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LANSING -- As Michigan continues to face a significant educator shortage, Holt Public Schools has helped high school students explore teaching careers and is expanding the program to junior high.
The program includes a weekly class where students learn about education careers and then spend time in classrooms to gain first-hand experience in the field.
"Our partnership with the Department of Education's Future Proud Michigan Educator EXPLORE programs aligns beautifully with that vision," said Lucas Schrauben, the director of secondary programs in the district south of Lansing.
Holt is one of 19 districts across the state being reimbursed for tuition of student graduates of the EXPLORE program who hope to return to their home districts as educators.
The Department of Education recently awarded $625,869 to participating districts.
This initiative focuses on retention by supporting interested students through their transition from high school to higher education, with the goal of hiring their graduates as teachers in their district.
Graduates whose tuition costs will be covered by the program must have participated in the district's future educator programming and must be employed by their district after completing their certification.
The department created the initiative to increase the number of certified teachers in areas of shortage, one of its priority goals.
Among the other districts receiving EXPLORE grants are Romulus Community Schools ($10,000); Midland Public Schools ($20,000) and Wayne-Westland Community School District ($20,000).
The largest grant, $240,00, went to Rockford Public Schools.
As part of the effort, the Future Proud Michigan Educator course has been offered at Holt High School for almost four years, where Kellie Sweitzer has been the only educator to teach the class.
"We spend about six weeks in the classroom learning about different types of educational careers and what the path would be to enter them," Sweitzer said. "Then, students work with mentors in our district - teachers at the elementary, middle or junior high level - going into their classrooms twice a week."
The district received $20,000, with $10,000 to start a junior high program and $10,000 to continue supporting the high school course. The money has helped with purchasing course materials, arranging college visits and compensating teachers who serve as mentors.
"It's a one-semester class for students who are interested in seeing if they want to go into the education field, so it's an exploratory class," Sweitzer said.
According to Sweitzer, the hands-on experience allows students to determine if education is the right career path for them.
"Getting to be with the kids twice a week, seeing all the work the teachers put in and the direct contact with students is by far the best part about it," Sweitzer said.
"And in all honesty, we've had some kids realize, 'Maybe this isn't for me,' which is okay. It's better for them to figure that out in high school instead of paying for college courses before making that decision," she said.
Holt Public Schools says it hopes to expand its program, with a focus on reaching students who may not have previously considered a career in teaching.
While these programs help recruit new teachers, Thomas Morgan, the press secretary at the Michigan Education Association (MEA), said more needs to be done to retain educators once they enter the field.
The MEA is a union that represents 120,000 teachers, education support staff and higher education employees across the state.
Sweitzer said, "We've had students tell us, 'I never thought about going into education because I never had a teacher who looked like me. Now I want to be that person for my future students.'"
"It's these programs to get more talent into the education profession that are critical, but we need to also make sure that we are plugging up the leaks in that same talent pipeline so that we don't have people entering the field, staying for a couple of years, and then leaving for greener pastures," Morgan said.
For example, Michigan must also improve retention by addressing teachers' compensation, he said.
"We are concerned that unless we improve economic conditions for educators, these programs can't be as effective as they could be otherwise," Morgan said.
"A recent study showed Michigan ranks near the bottom when it comes to teacher pay. Costs are increasing, and legislation that was passed in December to address those costs is still sitting with the Speaker of the House," he said.
According to Morgan, "Michigan ranks 39th in the nation for average starting teacher salary, with new educators making under $40,000 per year - about 18% lower than the average starting salary for other college graduates."
"When you're just starting out as a recent graduate, that's a massive gap, especially considering the cost of everything is going up: rent, food and other household essentials," Morgan said.