Henrico Schools to launch teacher apprenticeship program for ‘hard-to-staff’ schools
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Henrico Schools will launch a “Grow Your Own” teacher apprenticeship program next school year, aiming to provide more full-time teachers for the division’s “hard-to-staff” schools.
The Virginia Department of Education announced in February that it would contribute $1.52 million in grants to support teacher apprenticeship programs in 24 different school divisions for the 2024-2025 school year, funding a total of 165 teacher apprentices to help reduce the state’s teacher shortages.
By covering tuition for teacher candidates in the programs, the VDOE and the partnering school divisions hope to generate a bigger local pool of qualified teachers by eliminating the financial barrier of degree costs, Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Coons said.
“Teacher recruitment is a major issue for school divisions, and we recognize that new approaches are needed to help build a strong talent pipeline for our schools,” Coons said. “We are creating innovative ways to help increase teacher supply and make becoming a classroom teacher more affordable for students and dedicated professionals who want to serve in our schools.”
Henrico Schools will host five candidates for a two-year apprenticeship program, $70,000 of which will be covered by the VDOE, while the remaining $197,000 will be covered by the division. Candidates, who will be working to earn their bachelor’s degree in either elementary or special education, can include paraprofessionals or other staff already working in schools, dual-enrolled graduating high school seniors, or career switchers.
Henrico Schools is one of nine school divisions that will be partnering with Virginia Commonwealth University for its program. Teacher candidates will have their tuition fully covered as they simultaneously complete online college courses and work full-time in one of the division’s hard-to-staff schools.
HCPS’ “learn while you earn” apprenticeship program will also allow each candidate to hold a benefits-eligible position and receive on-the-job training and guidance from a veteran teacher mentor, according to HCPS Director of Communications Eileen Cox.
Once they successfully complete the program, candidates must commit to working in a hard-to-staff HCPS school for an additional three years, with continued coaching support “above and beyond a typical teacher” for the first two years, Cox said.
“Hard-to-staff” schools in HCPS – schools with the highest rates of staff vacancies and provisionally-licensed staff – are designated as “Opportunity Schools” by the division. These schools are assigned a full-time teaching fellow, one additional permanent substitute teacher, one additional administrative leader at the secondary level, and certain staff receive a $3,000 annual bonus.
Opportunity Schools for the 2023-2024 year included the Academy at Virginia Randolph, Fair Oaks Elementary, Glen Lea Elementary, Laburnum Elementary, Elko Middle, Fairfield Middle, John Rolfe Middle, Highland Springs High, and Varina High. Highland Springs Elementary was recently added as a new Opportunity School following the division’s termination of its partnership with the Achievable Dream Academy.
Teacher shortages in Virginia are particularly high when it comes to special education and elementary school teachers; the VDOE designated pre-K through 12th grade special education and pre-K through sixth grade elementary education as the two top critical shortage areas of 2023-2024.
All candidates in Henrico’s apprenticeship program will receive degrees in either elementary or special education to address the shortage of teachers in these areas. In July of 2023, HCPS had 111 elementary teacher vacancies, which made up half of all teacher vacancies, and 40 special education teacher vacancies. By October, HCPS was able to fill the majority of its teacher vacancies by recruiting more than 100 board substitutes, who are short-term staffers who don’t have to have a teaching license.
In addition to the Grow Your Own program, HCPS also offers a teacher licensure cohort as part of its Career Ladder program, which the division started last school year. The cohort currently has about 100 participants who will become fully-licensed teachers at no cost over one year.
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Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s Report for America Corps member and education reporter. Her position is dependent upon reader support; make a tax-deductible contribution to the Citizen through RFA here.
