NMI special education program lacks specialists

The CNMI special education and early intervention programs continue to be plagued by lack of specialists, according to acting coordinator Susane Lizama.

Although enrollment continues to increase every year, Lizama said there are no specialists being hired to fill certain categories.

“I’ve been at the program for 20 years and since then, we never had enough speech pathologists and occupational therapists—all vital in the operation of the program,” said Lizama, who added that the lack of personnel for these hard-to-fill positions affects the programs’ operations.

Lizama disclosed that besides the lack of specialists, the shortage of service providers is also a concern.

Currently, there are approximately 818 special education students enrolled in the CNMI taken cared of by 30 service providers who also happen to be degree holders.

She worries that these providers may burn out because of the many requirements and duties they perform for this special group of students.

“That for me is the direct impact of not having enough providers and specialists for the program,” Lizama said.

In May, a grant application will be submitted to the federal government which provides approximately $4.7 million annually for special education and intervention programs.

She said the funding is enough to accommodate the needs of special students.

“The funding for our needed specialists are there…the problem is we can’t find qualified candidates from abroad,” she said.

Lizama, meanwhile, admitted that the lack of enough service providers may also contribute to the high suspension rates in some public schools.

She said the program’s behavior specialist is working closely with schools to see the correlation between the suspension and the offenses of students.

Lizama said she will push for in-house suspension among schools to keep the academic activities for special kids.

However, school principals interviewed by Saipan Tribune admitted that although they want to implement in-house suspension, the lack of teachers to supervise them is a concern.

Lizama said she will also push for pay differential for teachers in the program who also have the needed bachelor’s degree.

“The pay differential is similar to what is provided for certified teachers in the classrooms,” Lizama said, adding the program needs 10 more teachers.