Pearland ISD adds aide jobs for recent increase in special education students

The Pearland ISD board of trustees agreed Dec. 13 to add two aide jobs to the district following an unexpected increase in students needing specialized services.

The two newly created openings are for behavior support intervention aide and life skills aide positions after the board unanimously agreed to add the new roles.

According to the meeting agenda, campuses and district administration have had to be creative to address staffing needs in this category, but additional support is required specifically at Pearland Junior High South and C.J. Harris Elementary.

The agenda states since the beginning of the 2022-23 school year, over 200 students either enrolled with Pearland ISD or were a current student that recently identified as a student needing to be serviced special programing. It states that the number of students far exceeded what was projected by the district.

Superintendent Larry Berger said the new positions will be funded through federal funds. He said federal funds relating to special education are paying for items rather than employment and that federal requirements for procurement items are “difficult.”

“We would like to get those items off of the federal funding and get most of our employment issues on the federal funding,” Berger said. “That way it's easier to use that federal funding, and then [with] our general fund we can procure items quicker for special programs when they're needed.”