How to hire a special education resource teacher

How to hire a special education resource teacher, step by step

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

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

What does a special education resource teacher do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a special education resource teacher, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A special education resource teacher's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, special education resource teachers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of special education resource teachers.

   Type of Special Education Resource Teacher	Description	Hourly rate
   Special Education Resource 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	$17-31
   Infant And Toddler Teacher	An infant and toddler teacher is a professional who aids in the cognitive and social development of preschool children by teaching them the most basic skills that focus on play-centered learning and creativity. Infant and toddler teachers must help children develop positive self-images and encourage them to explore their interests and develop social skills... Show more	$11-17
   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

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Classroom Management
   • IEP
   • Professional Development
   • Instructional Strategies
   • Math
   • Autism
   • Learning Styles
   • Behavior Management
   • Learning Environment
   • Student Achievement
   • Adaptive
   • General Education Curriculum
   • Student Performance
   • Education Programs

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead the data team with interpreting results, including NWEA and other benchmark assessments.
   • Collaborate with regular education teachers to provide education in an inclusion setting for 5th grade mathematics and 4th grade language arts.
   • Deliver remedial instruction in mathematics and language arts
   • Develop, document and facilitate IEP meetings, collaborate with support services and relate service providers.
   • Lead teacher for Pre-K classroom, planning and implementing daily activities and curriculum to enhance child development.
   • Provide classroom support for a state-fund developmental Pre-K program.

   More special education resource teacher duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your special education resource teacher job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A special education resource teacher salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a special education resource teacher in South Dakota may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level special education resource teacher usually earns less than a senior-level special education resource teacher. Additionally, a special education resource teacher with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average special education resource teacher salary

   $49,296yearly

   $23.70 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level special education resource teacher salary

   $36,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average special education resource teacher salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	District of Columbia	$61,034	$29
   2	California	$54,065	$26
   3	Texas	$50,852	$24
   4	New Jersey	$48,604	$23
   5	Illinois	$45,771	$22
   6	Connecticut	$44,126	$21
   7	Minnesota	$43,857	$21
   8	Missouri	$43,469	$21
   9	Michigan	$41,757	$20
   10	Arizona	$40,431	$19
   11	Louisiana	$40,392	$19
   12	Indiana	$34,864	$17
   13	Montana	$32,267	$16
   14	Maine	$31,520	$15

   Average special education resource teacher salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Irving Isd	$57,311	$27.55	23
   2	Houston ISD Foundation	$56,642	$27.23	16
   3	Peoria Unified School District	$55,390	$26.63	18
   4	PCSST	$54,547	$26.22	11
   5	Ontario-Montclair School District	$54,401	$26.15
   6	Montgomery County Public Schools	$54,394	$26.15	33
   7	Vista Unified	$53,623	$25.78	38
   8	Apache Junction Unified School District	$53,521	$25.73	11
   9	Tolleson Union High School District	$53,482	$25.71	6
   10	Madera High School	$53,415	$25.68	9
   11	Spartanburg School District Three	$52,685	$25.33	34
   12	Friendship Public Charter School	$52,658	$25.32
   13	Permian High School	$52,596	$25.29	22
   14	Amarillo ISD	$51,811	$24.91	6
   15	East Baton Rouge Parish Public Schools	$51,707	$24.86	56
   16	The Foundation for Hispanic Education	$51,333	$24.68
   17	San Diego Unified School District	$51,176	$24.60
   18	The School District of Philadelphia	$51,112	$24.57	65
   19	Zion Elementary School District 6	$51,088	$24.56	15
   20	Robbinsdale Area Schools	$51,039	$24.54	35

4. Writing a special education resource teacher job description

   A job description for a special education resource teacher role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a special education resource teacher job description:

   Special education resource teacher job description example

   SUMMARY DESCRIPTION:
   
   Under the supervision of school administration, provides leadership to the Department of Special Education (DSES) or program within high schools. Serves as the liaison to the DSES. Supports special education classroom teachers in the instructional program and planning for appropriate learning experiences for students with disabilities. Serves as an instructional role model, supports the development of a professional learning community (PLC) within the department and the school, observes and analyzes instructional practices related to teacher professional growth and evaluation. Serves as an active participant on the school based leadership team in analyzing student achievement data and supporting teachers with instructional strategies.
   
   CERTIFICATE LICENSE:
   
   Meets Maryland State Department of Education certification requirements for an Advanced Professional Certificate (APC) in special education.
   
   KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, and ABILITIES:
   
   Knowledge of the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) curriculum, learning theory, differentiated instruction, data collection, and research-based instructional practices. Thorough knowledge of the MCPS special education program, Individualized Education Programs (IEP), Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA 2015), Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004), and state and federal policies related to special education. Ability to work well with students with disabilities, teachers, other professionals, administrators, and parents/guardians of students with disabilities. Ability to appropriately adapt instructional programs and materials to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Ability to work effectively with adults in a PLC; observe and analyze teaching skills, and assess delivery of curriculum to students with disabilities; current in best instructional practices; collaborates with all aspects of the school community and DSES. Excellent oral and written communication and human relations skills. Knowledge of and the ability to apply the six performance standards established for the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Teacher Professional Growth System (TPGS).
   
   EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE:
   
   Masters degree or Masters equivalency from an accredited college or university in special education, general education, educational administration and supervision, or a related field. Certification in a secondary content area is desirable. Three years or more of successful classroom experience as a special education teacher working with students with varying special instructional needs. Two distinctly different special education teaching experiences preferred. Other combinations of applicable education, training, and experience which provide the knowledge, abilities, and skills necessary to perform effectively in the position may be considered.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right special education resource teacher for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with special education resource teachers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit special education resource teachers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   To find special education resource teacher candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with special education resource teacher candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   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 special education resource teacher

   Once you've found the special education resource teacher candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new special education resource teacher. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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 a special education resource teacher?