Mukilteo School District expands union-led teacher residency to 18-month apprenticeship

The Mukilteo School District on Tuesday presented an expanded, union‑led apprentice residency program that trains paraprofessionals into certificated special education teachers and educational service associates.

The program, presented by Doctor Gierman, offers participants paid on‑the‑job experience, mentorship and coursework that lead to a special education teaching certificate; residents are expected to commit to work in the district for at least three years after program completion.

District leaders told the board the program grew from a one‑year model to an 18‑month apprenticeship to meet federal apprenticeship hour requirements and to give residents longer, deeper classroom rotations. “It truly is a program by educators for educators,” Gierman said, describing the program as the state’s first union‑led teacher development program and emphasizing its emphasis on recruiting diverse candidates and training them in inclusive classroom settings.

Board members were given specifics about how the program operates. Residents begin as paraprofessionals while taking coursework on weekday evenings and Saturdays, receive daily mentoring from cooperating teachers, and also have access to instructional coaches and a field coordinator who provides evaluative feedback. Each resident rotates through four different school settings and program types (resource classrooms, behavior‑focused programs, intensive support such as structured autism classrooms, and general education inclusion) to gain broader experience from kindergarten through high school.

Gierman told the board the district and program partners have averaged hiring roughly 20 special education teachers and 10 educational staff associates (ESAs) a year through the residency in recent cycles. The district is one of multiple participating districts; the program was described as growing from three founding districts to eight or nine statewide partners.

On financing, the presenter said the Washington Education Association and program partners have secured state funding and grants to subsidize most costs, but residents currently pay $5,000 out of pocket toward tuition. The district described a staged financial model under the 18‑month design: residents maintain paraprofessional pay early in the program, then transition to a salaried position during later rotations, which allows residents to spread tuition payments while earning a salary.

Board members asked whether graduates are placed into special education roles. Gierman said residents are trained for and are expected to accept special education positions because the coursework and clinical experiences are designed specifically for special education certification.

District leaders described program challenges and supports: the workload balance of coursework plus full‑time classroom responsibilities; the need for paraprofessionals to take on new supervisory and instructional responsibilities; and the supports provided (daily mentors, instructional coaches, field supervisors, and statewide faculty). The district also plans ongoing recruitment work, with applications for the next cohort opening in April and selections made over the summer.

Board members voiced strong support for the program’s outcomes and potential to diversify the district’s teaching pipeline. The presentation concluded with the district noting it will decide locally how many residents it can support each year and that current local practice favors four residents per year as a sustainable “sweet spot.”

The board did not take formal action on the program at the meeting; the presentation functioned as an update and briefing for future planning.

Looking ahead, district staff said recruitment for cohort 4 will begin in April; cohort schedules are staggered so that the district will typically have two cohorts operating in overlapping phases as the program cycles forward.