2 of 9

Ohio’s Special Education Annual Data

3 of 9

Intervention Specialist, Related Services, and Para Shortages

Majority of Ohio school districts are experiencing shortages of licensed special education professionals.
Ohio has introduced many flexibilities to bring more people into Ohio’s classrooms.
Special Education has federal legal requirements that govern how special education services are delivered. Many flexibilities do not apply to special education.

License/Teaching�Area Category	Leaving Teaching Over Past 5 Years	Newly Licensed Over Past 5 Years	With Teaching License but Not Working in Ohio Public Schools in 2022
Special Education	7,167	6,897	8,830

Current Statewide Effects of Federal Actions

Federal higher education funds that provided teacher training grants to bring more people into the profession have been cut and/or eliminated.
Federal funds to higher education research have been cut, causing research projects related to students with disabilities, including instructional and behavioral strategies, to cease.
The reduction in funding for the Office of Civil Rights resulted in the closure of the Cleveland OCR. This was the federal oversight agency location for federal complaints originating in Ohio.

What We Are Hearing From Our Members

Our locals and their administrators are reporting shortages of intervention specialists, related services providers, and para-professionals.
Intervention Specialists and Related Services Providers report increased workloads and caseloads and are struggling to provide services and FAPE within reasonable time frames.
High levels of burn out and stress are reported
Concern about longevity in the field.
Hiring challenges exist statewide due to lack of licensed candidates.
Funding (state) and DOE (federal) concerns, both current and proposed, affect morale, ability to hire educators, teaching materials, and provide structural improvements to school buildings.

Concerns at the Federal Level

The potential closure of the Federal Department of Education.
IDEA implementation and oversite could move to HHS. Special Education is not a health issue.
OSEP – new/increased focus on private education for students with disabilities and increased voucher funding.
Block Grant funding discussion.
Medicaid Funding Cuts– majority of related services (OT, PT, SLP) funded by Medicaid.

Concerns at the State Level

Block Grant funding (federal) will change how Ohio’s Office of Exceptional Children accesses and disperses funds.
State Budget Concerns - special education cost study not included, elimination of bi-partisan fair school funding plan, increase in tax-payer funded scholarships and charter schools, lack of meaningful funding for teacher training, recruitment and retention.
Increased focus on privatization of education. (FAPE not required.)
*Paternally placed students in private schools.

What You Can (and must) Do

Affirm and proclaim that Disability Rights are NOT a partisan issue.
Teachers and paras should collaborate with administration and school boards to advocate for students with disabilities.
Form coalitions with state-level organizations. It is imperative that parents and students collaborate with educators and state-level organizations to demand fair school funding for students with disabilities.
Lobby your elected officials at the local, state, and national levels.
Lobbying at the state level should include every member of the state senate and house who is part of their respective budget committees.