If you run special education in a Michigan district, you already know the math. Caseloads keep growing, and the pool of speech-language pathologists willing to take a school position has not kept up.
The numbers back that up. In ASHA's 2024 Schools Survey, 79% of school-based SLPs said job openings for clinicians outnumbered job seekers, and 66% named high workload or caseload as one of their biggest challenges (ASHA Schools Survey, 2024). Here in Michigan, Bridge Michigan reported in February 2026 that 215,449 students have IEPs, up 1.8% from the year before, and that Optimise, a statewide special education talent task force, listed 253 open SLP positions (Bridge Michigan).
An open SLP position is not just a hiring problem. Every week it stays open, students miss minutes written into their IEPs, evaluations stack up, and the SLPs you do have absorb more of the load.
Why the shortage is hard to hire your way out of
Most districts post the job, wait, and hope. That works less often than it used to, for a few reasons:
Clinics and hospitals compete for the same people. School roles have to compete on schedule, caseload and support.
New graduates need supervision. A clinical fellow can be a great hire, but only if someone qualified supervises their fellowship year.
Rural and smaller buildings are harder to staff. A half-time position two buildings apart is a tough sell.
Caseloads drive turnover. When the SLP you have is stretched thin, the next opening is never far away.
Four ways Michigan districts are covering open caseloads
1. Contract on-site clinicians
A contracted SLP who works in your building, on your schedule, covers the caseload like a staff member would. The best arrangements keep the same clinician in place all year so students and IEP teams are not starting over every few months.
2. Virtual speech therapy (teletherapy)
Live therapy by video lets a licensed SLP serve students without being in the building. It can cover an open caseload quickly, and it works especially well for online schools and buildings that are hard to reach. ASHA's guidance is that telepractice should be of equal quality to in-person services, and the IEP should note how services are delivered (ASHA telepractice).
Not everyone is sold on it. The same Bridge Michigan story quotes a superintendent who believes the best speech services happen face-to-face. That is a fair point for some students, which is why many districts use virtual services as one tool rather than the only one.
3. Hybrid coverage
A hybrid model combines on-site days with virtual sessions. One clinician can cover more buildings without adding drive time, and students who need hands-on support still get it in person.
4. Support a clinical fellow
Hiring a new graduate in their clinical fellowship widens your pool, but the fellowship has real requirements, including at least 36 weeks and 1,260 hours of supervised experience (ASHA). A staffing partner that provides CF supervision makes that hire much easier. We cover this in detail in our post on hiring a clinical fellow SLP.
What to look for in a staffing partner
If you bring in outside help, a few questions will tell you a lot:
Who will actually be in my building, and will it be the same person all year?
Can you do on-site, virtual and hybrid from the same team, so you are not juggling vendors?
Who supports the clinician when a case is complicated?
Can you handle evaluations, including bilingual evaluations if your community needs them?
When I call, who answers?
How Anwar House of Therapy helps
Anwar House of Therapy is a pediatric therapy clinic with locations in Ann Arbor and Dearborn, and we have partnered with Michigan schools for five years. Our school team provides speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, social workers, school psychologists, resource room teachers and paraprofessionals, plus 504, IEP and MTSS consulting.
We work on site, virtually or in a hybrid model, from the same team. We aim to keep the same clinician in your building year after year, our school clinicians have our clinical team behind them, and we provide CF supervision for new SLPs. When you call, a real person picks up.
Frequently asked questions
How quickly can a contracted SLP start?
It depends on the role and your schedule. A good partner will give you an estimated start date on the first call, and virtual coverage can often begin sooner than an on-site placement.
Can a virtual SLP cover a caseload while we keep searching?
Yes. Many districts cover an open caseload remotely now and add an on-site option when one becomes available.
Do you only provide speech-language pathologists?
No. Anwar House of Therapy also provides occupational therapists, social workers, school psychologists, resource room teachers and paraprofessionals, plus 504, IEP and MTSS consulting.
Have an open SLP caseload? See how our school staffing works or call us at (734) 224-9121.
