OPS hoping to "grow teachers" from classified staff
Jul. 27—Owensboro Public Schools has begun a "grow your own" initiative in an effort to garner teachers from staff they already have.
The initiative is encouraged by the Kentucky Department of Education and is made in an effort to bolster the number of educators currently working in the commonwealth in a time when fewer and fewer students are graduating with teaching degrees.
The "grow your own" method involves classified employees, or support staff individuals who work for public school systems who are not teachers, becoming certified teachers. Many of those employees have bachelor's degrees but they aren't educators, said OPS spokesman Jared Revlett.
Revlett said district officials are "excited to engage in this program because there is a national teacher shortage" and that there are a lot of school district employees who are interested in teaching.
Through this process, OPS employees take an alternate route to that certification with a partnership with Western Kentucky University. Best of all, OPS is willing to pay for half the cost of that certification for at least five of those classified staff members.
David Phillips, OPS director of diversity, equity and inclusion, said last week the school system invited classified staff members who were interested in becoming teachers to attend a meeting with WKU to learn more about this program. WKU offers programs for staff members who already have a bachelor's degree and those who don't. The programs expedite the process so that those employees could be working as teachers while they are earning the necessary credentials.
Phillips himself benefited from this program, as he graduated from WKU with a degree in social work, but went on to earn his master's degree in 18 months so he could teach special education.
He said when asking OPS employees about their biggest barrier to furthering their education, 90% of them said cost, which is why the school district is willing to pay for some of those.
OPS Chief Finance Officer John David Sandefur said this "grow your own" initiative falls within qualifications to be paid for, in part, with federal COVID-relief dollars.
The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief federal funding may be used for addressing learning loss due to the pandemic, including payment for methods of assessment and tracking; repairs and improvements to school buildings related to health needs and cutting disease transmission; to pay for nurses, mental health professionals and emergency leave days for employees; and as teacher salaries to support intervention and remediation services, along with substitute teachers when regular personnel are absent on COVID-19 isolation or quarantine, according to KDE.
OPS has committed from $10,500 to $11,550 to cover 1/2 the cost for five employees to earn their teacher certifications, Sandefur said.
"Our budgeted costs total $26,250 to $28,875 through ESSER funds, if approved by KDE," he said.
Phillips said the first step is OPS employees must be accepted into the WKU program. After they are accepted, they then must qualify through a district application process to receive the funds.
"We want to see how this goes, and get these people through the system and in the program," he said.
Daviess County Public Schools is also investigating a similar partnership with WKU, according to Amy Shutt, DCPS assistant superintendent for human services.
Shutt and other district officials have a meeting request with WKU, and they plan to meet at some point in August to discuss options. They are also discussing similar partnerships with local colleges, like Kentucky Wesleyan College.
Bobbie Hayse, bhayse@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7315
Bobbie Hayse, bhayse@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7315
