More than 70 Seattle paraeducators, including staff at Salmon Bay K-8 and Ingraham High School, completed a rigorous state credentialing program this year.

They're not the teachers whose names appear on classroom doors. But for many Seattle students who have disabilities, still learning English, and those in early childhood programs, paraeducators are the adults they spend the most time with every day. This spring, more than 70 of them across Seattle Public Schools earned state credentials that formally recognize that work, completing a program requiring as many as 173 hours of professional development

The district announced the cohort on Wednesday, June 3, recognizing staff across more than 30 schools who work in special education, bilingual instruction, preschool, family support, and speech-language therapy.

At Ingraham, two special education instructional assistants — Sarah M. Agan and Dilia V. Ricardi-Candia — each earned both the Advanced and General certificates this year, the equivalent of completing two degree tracks simultaneously while working full-time in a classroom.

Other teachers who were awarded the the Advanced Paraeducator Certificate are Sonja Elaine Mitchell, a special education instructional assistant at Roosevelt High School; Sanjuana Torres, a bilingual instructional assistant at Lowell Elementary; and Natacia P. Vanison, a braillist-vision assistant with Special Ed Sensory Services. Advanced certificate holders can serve as short-term emergency substitute teachers, directly addressing classroom coverage gaps.

The largest group, 37 paraeducators, earned the General Certificate in the special education assistant track. They work at schools spanning the district, including Cleveland STEM High School, Thurgood Marshall Elementary, Rainier Beach High School, Hazel Wolf K-8, and Salmon Bay K-8. Another 14 earned the bilingual instructional assistant credential, serving students at Franklin High School, Chief Sealth International High School, Beacon Hill International, and elsewhere.

The full cohort list — covering more than 30 schools — was published by Seattle Public Schools on June 3. If your child's school isn't on this year's list, that doesn't mean it won't be: the program is ongoing, and paraeducators can enroll through Puget Sound ESD, which administers the credentialing coursework. Parents can ask their school's principal or special education coordinator whether paraeducators on staff are enrolled or have completed the program.

A Note on Sources: Seattle Public Schools announcement, June 3 2026 · Washington HB 1115 (2017) · Seattle Education Association · Puget Sound ESD. Resident reactions sourced via live web search; placeholder cards marked for editorial completion. For community discussion: X, Reddit, Next Door, and Facebook.