The Cottonwood-Oak Creek School District is looking to fill two-and a-half special education Paraprofessional job vacancies at the Mariposa developmental preschool. The positions are of special concern because the preschool has had to close about once a month since the start of the school year because of staffing and the safety issue that causes.
“The big issue is it’s hard to give every child the one-on-one attention they need, especially in special ed, without someone else there,” special education paraprofessional Asa Marette said. “It’s hard juggling different activities. We do a good job with what we got. But the kids would get more out of it [and] more benefit from having one-on-one time. It’s difficult because if somebody gets sick, it’s hard to keep the preschool open … Having [substitutes] come in is wonderful, but it’s easier if we have a staff that already knows what’s going on, which is true for any job.”
“When [ the kids ] don’t have a regular routine, it makes them unregulated, ” added fellow special education paraprofessional Darren Gigliotti. “If we’re open all the time [and] we keep it to schedule because we have the staff to do so, then you can see that [the kids are] learning and they engage a lot more.” Gigliotti said that the department’s main challenge is to have more people apply for these positions, as well as staff retention.
He added that additional staffing would also improve safety for the children, especially getting them to and from the school bus. COCSD has also had difficulties filling school bus driver vacancies.
“It is a hard job, but it’s so rewarding once you come and join us, because it takes a special type of person with a deep heart and passion to want to see kids who actually thrive and actually meet their goals,” Gigliotti said. “We have a good team already and we just need more people.”
Another challenge facing the program is a national and local increase in the demand for special education.
“We started at 21 [kids] this year, and I anticipate being near 40 at the end of the school year,” Mariposa preschool special education teacher Tammy Catalano said. “Last year, we started at 11 and we ended up with 22 … We have kids that are identified in the spring that don’t come to me because of birthdays [that] fall over the summer. So as they turn three over the summer, they start with me at the beginning of the school year.”
Nationally, the total number of special education students increased to nearly 7.3 million in 2021-22 from 3.6 million in the 1976-77 school year, with these students now making up 15% of K-12 students according to Education Week.
“It’s an ideal position for people that are considering going into early childhood, for high schoolers that want to see what early childhood would look like in a special education population,” Catalano said. “It’s a good place to start and see what education looks like. I’ve done a lot of training for student teachers and so forth, so I’m always willing to train.”
“You’re giving back to your community, but you’re learning so much about yourself in this profession,” Marette said. “You look at [the world] as shiny and new … You learn how to play again, you learn what it’s like to be a kid again. It’s not just about playing with toys. It’s also employing playing in your own life and finding joy in the little things. This job has really helped me to do that.”
Visit cocsd.us for more information about COCSD job openings.
