Staffing shortages in schools have forced districts to get creative, from cutting classroom time to bringing in teachers from abroad to meet demand. The shortage existed before the pandemic but it’s only gotten worse in recent months as the stress of the job has led more educators to leave the profession. The Newark Public Schools district is training its own students at East Side High School to become teachers, through the Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy. The four-year program was launched in 2019 in partnership with Montclair State University and the American Federation of Teachers.
At East Side High School on Monday, the AFT announced that all students in the program will be paid. Randi Weingarten, AFT president, said, “Every young adult, aspiring teacher, is going to have a $ 1,200 stipend for the spring semester and a $2,500 stipend for the summer semester.” In addition, Roger Leon, superintendent of Newark Public Schools, said, “Not only will they graduate in June of 2023 with a high school diploma, but I will issue all of them teaching contracts in Newark.”
