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District staff outline 'grow-your-own' teacher preparation pathway for students and paraprofessionals
Summary
District staff on April 8 presented a draft 'grow-your-own' teacher-preparation pathway that would combine high-school dual-enrollment, senior-year internships and college partnerships to build future local teacher hires.
District staff on April 8 presented a draft “teacher preparation” or “grow-your-own” program to help Chambersburg Area School District students and employees move toward teacher certification and employment with the district.
Crystal Lautenslager, who led the presentation, said the plan has three stages: (1) high school exposure through academic courses, dual enrollment and classroom observations in grades 10–12, (2) continued college coursework with an employment-linked internship or part-time paraprofessional role so candidates can work for the district while completing a degree, and (3) final certification and hiring preferences for participants who return to the district after graduation.
“Those students’ senior year, they've had this key student internship with a classroom teacher in a classroom in the district,” Lautenslager said. “That when they get to step two, they're still going to college … but they're going to also still have some part time hours with us as a CASD employee.”
The draft program targets three groups: high school students (grades 10–12), current paraeducators/teacher assistants, and district employees with a bachelor’s degree who may pursue a post-baccalaureate teaching track. Lautenslager emphasized existing local assets — dual-enrollment partnerships, a small FCCTC early-childhood enrollment, and district co-op experiences — and said the next step is formalizing external higher-education partnerships to offer teacher-core coursework.
Board members and staff discussed program details including credit-transfer opportunities, incentives and potential tuition-reimbursement strategies to encourage participants to return to the district. Lautenslager said staff will meet with higher-education partners to refine the pathway and examine options that could allow participating students to enter college with 15–20 credits toward a teaching degree.
Why it matters: Districts nationwide face teacher shortages, and locally the program is intended to strengthen recruitment and diversify the applicant pool by creating in-district pathways into teaching for students and current support staff.
Next steps: Administration will continue discussions with local colleges and universities, finalize the pathway document and identify pilots (for example, expanding FCCTC partnerships and summer internships) to start implementation.
Ending: Administrators said the proposal is a draft framework meant to be refined with higher-education partners and district stakeholders before a pilot launch.
