Northwest R-1 School District special education teachers will receive a $3,500 stipend next school year.
The Board of Education voted 6-0 Feb. 20 to approve the stipend to address the shortage of special education teachers, not only at the Northwest district, but also in Missouri and the entire region. Board member Retta Tuggle was absent from the meeting.
District officials hope the stipend will aid in recruiting and retaining highly qualified educators to teach students with disabilities or other special needs.
“We are looking for special educators with cross-categorical certifications,” Superintendent Jennifer Hecktor said. “Our special education teachers serve our students in a number of ways depending on student needs and their Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).”
Hecktor told school board members that the district has needed more special educators since the 2023-2024 school year.
“Last year, in July, we had 10 special ed teacher openings. Ten is an alarming number,” she said. “We did not end up filling all of those positions with highly qualified, certified staff. So, we have five openings currently, because those who did not have their proper certification last year are not coming back.”
Hecktor said other districts pay their special education teachers more than Northwest, which may make it difficult to fill positions.
“We border (the Special School District of St. Louis County) that starts out on their salary schedule from this year at (about) $47,000 and tops out at $100,000. We will not be able to match them,” she said. “We cannot match them, but what we can do is try to improve on our pay with a stipend.”
While the district still has open special education positions and has received no qualified applicants, officials began to look at ways to address the shortage and employee turnover rate and be more competitive and settled on the $3,500 stipend as an incentive for new and current special education teachers, Hecktor said.
Approximately 85 current teachers will qualify for the stipend, and it will cost the district an estimated $290,500 to cover stipends for both the current special education teachers and those who may be hired to fill vacancies, said Mark Janiesch, the district’s chief operating officer.
The starting salary for all Northwest teachers will be $43,500 for the 2025-2026 school year. With the $3,500 stipend, special education teachers will start at $47,000 for base pay, Hecktor said.
“We believe this stipend is going to motivate our own staff to not look for jobs elsewhere and to stay here and continue to work with us and our kids,” she said. “Any general education teacher within the district who has a special education certification and wants to apply for one of these jobs can and will be eligible for that stipend as well.”
To be eligible for employment as a special education teacher in the district, applicants must teach full-time, be fully certified and be case managers, meaning the teachers must monitor progress on IEP goals, facilitate IEP meetings and communicate with all members of the IEP team.
With the next school year swiftly approaching, school officials said they hope the stipend will help the district fill all its special education roles so students may receive the quality teaching they deserve.
“We believe that teachers who come to Northwest stay at Northwest; they deserve the competitive compensation, stability and professional respect that we provide,” Hecktor said.
To apply for a special education teacher position or to view a list of current openings in the Northwest R-1 School District, visit northwestr1.schoolspring.com.