BY HANNAH JOHNSON
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Going forward
Hiring former students and substitute teachers is one avenue MISD is taking to staff its schools. In 2023, MISD hired 64 substitutes as full-time teachers and 47 former students as teachers. The district hires more substitute teachers than it does from any university or alternative certi- fication program, said Shelly Spaulding, MISD’s assistant superintendent of public relations and communications. “Substitute teachers are our best resource for new teachers,” she said in an email. Former students and substitutes are familiar with MISD and have a connection with the district, Spaulding said, making them ideal candidates for teaching roles. They also have supports in the district, such as family and friends that they can rely on outside of the school day, she said. “Former students know our traditions and have pride in the district in which they grew up,” Spaulding said.
McKinney ISD is creating a new program to hire former students as soon as two years after graduation. The Grow Your Own Program will allow students who graduate from the district with an associate’s degree to work at MISD as a paraprofessional while earning their undergraduate degree. The district will then hire them as teachers after subsidizing their degree and alternative certification program, Spaulding said. This program is currently in its planning stages and still requires approval from district officials. In the meantime, the district is working with paraprofessionals to earn their bachelor’s degree and provide them with an alternative certification program to get certified, Spaulding said.
Texas teacher attrition
The number of teachers leaving the profession across Texas has started to decrease since the COVID-19 pandemic.
15%
12%
9%
6%
3%
0%
School year
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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MCKINNEY EDITION
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