BILLINGS — As schools across the country struggle to fill teaching positions, the shortage is especially severe in special education. Now, one MSU Billings professor is working to help grow the next generation of special educators.
MSU Billings professor Melissa Walker secured a $1.24 million grant that will cover full tuition and fees for qualifying students studying special education.
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"We are going to be accepting a cohort of 20 students to become special educators to get their bachelor's degree in special education," Walker said.
About 50 special educator positions remain vacant across the state.
"Over the summer, when I was writing the grant, there were about 84 positions that were vacant," Walker said.
She said the demand reflects the difficulty of the work.
"Special education is hard. There's a lot of turnover in special education," Walker said.
The program could also create a new path for paraprofessionals already working in schools.
"We know we have a lot of paraprofessionals in schools who want to be teachers, but for whatever reason, they haven't been able to get their degree," Walker said.
For the right person, she said, the work can be life-changing.
"If you are going to get a special education degree, that is your passion and your heart that you want to work with these students and do this because it is a very hard job. Not for the faint of heart," Walker said.
For Sarah Moran, a middle school teacher at Medicine Crow Middle School, the path to the classroom started in her own home.
"I have some family members that had special needs and they were just a driving force made me want to go into it," Moran said.
Almost two decades later, she still knows exactly why she's here.
"The kids are the best part of it. And so much fun," Moran said.
Moran sees the impact of that work every day. She said the challenges are real, but so are the rewards.
"It's a new day every day. There's always new problems to be solved. But that's also what I really like about it," Moran said.
For students thinking about a career in special education, her advice is to jump in and learn as much as possible.
"You can learn so much and just get lots of tools for your tool belt by being in different classes," Moran said.
