Five-year-old Cullen Fox thrives in hands-on learning environments. His mother, Brittany Fox, explains, “He needs a flexible learning environment and various ways to communicate.” Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cullen faces challenges in communication, learning, and behavior, prompting his mother to home-school him after struggling to find the right educational setting.
“I felt I could adapt and modify a curriculum at home to better suit his learning needs,” Brittany said. At home, Cullen receives speech and language services twice a week, along with specialized academic instruction tailored to his abilities.
Schools across the state are grappling with a significant shortage of special education teachers, making it difficult to hire and retain qualified staff. Brittany, a former special education teacher, understands the pressures these educators face. “There are really large caseloads now due to the teacher shortage,” she explained. “Each student has an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that requires modifications, and there’s just not enough time or support to handle everything.”
The shortage is evident to current teachers like Carmen Frank, who works in San Luis Obispo County. “I’ve seen classrooms combined because there wasn’t enough staff,” Frank noted. According to the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education, factors contributing to the shortage include rising numbers of students requiring special education services, high turnover due to demanding working conditions, and extensive paperwork with limited resources.
The issue is compounded by rising enrollment, with disabled students making up 15% of U.S. public school enrollment in 2021-22, up from 13% a decade earlier, according to Pew Research Center.
Both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties face challenges in recruiting and retaining special education teachers. For now, Brittany Fox plans to continue homeschooling Cullen until he can re-enter the school system. “We’re working on helping him become more independent and communicate his needs, hoping to transition him back into a classroom when he’s ready,” she said.
