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HEB ISD expands ‘grow your own’ pipelines, pays ACP costs and hires educators‑in‑training
Summary
Trustees heard district staff describe two recruitment pathways — a teacher‑assistant-to‑teacher program that covers up to $4,000 in alternative certification program costs and an Educator‑in‑Training hire track paying $42,500 — with initial cohorts already producing several hires.
Hurst‑Euless‑Bedford ISD presented two 'grow your own' teacher pipelines designed to address staffing shortages: a teacher assistant to teacher program that helps existing teacher assistants obtain alternative certification and an Educator‑in‑Training program that hires candidates as teachers of record while they complete certification.
Hector Martinez, director of human resources, described the teacher‑assistant pathway: the district will partner with an alternative certification provider (iTeachTexas), and eligible teacher assistants can receive up to $4,000 in ACP support under a promissory note structure (the district pays $2,000 up front and the remaining $2,000 on completion within a year). Martinez said the program will identify up to seven candidates per year and prioritize assistants not already enrolled in an ACP.
Tiffany Benavides outlined the Educator‑in‑Training program, which hires participants as full‑time salaried employees on one‑year at‑will professional contracts with benefits and TRS credit. "This year they're making $42,500," Benavides said, adding that educators in training receive campus mentors, ongoing check‑ins, and support to meet certification timelines. She reported program numbers: for the current cohort, seven teacher assistants qualified for the TA‑to‑teacher pathway (five elementary, one junior high, one high school); of those, two were hired as educators‑in‑training, one has already been hired as a teacher, and four are still completing ACP requirements. Across the educator‑in‑training track, the district started the year with 23 elementary educators in training (14 already hired as teachers), junior high and high school numbers similarly showed strong conversion rates.
Why it matters: The two tracks seek to convert existing district staff and near‑certified candidates into full‑time teachers, reducing reliance on long‑term substitutes and addressing hard‑to‑fill roles such as special education and bilingual positions. Trustees were asked to support continued program funding and to note that application windows are open for the next school year.
