A program designed to remove financial barriers for potential teachers to enter the profession is undergoing modification. As a result, some prospective teachers may find themselves financially unable to participate.
The new changes potentially put the program at odds with its original goals. Compounding the issue is a lack of transparency by both the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) and the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center.
In January 2022, the U.S. Department of Labor approved Tennessee to offer the first federally registered teacher apprenticeship program in the nation. Tennessee’s model created partnerships between school districts and educator preparation programs, allowing high school graduates to obtain a bachelor’s degree and teaching certification at no cost. As part of the program, teacher apprentices would earn a living wage from sustainable federal and workforce funds as they progress through the program. Starting this fall, that will change.
Education preparation programs (EPP) will no longer receive funds to cover a prospective teacher’s degree and certification. Instead, they will have to apply for competitive funding grants with the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center for their 2025 Fiscal Year 25 programs. The center will provide grants of $10,000 ($5,000/year) for a bachelor’s program and $2,500 for single-year programs. Funds available for bachelor’s programs will only fund Education Preparation Program-related coursework.
The Grow Your Own (GYO) program came in response to a growing nationwide teacher shortage. In fall 2022, 3,897 Tennessee teaching positions – 5.5 percent of total teaching positions in the state – were either vacant or filled with a teacher on an emergency credential. GYO grants were designed to mitigate staffing issues by removing financial barriers for potential Tennessee teachers.
“Our teachers are heroes who have a tremendous impact on our children, and Tennessee is paving the way and has become the first state in which there is a lasting program to become a teacher for free through the Teacher Occupation Apprenticeship,” said Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “By establishing a permanent Grow Your Own model, Tennesseans are innovating to provide the opportunity to become teachers for free while earning a wage. We hope states across the country will utilize this model to combat teacher shortages, remove barriers to becoming an educator for people from all backgrounds and continue to invest in the teaching profession.”
David Donaldson, chief of human capital at the TDOE, said, “We want to become the first state where you can become a teacher for free and get paid to do so. That is our dream.”
Two years later Donaldson is no longer with the TDOE, and the dream has changed.
The average cost of a bachelor’s degree, including a teacher’s license, is approximately $15,000. The reduction in state grant money means that prospective candidates still face a potential financial barrier. To alleviate that burden, The Grow Your Own Center has suggested EPPs should either offer reduced tuition to students, or pass some, or all, of the remaining cost on to participating local school districts.
The Tennessee Star asked State Senator Jon Lundberg (R-Bristol), Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, if this change aligned with legislative intent.
“First off, you’ve given me a lot of questions that I’d like to ask,” said Lundberg. “But my initial response is no, this does not align with legislative intent.”
Despite being funded by the TDOE, the Grow Your Own Center does not openly share its annual budget. Nor does it post a monthly meeting schedule or minutes of previous meetings.
Representatives have repeatedly attempted to discourage The Star from attending Center-hosted webinars. EPPs have been instructed not to discuss details of changes with either the media or participating local K-12 school districts.
The Star reached out to the Grow Your Own Center for an explanation of why they don’t follow state sunshine laws. In response, the center sent the following:
The Tennessee Open Meetings statute (Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-44-101 et seq.) applies to “governing bodies,” defined as “any public body which consists of two (2) or more members, with the authority to make decisions for or recommendations to a public body on policy or administration.” Tenn. Code Ann. § 8-44-102(b)(1)(A). At UT, our “governing body” is the Board of Trustees, and the Open Meetings statute applies only to the Board of Trustees, standing or special committees of the Board, and to bodies that are specifically identified by statute as subject to the Open Meetings statute (such as our campus Advisory Boards, see Tenn. Code Ann. § 49-9-503(a)(6)).
The Grow Your Own Center is not a separate entity from UT, but rather a UT program funded by grant money from the Tennessee Department of Education. It is not the “governing body” of UT or of any public body, and thus not subject to the Tennessee Open Meetings statute.”
Tennessee State Representative Kevin Raper (R-Cleveland), vice chair of the House Education Instruction Committee, told The Star, “I don’t agree with that. If you have public money being spent at public institutions, you need to be open to the public.”
“This is a program that was created through an internal mechanism. Therefore it is not legislatively accountable, but rather accountable to the Tennessee Department of Education.” said State Representative Scott Cepicky (R-Culleoka), who chairs the House Education Instruction Subcommittee, “That is where the transparency and accountability issues come into play.”
Tennessee’s Grow Your Own Program was initially funded with ESSER money, which expires next Spring.
Earlier this year, the Tennessee Department of Education and the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center announced over $5 million in subgrant funding has been awarded to five educator preparation providers (EPPs) to expand the Tennessee Teacher Apprenticeship programs to increase access and remove barriers to the educator profession, in alignment with the state’s GYO initiative.
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TC Weber is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. He writes the blog Dad Gone Wild. Follow TC on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected]. He’s the proud parent of two public school children and the spouse of a public school teacher.
