How to hire an elementary special education teacher

How to hire an elementary special education teacher, step by step

Here's a step-by-step elementary special education teacher hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an elementary special education teacher job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new elementary special education teacher
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an elementary special education teacher do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your elementary special education teacher job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an elementary special education teacher for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an elementary special education teacher to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an elementary special education teacher that fits the bill.

   This list presents elementary special education teacher salaries for various positions.

   Type of Elementary Special Education Teacher	Description	Hourly rate
   Elementary Special Education Teacher	Special education teachers work with students who have a wide range of learning, mental, emotional, and physical disabilities. They adapt general education lessons and teach various subjects, such as reading, writing, and math, to students with mild and moderate disabilities... Show more	$18-33
   Teacher	Being a teacher is one of the most passionate professions, among others. Teachers educate, motivate, and guide every generation of learners to prepare them for the real world... Show more	$15-33
   Language Teacher	Language teachers primarily impart knowledge on multidimensional language through classes and activities. The teachers create conditions and develop activities allowing students to practice what they learned with significance... Show more	$16-35

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Autism
   • Classroom Environment
   • Instructional Materials
   • Professional Development
   • Math
   • IEPs
   • Student Learning
   • Instructional Techniques
   • Adaptive
   • Education Programs
   • Classroom Management
   • Student Achievement
   • Public Schools
   • Kindergarten

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead the data team with interpreting results, including NWEA and other benchmark assessments.
   • Implement on site ABE, GED, ESL and parenting classes.
   • Diversify instruction for gift students in mathematics *.
   • Design various learning centers involving listening, sequencing, reading, writing and mathematics.
   • Work with students who meet the criteria for learning disable in math, reading, and written expression.
   • Spearhead the district-wide technology-base supplemental math program.

   More elementary special education teacher duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the elementary special education teacher job description is a good way to get more applicants. An elementary special education teacher salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for an elementary special education teacher in Indiana may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level elementary special education teacher. Additionally, an elementary special education teacher with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average elementary special education teacher salary

   $51,859yearly

   $24.93 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level elementary special education teacher salary

   $38,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average elementary special education teacher salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Maryland	$70,035	$34
   2	District of Columbia	$69,343	$33
   3	New York	$69,154	$33
   4	California	$60,757	$29
   5	Virginia	$55,380	$27
   6	Georgia	$52,695	$25
   7	Minnesota	$47,713	$23
   8	Michigan	$46,647	$22
   9	Kansas	$46,203	$22
   10	Texas	$45,752	$22
   11	South Carolina	$43,545	$21
   12	Iowa	$43,138	$21
   13	New Mexico	$41,212	$20
   14	Louisiana	$40,701	$20
   15	Colorado	$40,621	$20
   16	Missouri	$38,920	$19
   17	Arizona	$38,234	$18
   18	Oklahoma	$37,445	$18

   Average elementary special education teacher salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Baltimore City Public Schools	$78,246	$37.62	13
   2	DC International School	$70,408	$33.85
   3	San Jacinto Unified School District	$65,882	$31.67	1
   4	Bilingual Therapies	$65,270	$31.38
   5	Hillsboro School District	$64,140	$30.84	5
   6	Houston ISD Foundation	$63,861	$30.70	13
   7	Soliant	$63,711	$30.63
   8	KIPP Nashville	$62,976	$30.28	9
   9	Los Angeles Unified School District	$62,975	$30.28
   10	Prince George's County Memorial Library System	$62,865	$30.22
   11	Savannah-Chatham County Public School System	$62,110	$29.86	16
   12	Newton Public Schools	$60,875	$29.27	11
   13	The Academy of Alameda	$60,094	$28.89	3
   14	PCSST	$59,944	$28.82	6
   15	FCSD	$58,813	$28.28	12
   16	DC Prep	$58,659	$28.20	6
   17	Bright Star Schools	$58,626	$28.19	3
   18	Erie 1 Boces	$58,157	$27.96
   19	TLC - The Treatment and Learning Centers	$57,976	$27.87	1
   20	Ontario-Montclair School District	$57,848	$27.81

4. Writing an elementary special education teacher job description

   An elementary special education teacher job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an elementary special education teacher job description:

   Elementary special education teacher job description example

   About Mastery:
   
   We believe educational inequity is the most pressing social problem facing our country and the civil rights issue of our day. Mastery exists to help solve this problem. Our ultimate goal is to create a model urban school district that serves all students with excellence. We are organized around one driving mission: All students learn the academic and personal skills they need to be truly prepared for postsecondary success and able to pursue their dreams. To fulfill this mission, we attend to the whole child - academically and emotionally - matching high expectations for students with high levels of support.
   
   Mastery Charter Schools is a nonprofit network of more than 24 schools serving over 14,000 students in Philadelphia and Camden. We are the largest turnaround school operator in the nation and have been lauded by President Obama and the US Department of Education for our ability to dramatically boost academic achievement in historically low-performing schools.
   
   We know neighborhood schools matter, all students deserve access to a great education, and the people in our buildings can grow and develop sustainably to make the biggest impact possible in this work.
   
   Mastery's Equity Vision:
   
   We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to achieving our mission.
   
   We strive to be an anti-racist school district that eliminates the inequities in academic achievement that limit our students' choices; that cultivates classrooms where every student is affirmed, supported, and held to high expectations; and that nurtures a diverse organization where students, staff, and families are valued, respected, and included.
   
   This role is eligible for up to $5,000 in bonuses as well as up to $5,000 for relocation expenses!
   
   The Opportunity:
   
   At Mastery, all means all. Nearly one quarter of our students have individualized education plans (IEPs) to help ensure they get the educational opportunities they need. As an Elementary Special Education Teacher you will work with a team of teachers, case managers, school leaders, and central office support staff to help push the boundaries of what's possible for your students academically, emotionally, and physically while also developing your craft. Along with managing student IEPs you will deliver research-based interventions and monitor progress across a series of systems we've designed and tailored to deliver the best outcomes for students and accelerate your own professional growth. At Mastery, we have a robust response to intervention program and we are excited for you to bring your enthusiasm, skills, and experiences to the team.
   
   In our K-6th Grade interventions, we use Fundations, Guided Reading, Wilson Reading System, Just Words, and Sonday System to support our readers who are struggling and Do the Math to support our mathematicians.
   
   Across the Mastery network our Specialized Services Programming spans from an itinerant to supplemental level of support. Our preference is for our students with IEPs to spend the minimum amount of time in self-contained classrooms and our school-based and central office-based Specialized Services Team members help our Special Education Teachers and Classroom Assistants build a comprehensive level of support. We strive to maximize our teacher-to-student ratio in our Special Education programs and have multiple classrooms across our network specifically tailored for students who are English Language Learners, students with Autism Support needs, students with Emotional Support needs, students with Multiple Disability needs, and students with Life Skills needs. At Mastery we value Continuous Improvement and want to ensure you learn and grow in your craft so we have professional development or peer collaboration time built into our calendar every Wednesday.
   
   Duties and Responsibilities:Drive student achievement and set high expectations for all students Commit to professional growth, self-reflection, a receptiveness to feedback, and a desire to continuously improve Implement rigorous and appropriate lesson plans, assignments, and assessments in cooperation with Mastery school-based leadership and curricular resources developed by Mastery's central office Academic TeamWork closely with school leaders to analyze student assessment data to measure progress and use data to inform instruction Collaborate in grade level teams to discuss student work, share best practices, plan events for joy and humor, and ensure student mastery of standards Engage families in their children's education by building relationships and maintaining regular communication Demonstrate genuine interest, belief, and care for students' personal and academic success Respond positively and effectively to challenges with a solutions-oriented resiliency
   Education, Experience, and Skills:Bachelor's degree required with a record of personal, professional, and/or academic achievement Teacher certification - completed or in process Demonstrated expertise in subject area Outstanding instructional skills driven by data and delivered through rigorous and engaging strategies
   Mastery Charter Schools is an equal opportunity employer and actively encourages applications from people of all backgrounds. Compensation is competitive and commensurate with experience. We offer a full benefits program and opportunities for professional growth.
   
   UPDATE AS OF MAY 2022 - Please review Mastery's Health and Safety Plans here to learn about our approach to vaccination and testing as well as our response to COVID-19 for the 2021-22 school year. For ongoing positions, Mastery roles are designated as in-person, with regular on-site responsibilities, unless otherwise noted. As such, Employees must be able to support Mastery Schools' academic plan and business strategies on-site - at a Mastery campus - as required.
   
   Exceptions to this requirement will be considered on an individualized basis.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find elementary special education teachers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your elementary special education teacher job on Zippia to find and attract quality elementary special education teacher candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting elementary special education teachers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new elementary special education teacher

   Once you have selected a candidate for the elementary special education teacher position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new elementary special education teacher first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an elementary special education teacher?