessionals, teaching assistants, and special education teachers.

Several school districts in eastern Iowa, including Clear Creek Amana, Mount Vernon, and Solon, are hiring for those positions.

With almost 30 school buildings under its jurisdiction, the Cedar Rapids Community School District is pleased to welcome 132 new teachers this academic year. There are 87 paraprofessional openings in the district, according to Frontline Education.

Since he started teaching 20 years ago, Josh Brown, president of the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA), has observed a shortage of candidates for positions such as paraprofessionals, but he claims that within the past few years, the situation has gotten worse.

According to Brown, there may be difficulties because of the vacancies even though the schools can function with the current workforce.

Things get lost when you’re low-staffed, according to Brown. Being in a position where you might have to choose who receives these services today and who doesn’t is upsetting for educators.

He claims that when it comes to special education teachers, this is particularly worrying.

“It is evident that over the past few decades, the requirements of our students have only grown,” Brown stated. “Having highly qualified teachers and paraeducators in our schools to work with our most vulnerable students—among them being our special education students—is more important than ever.”

Several districts are encouraging general education instructors to obtain certification to instruct specialty courses.

According to Brown, educators are fleeing the state because they believe legislators may not be listening to them and that collective bargaining is crucial to providing support for educators.

According to Brown, part of that involves making sure that there is professional respect, that individuals feel heard, that they have a say in how they operate, and that they are learning alongside their students.