As Commission Chair, I sponsored a Western New York Round Table discussion on June 27, aimed at seeking solutions for our educator and administrator shortages in New York State. We needed to gather a range of stakeholders from our region to share best practices on how to recruit and retain qualified educators.

Participants included Deans and Program Directors from Graduate Schools of Education:

SUNY at Buffalo

Buffalo State University

Canisius College

SUNY Fredonia

Public Schools that currently implement innovative programs, in collaboration with higher Ed, that offer unique avenues for attracting qualified candidates:

Kenmore Town of Tonawanda Union Free School District

Erie 1 BOCES

Erie 2 – Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES

Starpoint Central Schools

Hamburg Central

Keenly aware of classroom teacher shortages….

I co-sponsored A. 68A – The Grow Your Own Initiative

This bill directs the commissioner of education to issue guidance to school districts for developing programs to attract underrepresented candidates into the teaching profession and to identify funding available to school districts for such purposes.

Last year I supported the $30 million Empire State Teacher Residency Program through the New York State Department of Labor. This program provides matching funding for local public school districts and/or Boards of Cooperative Educational Services to create two-year residency opportunities for graduate-level K-12 teacher candidates. The program will provide $30 million in funding to subsidize master's degree or teaching certification programs for qualified individuals.

We now need to address the quality and quantity of School Building Leader candidates.We know there are some qualified, competent, and experienced classroom teachers willing to step forward if the certification process was expedited and based on practical building and instructional experiences. What might this look like?

Maintain same pre-requisites and program requirements:

• Educational Master’s Degree – (36 hours)
• Teacher Certification
• 3 years paid full - time teaching
• Institutional Recommendation

• NYS ID & Reporting of Suspected Child Abuse or Maltreatment
• NYS School Building Leader Cert Exam – Part 1 & 2
• NYS EAS Exam
• DASA Training
• Fingerprint Clearance

Modifications for: Completion of a NYS Registered Program – School Building Leader (SBL)

In WNY – our Registered Higher Ed Programs require between 9 to 12 graduate courses, including 2 required internships. Depending on the institutions – the programs are either in-person, (outside the school day), hybrid or all online. The time and cost to candidates can be prohibitive.

Can more local school districts and Higher Ed institutions enter into volitional articulation agreements that would expand or modify the 2 internship requirements and allow certified teachers enrolled in the SBL program to be assigned a TOSA (Teacher On Special Assignment) position while completing the internship requirements?

These requirements would include the traditional role expectations of SBLs but also include blocks of time for direct mentoring and instruction vis a vis current district administration and/or faculty from Higher Ed programs. These blocks of time would address course requirements such as Curriculum Planning, Instructional Supervision, Leadership and School Improvement. This approach provides expeditious and practical experience while immersed in the SBL role.

The Director of Governmental Affairs for SED, Jennifer Trowbridge, confirmed that Institutions of Higher Ed have the flexibility to design their SBL programs to meet or exceed the clinical experience requirements in different ways.

Our Round Table participants shared best practices and partnerships between Certification programs and public-school participants.

Next Steps

• Expand categorical funding in state Foundation Aid formulas that would allow for volitional cooperative service agreements between BOCES and component districts to fund administrative and teacher interns.
• SED sponsored media campaign designed to rebrand careers in public education. Examine potential for TEACH program in NYS.
• Strengthen school leader pipeline by encouraging more residency programs.
• Explore regulatory modifications that permit micro-credentialing for specific positions.