Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Workforce Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rockwood presents 'Welcome Home Rockwood' grow‑your‑own educator program; participation and scholarships increase despite grant cuts
Summary
Jennifer Martin outlined Welcome Home Rockwood, a grow-your-own program that guarantees student-teaching placements, provides mentorships and awarded 11 scholarships last year; participation rose from 2 to 19 students this year, though state grant funding was reduced.
Jennifer Martin presented the Welcome Home Rockwood program at the Nov. 4 Board of Education meeting, describing it as a 'grow-your-own' initiative to recruit and support Rockwood graduates who pursue teaching careers.
Martin said the program guarantees student‑teaching placements for former Rockwood students, pairs participants with monthly mentor meetings and offers resume and interview support. She reported the program’s rapid growth: participation increased from two students in 2024–25 to 19 this school year, and the Welcome Home committee awarded 11 scholarships last year ranging from $250 to $2,000.
Martin acknowledged a funding change: the program previously received a state 'Grow Your Own' grant but 'this year, those funds are no longer available and so our budget has been cut in half,' she said. That reduction prompted the committee to reprioritize how it supports participants; Martin said mentors can be compensated but some choose to donate compensation back to the scholarship fund.
Board members asked about recruiting recent graduates and outreach strategies. Martin said outreach uses high-school counselors, university partnerships and targeted visits to classrooms and career fairs; she described partnerships that yielded tuition discounts and opportunities to represent Rockwood at job fairs. On mentor compensation, she said the program has reserved a portion of the budget for payment where possible and returns unused funds to scholarships.
What this means: The district’s program aims to strengthen teacher pipelines by encouraging graduates to return as educators, offering mentorship and a guaranteed student-teaching placement. The board did not take a formal action to expand or fund the program at this meeting but praised the program’s early results.
Ending: Martin invited interested students and graduates to the district website’s human-resources section to apply and asked the board to continue supporting outreach and partnerships.
