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District to use $500,000 Grow‑Your‑Own grant to fund aspiring‑teacher scholarships and Educators Rising club
Summary
District staff said a 2025 Grow‑Your‑Own grant of $500,000 will sustain scholarships that help local students pursue teacher licensure and support the Educators Rising club; presenters said the district hopes recipients will return to work locally after licensure.
Shakopee Public School District staff on May 12 described a Grow‑Your‑Own grant the district has received in 2025 and how the funding will be used to support aspiring teachers from the district.
Sarah Wareberg, assistant director of Learning, Teaching & Equity, said the district has received $500,000 in 2025 and used prior rounds of the grant to seed the Educators Rising club, fund scholarship awards, and underwrite student travel to national competitions. "We have 500,000 in 2025, and it's been used for the creation of this Educators Rising Club," Wareberg said, adding the new grant will allow the district to sustain scholarship support "for the next 2 to 3 years and send an additional 8 to 10 students to college."
Wareberg and other presenters thanked Shauna Wilson (named in the presentation as a key supporter) for her role administering the grant and championing students. During discussion a board member asked whether the scholarship recipients would return to work in Shakopee; a presenter said the district’s plan envisions, when possible, scholarship recipients returning to work in Shakopee for two years after obtaining licensure.
Why it matters: the Grow‑Your‑Own approach funds local pipelines into the teaching profession and is aimed at increasing the number of home‑grown teachers who know the community. The district also uses the grant to reduce travel and registration costs for students attending national competitions and to fund club activities tied to education careers.
Next steps
Staff will continue to manage the scholarship application and selection process through the grant timeline, sustain the Educators Rising club’s activities, and report back to the board on scholarship recipients and participation.
