special education teacher

paraprofessional aide

paraprofessional

board certified behavior analyst

activities director

Spectrum360

The school program itself I will say is one of the best in ABA in New Jersey. the way that staff is treated especially the paraprofessionals is not the best. High expectations and demands regardless of how much experience you have. New employees are told that they are not allowed to park on the school property and are told to park at a museum about 15 minutes walking distance from the working location. You are put on a shuttle which you have to be at this location 10 minutes before your work starting time and if you are not there the bus leaves and you have to wait for it to come back. if you miss it again you are told to “find your own way to work”. You are even told to take an Uber but will not be compensated for it. The paras regardless how much time they put in with these kids are treated like they know absolutely nothing about the kids that they spend 7 hours a day with. No matter how much you step in to help or achieve at work you are almost always ignored and not commended or given any credit for things that you do right, but don’t worry because when you make a mistake you’ll surely hear about it either to your face or you’ll hear the others talking about it when they think you won’t hear them. There is no communication, lots of cattiness and rudeness though. Some staff not all are rude but majority are.

Management blatantly shows favoritism towards certain staff members. There is no room for personal or professional growth. Unless you have a master’s degree, suck up to management, and/or have a relative who is high up on the proverbial food chain. A few long-time staff bully younger staff/ boss them around. Which further reinforces my previous statement. Regular workplace disagreement, will somehow get blown way out of proportion. Certain staff and management will lie about the disagreement, in order to terminate your employment. They have a lot more physically aggressive clients then they will tell you. If you take this job. Here are a few thing you should do. Only accept a full-time position. Keep all of your paperwork and trainings current. Make sure every meeting between you and management is documented. Even the “may i talk to you, for a second?; meetings. Don’t do anything that goes against your own believes, values, and state law. Stand up for yourself, in a professional manner. Just make sure you have witness while you do it. Finally, avoid negative staff. You will be able to recognize them pretty fast.

Although I was able to advance in my position from when I started after a couple years of employment, it came at a cost. I was offered a teaching position during the height of the Covid pandemic. It was very challenging during this time to start teaching. I was promised administrative support and guidance, however I was only provided with a mentor who the responsibility was shifted to. The mentor was good, however the mentor had her own classroom obligations, and with the pandemic and three days a week of virtual learning at the time, it was hard to have support that was needed. I ended up having to buy many materials and reinforcers on my own without reimbursement. This progressed through the end of my employment in 2024. I spent a lot of money out of pocket without reimbursement. I had to give up prep times to deal with student behaviors. I had to bring my work home quite often, despite arriving early daily to try to accomplish it all. Administrative support dwindled and I was targeted and blamed for a situation beyond my control without mediation. 

The organization provides clear direction and detailed procedures, which helps maintain consistency across teams. However, the management style can feel overly watchful, with frequent check-ins and limited trust in employees’ ability to manage their own work. This level of oversight may create the sense that “Big Brother is always watching,” making it challenging for professionals to exercise judgment or work independently.

Staff are frequently asked to take on additional responsibilities, and it’s often implied that this work should be completed outside of regular hours. This can make it difficult to maintain a healthy work-life balance. The environment can occasionally feel cliquish, and internal communication could be more transparent. Encouraging collaboration over competition would improve morale and trust among staff.

While this job can give a great sense of purpose because of the population you are working for, you often end up feeling used, stretched thin, confused, and under appreciated. You spend the most time with the students as a paraprofessional, actually working hands on with your student, yet you often end up feeling overlooked, and not considered when it comes to decisions regarding your student. Turnover rate is very high, and general staff morale is low. Currently severely understaffed, which leaves conditions chaotic in the classroom. Communication about your assignment/task is lacking and you will often be told different and contradicting directions regarding working with the students. Administration presence is minimal in the classroom unless pushed from an outside source. (ie. Parent, Case Manager, District) 

Busy daily schedule. Many students with behavioral and cognitive deficits. Typical population for a self-contained private special education school. But, the hardest part of the job is working with the administration. Very high turn over rate for teachers and paraprofessionals. Administration have all been in their positions for 20+ years. Cultural climate is currently lacking. Strict attendance policy. Docked PTO for less than 5 mins late...etc. Lack of understanding for cultural differences of staff and student population. Not a single certified staff is a POC. Men get promotions with less teaching/ABA credentials than the women. Recent change in executive director so there is hope for their company's future. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Great pay, Great work life balance, And borderline nice, kind, accurate, honest, transparent, sophisticated, and the greatest colleagues in the universe

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Being on my feet all day long, Constant leg and body and arm coordination, Cleaning the dirty bathrooms, and dealing with smells

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Infinite percent the greatest in the universe, borderline the greatest workplace in the universe, and zero complaints

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Cleaning up after smells, Garbage takeouts, Cardboard recycling, Sweeping, Cleaning the dirty bathrooms, And leg pains after being on my feet all day long

Very negative and toxic workplace culture, including cliquish and rude behavior from certain staff, harassment, lack of transparent, sufficient, and clear communication.  Some of my colleagues (at least one and a para) are bossy and seemly in bad moods all the time.  Other staff (including admin) have at time been very disruptive when classes are in session without apology.  Lack of sufficient, transparent, and clear communication many times have led to unorganized and chaotic outcomes for operational efficiency.  Also, there is little and irrelevant/insincere professional development.  If admin wants to call the staff Teamily, then implement team-building exercises to try to mitigate the cliquish behavior/culture among the school staff.

In the beginning I was extremely excited they demonstrate this side of being welcoming and supportive BUT once you start to work you see the real side of the work environment. They will find any little thing to jeopardize your job even if you give them your 100%. You don’t feel appreciated of your work. You live an constant stress because you just never know if you are giving them your best. They belittle you they are good at making you feel small you don’t have a say whatever they say goes. No room for growth the work dynamic is not healthy for you mentally. You kind of feel alone trying to figure everything out yourself.

While the school has a great aba program for children it is a hostile work environment for employees specifically paras. Admin have been in their positions for years and disregard any complaints. Come September they will be struggling to refill para positions. 
-Dishonest about pay, say $22 but they will try to change it once you start & claim it was a misunderstanding 
-A shuttle service you will not find out about till your first day. You are not allowed to park on the worksite until you reach the top of the list (months) if you miss the shuttle you are told to “find your way to work”
-Lack of diversity in administration, no POC 
-no pay for holidays/breaks, everything is prorated to appear as if you do 
-Admin notorious for trying to control pushback/criticism 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Special education teacher 9 salaries reported	$83,000 per year
Paraprofessional aide 4 salaries reported	$25.25 per hour
Paraprofessional 1 salary reported	$24.00 per hour
Board certified behavior analyst 5 salaries reported	$78,790 per year
Activities director 1 salary reported	$18.00 per hour

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