Mesa Public Schools’ Governing Board voted 5–0 on Nov. 13 to approve an intergovernmental agreement with the Arizona Department of Education to participate in a registered teacher‑apprenticeship program.

What the agreement does

The apprenticeship agreement allows the district to support selected instructional assistants or other district employees as they pursue post‑secondary teacher preparation while working in school‑based roles. Staff described the program as a “grow‑your‑own” pathway that pairs on‑the‑job mentoring (a designated journey worker or mentor teacher) with college coursework; the agreement includes allowable uses of grant funds to support the apprentice (for example, coursework materials, transportation support or a stipend for the mentor teacher).

Staff emphasized this initial pilot focuses on a small number of candidates (staff said five participants are currently enrolled under a related pathway) who are attending Mesa Community College or partnering universities under district arrangements. The board asked for clarity that apprenticeship participants will meet standard employee background checks and certification timelines; staff confirmed apprentices remain district employees (with employee screening and payroll processes) and that successful completion of credential programs is required before an apprentice may serve as a classroom teacher independent of supervision.

Vote and next steps

The board approved the intergovernmental agreement (no roll‑call dissent recorded). Staff said the program will be monitored and staff will return with evaluation data and recommendations about continued participation and scaling.

Speakers

- Board approved intergovernmental agreement (vote 5–0)
- Ms. Benson and other board members asked clarifying questions about applicant eligibility and background checks; staff confirmed protections were in place.

Provenance

transcript_segments: [{"block_id":"14956.665","local_start":0,"local_end":56,"evidence_excerpt":"Do I have a motion to approve the intergovernmental agreement Arizona Department of Education Teacher Registration Apprenticeship Grama moved. ... Do I have a second? I'll second it."},{"block_id":"15493.31","local_start":0,"local_end":44,"evidence_excerpt":"With a vote of 5 yeas, we have approved the intergovernmental agreement Arizona Department of Education Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program."}]

Ending

Staff will monitor program outcomes and report back to the board with evaluation data and recommendations on whether to scale the apprenticeship approach.

Searchable tags: ["apprenticeship","teacher_pipeline","workforce"]