According to the Berkeley Unified School District website, the special education program was designed to “meet the unique needs of the student with a disability.” The website says that one of the important aspects of the special education program within BUSD is that it places a great emphasis on inclusion. This emphasis on inclusion means enabling students of all abilities to participate and learn together in the same environment. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) says that students with disabilities are entitled to receive special services but are integrated into typical classroom environments to the maximum extent it is appropriate.
According to the BUSD website, this approach to special education has become widespread and is considered to be highly effective. According to the University of New Hampshire, inclusive special education programs lead to an improved academic performance and a better development in their social emotional skills. “I prefer full inclusion of both neurodivergent and non-neurodivergent students, as it gives neurodivergent students a way to connect with non-neurodivergent students and understand what it's like to be in their perspective, and the same thing for non-neurodivergent students,” Sam Mascarenhas, a Berkeley High School junior, said. Mascarenhas has been a part of the special education program at BHS for three years.
In order for the inclusion approach to special education to work, it needs to be well executed, with properly trained and well-paid educators. This broaches the question as to whether school districts provide sufficient resources to allow the special education programs to help students. According to Education Next, during the 2023-24 school year more than half of all school districts in the United States and 80 percent of states reported a lack of qualified special education teachers. This issue stems from the fact that approximately 46,000 special education teachers leave public school districts every year and only 30,000 people are enrolled in special education teacher preparation programs. Even if school districts hire already established teachers, there is still scarcity in the job market.
Rosa Bautista, an instructional assistant (IA) at Malcolm X, explained that there have been many times where there is a crisis with a special education student and she had to seek help from regular teachers who are not trained to handle those situations. She believes this issue is due to the lack of IAs available.
However, it is important to note that the national lack of special education teachers is not a recent issue. According to a study done by the Bellwether Education Partners, most school districts from the years 1998-2018 reported an inadequate number of special education teachers, and nine states (Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Nebraska, Texas, and Wisconsin) have reported this issue consistently for the past 20 years.
However, Dr. George Fornero, the BHS Special Education (SPED) Program Coordinator, does not believe that BUSD has been impacted by IA shortages. "We have a good pool, and we have people that are interested in working here," Fornero said, "So we've been fortunate (not to experience shortages)." According to Trish McDermott, senior communications manager for BUSD, BHS employs 15 IAs. This number does not include contract IAs who are employed by outside agencies but work at BHS. IAs working at BHS but employed by outside agencies.
Sharon Murphy, who works in the special education department at Malcolm X Elementary School, wrote in an email to the Jacket, “To my knowledge, it is difficult to hire people to work with the moderate to severe students. Not many area special education college programs offer a moderate severe credential." Murphy added, "As far as teacher assistants, many of them do not want to deal with students who may have violent behavior and/or who need help with toileting.”
Nonetheless, BUSD has still been able to create many resources for students and teachers in the special education department. For example, Malcom X offers training classes for ___. “I like that there are training classes offered. It's a chance to learn something plus a chance to meet other SPED staff in the district,” Murphy wrote in an email to the Jacket.
However, while BUSD does have these resources, Mascarenhas noted the importance of connecting neurodivergent students to the resources available. He feels that if students aren't connected with resources at a young age, they tend to feel like they cannot fit in with neurotypical students. Working with an IA or a counselor from a younger age, Mascarenhas explained, could help neurodivergent students feel less different and more confident fitting in with other students.
Rosie Kosky, a BHS sophomore who is a part of BHS's special education program, explained that an issue that neurodivergent students often face is that, while there are resources available for them, in her experience it has been difficult to be connected to those resources. “I got an IA recently, last year I asked for one, I was consistently begging for it because I knew that would help a lot,” Kosky said.
According to the BUSD website, Willard was recognized by the Schoolwide Integrated Framework for Transformation as being a model for inclusive education. According to Berkeleyside, this is due to inclusion being ingrained in the school culture. According to the Daily Californian, all students with severe disabilities at Willard have an IA with them all day and teachers practice modified education.
Additionally, Murphy noted a large difference between attention paid to special education in BUSD compared to other districts. “I taught at a much larger district before, that district had just about as many Program Supervisors as BUSD has, but had programs at three times as many schools. Having my program supervisor answer messages, drop off supplies, or swing by to visit is an amazing thing,” Murphy wrote in an email to the Jacket.
Overall, Fornero acknowledges the efforts and resources BUSD works to provide for special education students. “I think the support and services we provide are exceptional, especially the counseling. The therapeutic counseling supports the IAs. The number of IAs we have here is amazing. (...) The case loads are low for the case managers" Fornero said. "It's pretty amazing what we have here.”
Amy Rocha, a BUSD special education teacher at Malcolm X Elementary School, noted that overall, BUSD does a good job with its special education department, and she's noticed teachers making an effort to connect their students with resources that Berkeley offers. Rocha said, “the city of Berkeley has a lot of resources, and (is) just really connecting them with the school system.”