Rockdale schools approve $1.15 million staffing deal to fill special education vacancies
The Rockdale County Board of Education approved a contract last week aimed at filling special education teaching vacancies amid an ongoing staffing shortage.
The agreement with Soliant Health LLC, a Georgia-based education and health care staffing agency, calls for a minimum cost of $115,520 per teacher, with total spending not to exceed $1,155,200 for up to 10 teachers.
Rockdale County Public Schools has struggled to recruit teachers as roughly 250 students with disabilities have transferred into the district since the beginning of the school year.
School officials said the 10 teachers have completed an extensive interview process to assess their qualifications and experience. The certified special education teachers could be in classrooms as early as this week.
Six vacancies would remain, though officials said that number could fluctuate based on student needs.
Vicki Casteal is the executive director of the Next Level Transition Program in Conyers. The organization helps individuals with intellectual disabilities, primarily as they transition to life after graduation.
Casteal spent nearly 20 years as a teacher, including almost 15 working with students in special education. She said filling the vacancies requires qualified, passionate people who care about students.
Casteal said she finds purpose in helping people with disabilities reach their full potential.
"Having qualified, attentive, passionate teachers are important," Casteal said. "If you can give your child, in this population, the right support, then they can flourish. You can't put limits on them. It's really about the support, and that starts with the schools."
She said qualified teachers can help students share their abilities with others.
"There's a lot they have to offer," Casteal said. "A qualified teacher can find a way to introduce that to the world, the school, the student body, the community, in ways you couldn't imagine because that teacher is not thinking about them with limits."
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