House committee hears support for $3 million teacher apprenticeship funding bill

House Education Committee members heard more than an hour of testimony Feb. 10 in support of House Bill 2,588, which would appropriate $3,000,000 from the general fund to the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission for the Oregon Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program.

Rep. Lisa Bridal, who identified herself as the state representative for House District 8, told the committee the funding "is a critical step towards continued growth of the Oregon registered teacher and teaching apprenticeship program." She described apprenticeship as a workforce strategy that removes financial barriers for prospective teachers and helps diversify the teacher workforce.

Committee members and education partners said the program allows candidates to work and earn a salary while completing clinical requirements and university coursework. "These two apprentices finished the program while having uninterrupted income, health care benefits, extended clinical experience with skilled mentors from day one, and received financial assistance for university tuition," said Dr. Kim Baer, who described her role as talent recruitment and retention teacher on special assignment for the Hillsborough School District and as secretary of Oregon's JATC that supports the pilot.

Dr. Baer and other presenters said two completers from June 2024 were hired as dual-language teachers in the schools where they apprenticed, and that apprenticeships have been used to address hard-to-fill areas including ESOL, dual language, special education and advanced mathematics. "This apprenticeship program establishes a high quality, inclusive preparation pathway that helps us diversify the teaching workforce in Oregon," Baer said.

Andy Saltz, interim dean of the College of Education at Pacific University, told the committee apprenticeships "take people who already have experience working with students" and embed accountability and mentorship into preparation. He said one apprentice who graduated from a local high school returned to teach mathematics in that community after participating in the pilot.

Representatives of multiple education service districts described rural and place-based benefits. Brett Baxter, assistant superintendent of Wallowa County ESD, said apprenticeships help recruit local applicants who understand community needs and are more likely to remain in rural districts than out-of-state online alternatives. Multnomah ESD's senior administrator for career pathways, Nate Waschall, described two apprentices at Helen's View High School who are on track to become licensed special-education teachers and said apprenticeship eliminates the income loss associated with traditional student-teaching placements.

Committee members asked presenters for data on costs and retention. Presenters said the pilot is new and statewide Oregon retention data are not yet available; national evidence and early local experience indicate higher early-career readiness and promising retention trends. Dr. Baer cautioned that while apprenticeship employers may incur slight start-up costs, continued investment is needed for sustainability: "With continued investment, however, the system becomes sustainable, turnover declines, and the employer sees an increasing rate of return over time," she said.

Questions about the budgetary details prompted staff and proponents to offer follow-up: committee members were told the $3 million figure is the current ask in HB 2,588 and that proponents would supply additional fiscal details by follow-up with legislative staff.

The panel included representatives from higher-education educator-preparation programs, ESDs and district staff who described program design, oversight in partnership with the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries and the JATC, and local memoranda of agreement required to protect candidates and districts. Proponents asked that the committee fund expansion beyond the pilot's 16 current apprentices, noting the program began with prior legislative funding and relationships established under earlier legislation and administrative approvals.

The committee closed the public hearing after taking testimony from multiple districts, higher-education partners and apprenticeship program leaders and said it would accept written follow-up for outstanding fiscal questions. No committee vote on HB 2,588 was recorded during the hearing.

Notes: House Bill 2,588 requests $3,000,000 to expand the registered teacher apprenticeship pilot. Proponents emphasized early positive outcomes but acknowledged statewide retention and long-term fiscal effects are still being measured.