LIVERMORE FALLS — Several staff positions may still be open when school starts Aug. 30 for most students in Regional School Unit 73.

On Thursday, Aug. 24, Superintendent Scott Albert responded to a request from the Livermore Falls Advertiser regarding positions still open in the district.

“I really cannot speculate on whether we can fill these positions fully or not,” Albert wrote.

Positions still open in RSU 73:

Food service

One part time cafeteria worker position

Transportation/Maintenance

Two custodian positions

One van driver

Four bus monitors

Primary school

No openings

Elementary school

One Title 1 math education technician [ed tech] two position

Middle School

One nurse position

One alternative education ed tech three position

High School

One RTI teacher position

Special Education

Three special education teacher positions

Two ed tech two positions

Two ed tech one positions

“From memory, other than the custodians and bus monitors we started  last year fully staffed,” Albert wrote Sunday night. “Our ed tech openings are always  revolving based on special education needs.”

An article on the Sun Journal website Sunday, Aug. 27, stated special education teachers are in especially short supply this year. “The issue is particularly acute among educators trained to teach students with special needs. There is a shortage of special education teachers at every grade level in Maine, according to the U.S. Department of Education,” the article noted.

That article stated special education positions are hard to fill, which means school districts continue struggling to provide the appropriate education required by law to some of their most vulnerable students. Special education students need individualized and specialized instruction to benefit from their education, which requires training and preparation, it continued.

The article further noted, “Low pay, what some see as a lack of respect for the field, and challenging work all are blamed for the overall shortage of educators, especially those serving special-needs students. Historically, the shortages largely affected urban and rural districts with higher levels of poverty.”

“There is a shortage of special education teachers across the state and with federal law not allowing emergency certifications anymore I don’t see things getting better anytime soon,” Albert wrote.