The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has allocated more than $50 million for teacher recruitment and retention grants.
The investment has two goals: attracting people to pursue a career in education and keeping high-quality teachers in the profession, according to a DESE news release.
To improve recruitment efforts across the state, DESE will make $10,000 grants available to all school districts and charter schools to establish or expand local Grow Your Own programs.
Grow Your Own is designed to recruit, develop and retain teachers. It aims to recruit people who are connected to a school or community but may not have considered teaching or need additional resources to enter the profession.
Currently, 20 percent of school districts have a Grow Your Own program, including the Jefferson City School District.
With this funding, DESE hopes all Missouri schools will "operate a robust local" Grow Your Own effort. Recruiting just three to four high school students in all districts and schools to the education profession could result in about 2,000 new teacher candidates, according to the news release.
DESE will also make additional grants available to all school districts and charter schools to "implement strategies to improve teacher retention, with an emphasis on providing funds" to districts with positions that are harder to fill, such as those serving higher numbers of students of color and students in poverty, according to the news release.
"By allocating money to every district and charter school and offering a wide range of recommended best practices to affect change in recruitment and retention, we are allowing local school leaders to determine the most appropriate course of action to meet their local needs," Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven said in the news release.
Examples of strategies that may improve retention include "providing stipends for mentors of new teachers or for other non-contractual duties, supporting teachers who are pursuing National Board Certification, addressing issues identified in staff culture and climate surveys, expanding professional learning and networking opportunities for educators, or increasing teacher voice and teacher leadership opportunities," according to the news release.
"Our administration continues to focus on workforce development, and training the next generation of workers starts with our teachers in Missouri's classrooms," Gov. Mike Parson said in the news release. "It is critical that we address challenges in K-12 education now and help our future leaders successfully enter the workforce, which is exactly why we are investing state relief dollars to recruit and retain the best and brightest educators in Missouri."