North Dakota Lawmakers Ponder Special Ed Needs

(Adobe Stock via Prairie News Service)

(By Mike Moen. Prairie News Service) – North Dakota lawmakers are assessing information and testimony they just received from the state’s special education teachers. The feedback underscores survey results about the added stress the educators are experiencing.

An interim legislative committee took up the issue last week, following up on a 2025 law which calls for a deeper look into special ed teacher shortages and the job pressures they face.

The teachers’ union North Dakota United provided survey results as part of the required study. Three-quarters of respondents said pay and benefits rarely keep pace with the cost of living.

Jessica Van Winkle, a special education teacher for Bismarck Public Schools, touched on the issue when speaking to lawmakers. “Most paraeducators I work with have to have at least two jobs to make ends meet, despite the complexity and importance of their work,” Van Winkle reported. “Paraeducators are among the lowest-paid employees in our school systems. Some qualify for public assistance while serving our most vulnerable students.”