Saint Paul Public Schools offering bonuses to fill positions [Video]

The district is offering $10,000 bonuses to the first 70 special education staff hired for the next school year, to be paid in installments over two years.

ST PAUL, Minn. — At Focus Beyond Transition Services in St. Paul, having the right staffing to support and instruct students is crucial.

“Every student who is in our building has a disability and requires additional services,” said Assistant Principal Micaela Smith. “If we don’t have people to help support our students, we are limiting their growth.”

The state’s second-largest district anticipates more than 70 job openings for special education staff next year, including teachers, social workers, psychologists and speech and language pathologists, as well as openings for math, chemistry, middle school science, physical education, Montessori and language immersion teachers.

“St. Paul is allocating about $1 million out of our general budget,” said Daveanna Tarpeh, a recruitment and diversity specialist with SPPS.

She …