Colorado aims to combat teacher shortage through offering stipends to new educators

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A Colorado program aimed at addressing the state's teacher shortage through providing stipends to educators is now seeking new applicants.

The program, called the Educator Recruitment and Retention Financial Assistance Program, provides $10,000 stipends to educators currently teaching under alternative licenses while pursuing their teaching degrees.

Aspiring educators can use these funds to cover expenses related to higher education courses and educator preparation programs.

The program began in the 2021-2022 school year as a means of encouraging new teachers to work in rural school districts, granting the stipend in exchange for an agreement to work in the districts for at least three years.

But in 2022, state lawmakers expanded the program past rural communities to include educators all over Colorado. This past school year, around 700 educators participated in the program. Stipend recipients have come from all across the state, working in 138 of Colorado's 178 school districts.

To qualify for the stipend, applicants must be enrolled in an educator preparation program, and meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Have earned a bachelor's degree and also secured a position as an alternative teacher or temporary educator in an area with a teacher shortage
• Work as a paraprofessional in a school district or charter school
• Been hired as a career/technical education instructor in a rural school district

The application is currently open, and closes Sept. 30. Stipends are provided on a first-come, first-serve basis. A second round of applications will open on Dec. 2.

You can find more information about the program and apply for the stipend here.