Colleges and universities receiving funds from $5M grant to strengthen Florida's teacher pipeline
SAINT LEO, Fla. - The pandemic impacted education systems across the country as teachers left the profession and fewer students enrolled in colleges of education.
A Florida apprenticeship program dedicated to increasing the number of teachers was awarded a $5 million grant on Thursday. Funds were awarded to 10 colleges and universities, including one in the Tampa Bay area.
Saint Leo University will receive part of the funding from the Pathways to Career Opportunities Grow Your Own Teacher Grant. Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill creating the teacher apprenticeship program earlier this year.
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"It builds on what we’ve been doing with the Pasco school district in supporting paraprofessionals in becoming classroom teachers," said Holly Atkins, the undergraduate education department chair at Saint Leo University.
The grant will help to strengthen the pipeline to educate aspiring teachers at no cost. Atkins said it bolsters their Para to Pro program already in place.
"It takes paraprofessionals, they’re teacher assistants that are currently working in the school district, but they haven’t gotten bachelor’s degrees. So, they have an [associate’s] degree. We meet them at that point and work with them. They stay in their employment, but they take classes with us," said Atkins, who was a former middle school teacher in Pinellas County for 20 years.
Atkins said Pasco County Schools reached out to Saint Leo about applying for the grant together since both have been in a partnership since 2006.
Hands-on classroom experience is crucial, and Atkins said it feeds into growing your own workforce to meet the need.
"It’s tremendous, and it’s growing every day," she said.
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Saint Leo will be providing textbooks as part of the program, with the hope of recruiting and retaining educators in the local area.
"It’s the one profession most of us have been watching somebody else do for a great deal of our lives, but it’s a whole different situation when you’re on the other side of the desk," said Atkins.
The state grant goes toward helping about 200 people a year to get credentialed for teaching, according to the governor’s office.
Atkins said Saint Leo also received a federal grant to work with Hillsborough County Schools to help with the teacher pipeline.