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Connections

How our schools are dealing with special education staffing shortages

Five people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman front left is wearing her brown hair pulled back, a white sweater, blue jeans and black shoes; a man front right has short brown hair and is wearing a light blue button-down shirt, grey pants and black shoes; a young woman back left has long brown hair and is wearing a brown short-sleeved shirt; a woman back right has short blonde hair and is wearing eyeglasses, a multi-colored blazer and a white shirt; a woman at center has short blonde hair and is wearing a light blue long-sleeved shirt, light blue jeans and striped flats.
Mary Hussong-Kallen
/
WXXI News
(foreground) Debra Luna and Eric Vaillancourt, (background) Emma Spelman and Kathy Broikou with guest host Julie Philipp on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Friday, August 21, 2026
A woman with long blonde hair sits in front of a microphone in a radio talk studio and wears a light blue button-down shirt.
Julie Williams
/
WXXI News
Julie Philipp

Special education teachers provide instruction tailored to the needs of students with disabilities to help them realize their full potential, keeping many of these children from falling through the cracks in our education system. But what happens when there are not enough teachers to go around?

There is a nationwide shortage of special education staff, and some local school districts are feeling it.

Guest host Julie Philipp examines how schools are addressing the problem, and how St. John Fisher University is working to help fill the gap.

In studio:

Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.