Board reviews plan to pay paraprofessionals’ MCC tuition to grow local teachers; trustees ask about commitments and costs
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Summary
Superintendent proposed a paraprofessional-to-teacher pathway in partnership with Morgan Community College that would pay tuition for a three-course sequence and move completers up two steps on the pay scale; trustees asked about recoupment, expected participation and instructor qualifications.
Superintendent presented a proposal to partner with Morgan Community College (MCC) to recruit paraprofessionals into a teacher-licensure pathway. The model would pay paraprofessional tuition for a sequence of courses (two night courses and one summer course), require passing grades to proceed in the sequence, and move successful participants two steps on the salary schedule.
The superintendent framed the program as a response to chronic staffing shortages in rural Colorado and noted Brush School District is pursuing a similar model. "If we get 10 people doing this, I'm going to be overjoyed," the superintendent said, and estimated a start-up cost in the low hundreds of thousands over several years if participation remains modest (Superintendent, S8).
Trustees pressed about return on investment and the district’s ability to require employment commitments from participants. The superintendent said employment law limits recouping tuition from employees with more than two years’ service and that the district had discussed legal constraints with counsel. Board members asked whether retired teachers with master's degrees could be recruited as instructors and whether MCC had posted instructor positions; staff said MCC had an instructor lined up for the spring offering.
Next steps: administration will seek board approval on a recommendation in the action items section and consult more with MCC and staff groups; trustees asked for more detailed costings and an outreach plan to paraprofessionals and community members.
