**UFT President Michael Mulgrew: DOE’s Failures Leave Over 10K Special Education Students Without Services**
The DOE’s failure to address rampant staffing shortages has left more than 10,000 special education students without the services they are legally entitled to - The time for excuses is over!
This morning, outside the Department of Education’s District 75 headquarters at 400 First Avenue in Manhattan, UFT President Michael Mulgrew stood alongside educators, parents, and union leaders to deliver a sobering message: the DOE’s failure to address rampant staffing shortages has left more than 10,000 special education students without the services they are legally entitled to.
“The Department of Education’s special ed system is broken,” Mulgrew declared at the press conference. “While the DOE claims they don’t know the extent of the staffing shortages, the reality in our schools tells a different story. Our own survey shows just how catastrophic this situation has become for students and their families.”
A System in Crisis
The UFT released highlights from its survey of chapter leaders, uncovering glaring gaps in staffing across schools, particularly in District 75 programs that serve the city’s most vulnerable students. In some schools, the shortages are staggering:
P993 in Astoria, Queens is missing
74 Paraprofessionals,
29 Speech Teachers,
24 Occupational Therapists,
14 Physical Therapists,
7 Nurses
3 Psychologists
2 Guidance Counselors
1 Social Worker
P169M on Manhattan’s Upper East Side is missing
48 Paraprofessionals
8 Special Education Teachers
3 Occupational Therapists
3 Physical Therapists
3 Speech Therapists
1 Social Worker.
A recent Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request revealed that the DOE itself estimates it needs to hire at least 536 additional therapists and speech pathologists to meet the IEP-mandated needs of students for the 2024-2025 school year. Instead of addressing this shortfall directly, the DOE has funneled nearly $900 million into private vendor contracts for temporary fixes.
Parents and Educators Demand Change
Parent leaders and educators spoke passionately about the impact of these failures on students. Phillippa Bowden, PTA President at P169M, described how parents are “losing faith in a system that continues to overpromise and underdeliver for our children.”
Robert Roszkowski, special education teacher and chapter leader at Q993, added, “We’re at a breaking point. Teachers and paraprofessionals are stretched beyond capacity, and students are suffering because of it.”
A Call for Accountability
Since 2019, the DOE has been under state review for its special education operations, submitting compliance plans and updates to the New York State Education Department (NYSED). Yet, the problems persist. Mulgrew called on incoming Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos to make special education a top priority for her administration.
“The city has made promises to the state to fix this system for years, yet here we are,” Mulgrew said. “We’re demanding real reform, not empty words.”
UFT Recommendations to Fix the Broken System
The UFT outlined several key reforms to address the crisis:
Reform the hiring and pay system for paraprofessionals to attract and retain qualified staff.
Use the negotiated 9th period to provide OT/PT services to more students, reducing reliance on costly private vendors.
Convert the current funding system to school-based funding, ensuring both community schools and D75 programs are properly resourced to meet the actual needs of their students.
Moving Forward
Today’s press conference was not just a call for action—it was a spotlight on the DOE’s chronic mismanagement and a demand for accountability. The UFT is committed to advocating for the changes needed to ensure every special education student receives the services they deserve.
“This is about equity, justice, and doing what’s right for our kids,” Mulgrew said in his closing remarks. “The time for excuses is over.”
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