Union County Public Schools unveils Teach UCPS residency pathway with UNC Charlotte; committee votes to send program to full board

Union County Public Schools staff presented a new Teach UCPS residency pathway in partnership with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and asked the committee to forward the program to the full board for approval.

The pathway is designed to convert classified instructional employees (for example, tutors and instructional assistants) and former Union County Public Schools graduates who already hold a bachelor’s degree into certified classroom teachers in 1 to 2 years. The district is targeting licensure in exceptional children (special education), career and technical education (CTE), and middle- and high-school math and science; an elementary option would be provided through South Piedmont Community College’s new educator preparation program.

The proposal matters because it is intended to address critical shortages in the district by creating a tuition-free route to licensure for approved candidates and by expanding the district’s adult pathways beyond elementary certification. Presenters said candidates may obtain a teaching position at the time they begin the program or wait until they complete it.

Dr. Craftson, the district’s Director of Hiring and Talent Acquisition, described program features and timelines: "All the candidates will become a certified classroom teacher within 1 to 2 years of starting the program," she said. She told the committee the programs are fully online and typically require 16 to 21 credit hours within that 1- to 2-year window.

Program costs and commitments were outlined. Staff said there is "0 cost for tuition, if the candidate is approved to be a part of the NextUp teach UCPS program." Candidates must already hold a bachelor’s degree. Approved participants agree to remain teaching in the district for a minimum of three years if assigned to a Title I school, or four years if assigned to other schools. The district will use an existing HR line item for NextUp UCPS scholarships to support tuition for approved participants.

Selection will use a single application for all pathways, staff said. The application opens Feb. 1 and is scheduled to close May 1; UNC Charlotte’s application deadline for its admissions process is Aug. 9. Staff said the selection process will include a principal or supervisor letter of recommendation for employees, several essay responses and an interview. Staff reported a virtual interest session drew 38 attendees.

Committee members asked about program capacity, pay for participants and housing barriers. Staff said there is a cap on the number of scholarship slots but did not provide a numeric cap during the meeting. Starting pay for newly licensed teachers follows the state salary schedule; staff said the state's starting salary is $41,000 plus local supplements. Staff said they are exploring local housing partnerships to reduce living-cost barriers for early-career teachers.

After discussion, a committee member moved to "send this to the full board for approval." Another committee member seconded the motion and the committee voted in favor.

Next steps listed by staff include finalizing the UNC Charlotte landing page for Teach UCPS, continuing targeted outreach (including roadshows and media interviews), opening the application on Feb. 1 and returning to the full board for formal approval.

The committee meeting record shows the motion to forward the residency pathway passed; the full board will consider the proposal at a future meeting.