Legislators and education advocates have long known that paraeducators help to educate students with special needs.  Little did they know, however, that paraeducators are providing a majority of the hours of instruction.  In fact, 52% of instruction in special education were provided by paraeducators in the 2012-13 School Year , according to OSPI.

WAAA is joining other advocacy coalitions around the state to ask the Legislature to recognize, support, and enhance the paraeducators’ role in educating students in the opportunity gap.

What does SB 6129/HB2365 do?  The bill would establish a workgroup of stakeholders and education experts to identify impediments to paraeducators becoming teachers, and provide the Legislature with recommendations on the following subjects:

• Minimum employment standards for paraeducators working in LAP, TBIP, special education and regular education;
• Professional development that would help paraeducators meet the higher standards and would provide ongoing training;
• A career ladder for paraeducators who want to take on greater education responsibility; and
• Professional development for teachers who work with Paraeducators.

While it is always difficult to predict how the Legislature will respond, it is hard to argue with a very simple message we are delivering:

“How can the State expect to provide quality education to the students who need the most assistance, how can it reduce the opportunity gap, when it knows that the employees who are providing the majority of instruction have little to no training, have little to no employment standards (especially relating to their ability to teach students), have little incentive to improve themselves, have little if any planning time, and have teachers who won’t explain what they are to do with the students?”

We believe that the students in these programs deserve better!