Districts across Texas are entertaining out of the box ideas to recruit new teachers and retain existing staff. Lots of initiatives are gaining traction such as subsidized housing and generous retention bonuses.
But some districts are making headlines for more novel solutions like Hutto ISD’s teacher apprenticeship program. They are essentially creating their own staff, recruiting high school students, district employees without a college degree, and other community members who have an interest in teaching. Hutto ISD pays the tuition for a college degree in education and teacher certification—as long as they return to Hutto ISD to teach for three years.
This new program actively reaches out to current Hutto students, creating a pipeline for students to earn their college degree and serve their community, plus potentially inspiring their own future students to do the same.
In addition to tuition assistance, the program will offer additional training and development opportunities such as working with seasoned Hutto teachers on a monthly basis while completing their studies. By the time an individual completes this apprenticeship program, not only will they have a degree and a certificate, but they will also have years of classroom experience. Real world experience is the one thing that many people who complete an alternative certification program do not get and desperately need in order to start their career strong and not become a turnover statistic.
This new program starts this fall and applications are being accepted. Apply for the program via the Hutto ISD’s website.
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