General Assembly passes Delaware Educator Apprenticeship Program

Sponsored by House Education Committee Chair Rep. Kim Williams and Sen. Sturgeon, House Bill 138 continues the Legislature’s work to address ongoing teacher shortages by creating a Delaware Educator Apprenticeship Program. 

Under HB 138, the Delaware Department of Education and the Delaware Department of Labor would work together to develop a program that allows colleges and universities in Delaware to partner with a school districts or charter schools and place aspiring teachers in paid positions while they complete their own education and training, effectively lowering the cost of entry for future teachers selected for the program. 

HOUSE BILL 138 – DELAWARE EDUCATOR APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM	Currrent Status – Out of Committee 5/10/23
House Sponsors – Williams, Osienski, Lambert, Bush, Baumbach, Johnson, Moore, Parker Selby, Romer, Wilson-Anton // Briggs King	Senate Sponsors – Sturgeon, Townsend, Walsh, Lockman, Poore, Hansen, Hoffner, Sokola
House Yes Votes – Baumbach Bush Carson Chukwuocha Cooke Dorsey-Walker Griffith Harris Heffernan Lambert Longhurst Lynn Matthews Minor-Brown Morrison Neal Osienski Parker-Selby Phillips Romer Schwartzkopf Williams Wilson-Anton // Briggs King Collins Dukes Hensley Hilovsky Morris Postles Ramone Shupe Smith Spiegelman Vanderwende Yearick	Senate Yes Votes – Brown Gay Hansen Hoffner Huxtable Lockman Mantzavinos McBride Paradee Pinkney Poore Sokola Sturgeon Townsend Walsh // Buckson Hocker Lawson Pettyjohn Richardon Wilson
House No Votes – None	Senate No Votes – None
House Absents or Not Voting – Bolden, Short, Gray, Johnson, Moore	Senate Absent or Not Voting – None

The apprenticeship program is only the latest bill to address the ongoing teacher shortage that saw Delaware open the 2022-23 school year with about 300 teacher vacancies. Over the last two years, the Delaware General Assembly has passed legislation to create permanent, full-time substitute teacher positions and pathways for those employees to transition to certified teaching roles, funded Grow Your Own Educator programs and a 9-percent pay raise for all district teachers first proposed by Governor John Carney in January. 

Legislation to ease the path for experienced paraprofessionals to become full-time, certified teachers also passed the Senate earlier this month and is awaiting a final vote in the House.