Birmingham City Schools proposed spending up to $1.5 million to recruit and prepare as many as 20 special education teachers after conventional hiring produced no candidates for some vacancies. The plan would recruit community members, pay tuition, provide training and Praxis preparation, and let participants work as substitutes or paraprofessionals while pursuing conditional certification. The provider estimated that candidates could qualify in four to five months depending on prior coursework and exams. Officials said the approach could later be used for other hard-to-fill classroom positions.
Source: https://abc3340.com/news/crisis-in-the-classroom/bcs-turns-to-new-teacher-pipeline-as-special-education-needs-and-staffing-pressures-grow
