$4M in federal funds directed to ND para-to-teacher program
Sep. 7—GRAND FORKS — The North Dakota Emergency Commission has allocated more than $4 million in federal grant money to help school paraprofessionals become certified teachers, a move intended to eventually help school districts in the state fill open teacher positions.
The announcement came Thursday afternoon, Sept. 7, from the state Department of Public Instruction, which noted that the funds — totaling $4.031 million — will "provide tuition assistance, supplies and on-the-job training for classroom aides who want to obtain the academic credentials they need to become licensed teachers."
It comes as "many schools have been scrambling to find instructors," the DPI said in the release sent to the state's media outlets.
The state DPI "is the only education agency in the nation to have been awarded these Labor Department funds and intends to use them solely for teacher apprenticeships," Kirsten Baesler, state school superintendent, said in the release.
The Emergency Commission needed to endorse the plan before the federal funds — from the U.S. Department of Labor — could be spent. The commission reviews state spending requests that were not authorized by the Legislature, the release noted.
Grand Forks Superintendent Terry Brenner said the state's teacher apprenticeship program could be a catalyst — he called it a "nudge" — to get more paraprofessionals in the classroom as full-time teachers. The dollars announced Thursday bolster a $3 million allocation from the Legislature that went into effect earlier this summer.
Created by Senate Bill 2032, the program provides grants for "accredited institutions of higher education to assist paraprofessionals to become qualified teachers, for the biennium beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2025."
Through the program, according to SB 2032's wording, "the DPI may award up to $20,000 to each qualifying institution for program startup and other administrative costs and the remainder of the appropriation may be used only for tuition and scholarships for students enrolled in the program."
Brenner said he believes all the efforts could help fill openings that exist in Grand Forks and other school districts in the state.
"It's good news that, while we're still in reactionary mode with the workforce shortage that everybody is experiencing, at least now there is money set aside to identify and find people who are willing," he said. "We certainly have paraprofessionals in our school district who may be aspiring teachers, and this may be the nudge to get them back in school."
Paraprofessionals, Brenner said, represent a good resource pool, since they already have indicated an interest to work with students.
And, he said, it's time to rethink the recruiting process.
"In Grand Forks, gone are the days that I used to experience as principal when many of our paraprofessionals were already certified teachers and were waiting for an opening. Gone are the days when we had 40 to 50 applicants for one teaching position. We are now recruiting, reaching out and assisting in their (education programs)," he said.
