Recruiting and Retaining Qualified School-Based SLPs

ASHA’s Schools Survey highlights speech-language pathologist (SLP) employment considerations—including salary, workload and caseload size, and working conditions. Each area has challenges and opportunities that impact recruitment and retention of qualified SLPs in school settings.

Salaries

Salary is often a factor in job selection and may play a role in successful recruitment and retention. Low salaries are one of the greatest challenges faced by some school-based SLPs. Some states and local education authorities are providing financial incentives such as

salary supplements and stipends related to licensure and certification,
separate pay scales for SLPs,
starting SLPs at master’s + 45 on salary schedules,
sign-on bonuses, and
salary increases related to paperwork and supervision.

See Salary and Compensation for SLPs in Schools for more information, success stories, and advocacy strategies. See also the recording of the March 2024 Virtual Town Hall event, “Compensation Conversation: What SLPs in Schools Need to Know About Negotiating Salaries.”

Workload and Caseload

Workload and caseload are not interchangeable terms.

Caseload refers to the number of students with individualized education programs, individualized family service plans, and 504 plans served by school-based SLPs and other professionals through direct and/or indirect service delivery options.

Workload refers to all activities required and performed by school-based SLPs. Workload includes the time spent providing face-to-face direct services to students as well as the time spent performing other activities necessary to support students’ education programs, implement best practices for school speech-language services, and ensure compliance with the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004.

ASHA recommends taking a workload analysis approach to setting caseloads to ensure that students receive the services they need to support their educational programs and make adequate progress. See ASHA Workload Calculator and Caseload and Workload for more information.

Working Conditions

School-based SLPs report that their five greatest opportunities are

following a school schedule

developing a range of clinical skills

working with children and families

collaborating with teachers and specialized instructional support personnel

making an impact for students with complex communication needs

Inadequate or unacceptable working conditions discourage SLPs from signing on and staying in the schools. School-based SLPs report that their five greatest challenges are

a large amount of paperwork

a high workload and caseload size

a high volume of meetings

out-of-pocket expenses

a low salary

Financial Incentives

School SLPs ranked their top three financial retention initiatives that employers could offer to help retain SLPs:

Place SLPs on a separate salary schedule from teachers.
Supplement salaries for Medicaid billing.
Reimburse for licensure and certification costs.

See the 2024 ASHA Schools Survey SLP Workforce and Work Conditions report [PDF] for more information.

What Employers Can Do

Farquharson et al. (2020) summarized important action steps that school districts and state departments of education can take [PDF] to attract and retain school SLPs.

Other initiatives that employers offer to recruit and retain SLPs in schools include the following:

Workload

Support a workload approach that recognizes the range of SLP roles and responsibilities and that allows for variability in service delivery.
Develop and grow your own partnership between a university and a local and/or state education authority to ensure an appropriate number of staff. On the 2024 ASHA Schools Survey, 78% of SLPs identified that there are more job openings than job seekers; growing such partnerships would be one way to address that imbalance.

Professional Development

Provide mentorship and access to relevant professional development.
Grant release time and payment to the SLP for continued professional development.

Service Delivery

Encourage and support flexible scheduling and classroom-based service delivery.
Promote and encourage access to interprofessional practice to improve student outcomes and to increase staff and student connections.
Streamline and educate all staff regarding the special education process (e.g., referral–evaluation–start of services–end of services) with expectations that the school team works together to support all students.

Financial

Provide a stipend for tests and materials.
Offer salaries that are competitive with those in neighboring school districts.
Offer student loan support.
Provide a sign-on bonus.
Provide a housing allowance, access to affordable housing, or access to a low-interest loan.
Credit the applicant’s previous work experience—regardless of setting—toward placement on the salary scale.