Collaborative pledges more than $1 million for 'Masters for Educators' to expand dual‑enrollment instructors

John Leopold announced a new professional‑development initiative the collaborative calls the "Central Coast masters for educators program," saying the collaborative will invest over $1,000,000 to support high‑school teachers seeking single‑subject master's degrees that enable them to teach dual‑enrollment courses.

"This is a program that we're gonna be starting this year where we're investing over 1000000 dollars to help high school teachers get their single subject master's degree, so they can teach dual enrollment in our high schools," Leopold said. He described the program as a response to uneven access to dual enrollment and as an effort to expand local capacity for college‑level instruction in high school.

Leopold said the initiative is intended to increase the number of qualified instructors who can offer dual‑enrollment classes and that the collaborative will work with the Santa Barbara County Office of Education to help local teachers become eligible. The program is framed as an investment to create sustainable dual‑enrollment offerings across participating districts.