Have you ever considered working with students with disabilities?

As you may know, like many districts around the country, Providence is seeking educators to support students with disabilities. In an effort to fill persistent vacancies in specialized classrooms, the District and the Providence Teachers Union (PTU) are offering an opportunity of a $10,000 standard base salary increase for all educators working in three specialized classroom programs:

Behavior Intervention Program (BIP) Rooms,

Exceptional Child Services (ECS) Rooms, 

and, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Rooms..

Our goal with this incentive is to ensure we can support all students, particularly our students with our highest needs. I’m proud to share that we worked collaboratively with the PTU on this initiative with the goal of better  supporting our students and staff. 

1. What is the purpose of this incentive?

The purpose of this incentive is to address the persistent vacancies in specialized classrooms within Providence Public Schools by offering a $10,000 base salary increase to educators working in Behavior Intervention, Exceptional Child Services, and Autism Spectrum Disorder rooms for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years.  

Despite extensive efforts to fill these positions, PPSD still has over 15 vacancies in these classrooms. Vacancies in these classrooms are incredibly problematic as it means that our highest need students do not have consistent access to a certified educator.

This initiative, developed in collaboration with the Providence Teachers Union, aims to ensure that students with the highest needs receive proper support by retaining them within the district. This reduces the reliance on out-of-district placements and the associated costs which are projected at over 28 million dollars in SY24-25.

2. What makes these classrooms particularly rewarding and critical?

Many of you have seen, interacted with, and helped support students with significant disabilities throughout your teaching career, and you know well what joy these unique students can bring to the classroom.

Educators in these roles have a profound impact on the lives of students with significant disabilities, helping them overcome challenges and achieve their potential. The progress students make, often against significant odds, can be incredibly rewarding. In addition, these roles are essential in ensuring that students with significant disabilities receive the appropriate support and accommodations to access the same educational opportunities as their peers. This helps in bridging educational gaps and promoting inclusivity.

3. I’m an educator in a historically hard to fill position that is not one of the positions listed above. Why don’t I qualify for the incentive?

PPSD recognizes that there are many high-need content areas experiencing particularly acute staffing shortages and values the contributions of all of our staff members.

This initiative is funded by the cost savings we anticipate from reducing the number of students who need to be placed in out-of-district specialized programs. By keeping these students within our district, we avoid the significant expenses associated with out-of-district placements, which are projected to exceed $28 million next year.

4. I am a Principal with vacant positions in one of the incentive areas. How will the interview process work for my school if qualified applicants apply to one or more of my positions?

HR will be sending Principals an update on qualified/eligible candidates who have applied to one or more of their vacant positions on Thursday, August 22nd, followed by a formal virtual interview schedule (these are set up by HR) on Friday, August 23rd (the day after positions close for this incentive).

For this process only, any qualified/eligible internal candidate that applies must receive an interview at the schools they have applied to.

The virtual fair will take place between the hours of 9:00-12:00 on Monday, August 26th. School interview teams will be joined by a representative from Special Education as well. Schools should let HR know which candidates they would like to move forward and HR will proceed with formal offers. 

Candidates will have until Friday, August 30th to accept or decline.

5. I am an existing ASD/ECS/BIP teacher- how can I support?

Recruit, recruit, recruit! You are an ambassador and a spokesperson for teaching students with behavioral challenges and significant disabilities, so please share with your colleagues the rewards of working with these students to help us ensure that we have quality teachers in all of these classrooms.