Westmoreland offers special education certificate program aimed at bolstering teacher workforce

Schools in Westmoreland County are struggling to fill special education teaching positions. They’re not alone.

More than 2,000 teaching positions were vacant in Pennsylvania as of October, according to data released by the state.

Though schools in and around Philadelphia bear the brunt of the shortages, Westmoreland County needs 30 more teachers, according to a report by nonprofit coalition PA Needs Teachers.

Penn State professor Ed Fuller told TribLive in June that nearly half of the teacher vacancies across the state — 46% — originate from special education.

Finding qualified candidates to teach ESL, speech therapy and classes for visually and hearing impaired students has been a particular challenge, said Jason Conway, executive director of the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit.

“The districts and the intermediate units just simply do not have multiple people to choose from,” said Conway, who leads the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit in supporting 17 school systems across the county.

“Sometimes we’re lucky to get one qualified candidate for a position, and if they don’t accept the position — because maybe they’ve gotten another offer from another organization — they don’t take the job and you’re back to square one.”

This also has affected the supply of substitute teachers to local school districts, Conway said.

“We’re lucky if we have one or two people that are willing to substitute for our programs,” he said, “and I guarantee you there’s more than one or two teachers out in a day.”

Certificate program created

When Conway learned last year of a Luzerne Intermediate Unit certificate program aimed at drawing workers in non-teaching jobs to the special education field, it caught his eye.

The program — in which participants can earn a Pennsylvania Instructional I teaching certificate — comes with 50 credits of remote synchronous evening classes, three months of student teaching and two final exams.

It is open to those with a bachelor’s degree in any field, said Deanna Mennig — personalized learning consultant for the Luzerne Intermediate Unit.

“There is tons of support along the way for individuals in that program,” Conway said, “that they never feel as though they are out on an island.

“The care they take to work with every single individual that’s in their program — meeting with them before they officially start the program and during it — was definitely enticing.”

So far, the program has seen a 100% pass rate for its final exams, said Mary Dreliszak, spokesperson for the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit.

Offering the program’s classes remotely and in the evening reduces barriers, Dreliszak said.

“(It) allows people to continue with their day job and to be able to continue on with this,” she said. “They’ve certainly made it very accessible for anyone who would like to find renewed purpose in their career.”

Getting started

Aspiring special educators can learn more about the program during a hybrid informational session from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. It is available in person at the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit and online via Zoom, https://bit.ly/WIU-Special-Ed-Cert-Info-Night.

Luzerne’s certificate program is a partial solution, Conway said, as it will still take aspiring educators a year or two to complete the coursework. 

But Conway believes the program will draw more people to see education as a meaningful career path.

“We want to make sure that people who have an interest in teaching,” he said, “have an outlet to get their questions answered.”