The Professional Educators Standards Board annually produces a shortage report for Washington State. Special Education continues to be identified as the number one critical shortage area (most recently based on school year 2022 – 23 data.) Special Education is demanding of educators and requires additional specialized training to meet complex educational and student needs. While one goal is for classrooms to be staffed with fully certified and endorsed special education educators, emergency substitute teachers also play an important role within the classroom and are often overlooked of their role in the K-12 system. Substitute teachers are called upon to fill short- and long-term vacancies and continue to positively impact student learning while receiving no or limited professional development available to and required of certificated educators. Therefore, through by Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill (ESSB) 5950, the Legislature allocated funding solely for OSPI to contract with an approved educator prepartion program run by a statewide labor orgnaization representing education to fund cohorts of teach residents. Please note: This is a Sole Source Notification.
