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Hard to Staff Differential Payments Application

  • Dr. Margaret Cage Ed. D., Director of the Office of Special Education (OSE)

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  • Dr. Tyre Jenkins Ed.D, Deputy Director of the Office of Special Education (OSE)

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  • Jessica Dinsmore MPA, Educational Administrator of the Office of Special Education (OSE)

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Investing for tomorrow, delivering today.

Presentation Date(s)

July 25, 2024 2:00PM

July 26, 2024 9:00AM

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Presentation for … Local Educational Agencies

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Agenda

  • Welcome & Introductions
  • Hard to Staff Differential Payments Information
  • Application Requirements
  • LEA Requirements
  • Scoring Rubric & Prioritization of Funding
  • Questions/ FAQ

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Attendance

Please Scan the QR Code to Sign In!

Your Attendance is Greatly Appreciated!

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Hard to Staff Pay Differentials

  • The Hard to Staff Pay Differential initiative aims to offer financial incentives to attract and retain certified special education teachers to positions that have been vacant, difficult to fill, or have experienced high turnover.
  • Funding provided through HB2
  • Prioritizing local education agencies (LEAs) with special education teacher positions that have been vacant for two or more school years.
  • If funding permits:
    • Retention payments to all special education teachers across the state
    • Funding permitted assist with filling other special education vacancies including;
      • Educational Assistants
      • Service Providers

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Special Education Teacher Differential Payments

  • Payments for Certified Special Education Teachers for SY 24/25
    • $10,000 total for SY 24/25
    • Two $5,000 payments will be disseminated at the end of each semester (December & May)
    • Payments will go directly to teachers to decrease future MOE obligations of LEA’s
  • Participating teachers must hold a special education teaching license from the State of New Mexico.

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Stipend Amount

Rule

$5,000 (December)

Participant must work at least 75% of the instruction hours from August to December (or 1st half of the year depending on when the school year begins) according the instructional calendar of the district or charter school of employment

$5,000 (May)

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Participant must work at least 75% of the instruction hours from January to May (or when 2nd half of the year resumes) according the instructional calendar of the district or charter school of employment

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Hard to Staff

Pay Differential

LEA Application

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Application Information

Application Release Date:

August 15, 2024

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Application Due Date:

September 30, 2024

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Local Educational Agency (LEA) Requirements

  • Vacant Positions: Must have at least one or multiple special education teacher position that are vacant
    • Non-certified staff members (long-term substitutes or educational assistants) may have been hired to fill these positions on a temporary basis, but a certified special education teacher was not hired.
  • Application Deadline: Must complete the Hard-to-Staff Differential Payment Application by September 30, 2024.
  • Documentation: Must provide all required documentation and information to the Office of Special Education (OSE) by the requested due date along with the application or shortly after by official request.

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Application Sections

  • Hard to Staff Differential Payment Application
    • 5 Sections
      1. LEA Information
      2. LEA as a WHOLE Staffing Information
      3. Current School & Special Education Teacher Vacancy Information
      4. LEA Calendar Information
      5. Statement of Work

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Required Documents

  • CURRENT SCHOOL & SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER INFORMATION EXCEL DOCUMENT
    • LEA’s will be prompted to make a copy
    • Save & Upload to Application

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  • Two years of waiver request for non-certified special education staff positions
    • Upload as a PDF to Application

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Statement of Work

  • Proposed strategy to guarantee that the designated school administrator(s) and Special Education teacher, recipients of the stipend, will actively engage in initiatives aimed at enhancing student performance and fostering positive outcomes for students with disabilities.

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  • Outline how your LEA intends to craft a quality mentoring program for teachers as part of this initiative to improve recruitment and retention efforts.

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Rubric & Prioritization

  • Hard to Staff Applications will be reviewed and scored utilizing the “Hard to Staff Application Rubric”
    • Scoring Section:
      • # of Vacant Special Education Teachers Positions
      • Engagement & Mentoring Strategy
    • Other Considerations
      • LEA Requirements
      • Teacher Licensure
      • Stipend Eligibility
  • Funding priorities will follow the rubric explanations upon release of August 15, 2024.

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Timeline

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FAQ

  • Additional Questions? Scan the QR code to the right and let OSE know of any lingering questions or concerns

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  • FAQ will be posted to the website & sent to everyone in attendance here

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Questions

Investing for tomorrow, delivering today.

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