LINCOLN- Paraprofessionals in three Nebraska districts are getting the chance to become classroom teachers through the Nebraska Teacher Apprenticeship Program, which lawmakers created last year after the passage of LB705. The program, which lawmakers funded with a $1 million allocation, is meant to address Nebraska's pressing teacher shortages.

At the start of the 2023-24 school year, the state had at least 908 teacher positions left either vacant or filled by an unqualified employee, a stark increase from the 769 reported the year prior. The Nebraska Department of Education, which received the allocation, is set to pilot the program in three districts that already have para-to-teacher programs. "We didn't want to start directly from scratch," said David Jespersen, department spokesman.

Selected paraprofessionals will be able to enroll in undergraduate teacher education programs for free. While such programs have existed in the past, one key difference under the apprenticeship program is the ability for paraprofessionals to receive college credit while already working in the classroom with a supervising teacher.

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