ATLANTA — Georgia is receiving more than $10 million in federal funding to help address the state’s teacher shortage by creating new opportunities for school employees to become certified educators.
The federal grants will support the expansion of teacher apprenticeship programs, allowing people already working in schools to complete teacher training without leaving their current jobs.
Approximately $4.3 million of the funding will go toward training special education teachers.
The state is partnering with the University of West Georgia to develop the program, with plans to eventually expand it to school districts across Georgia.
Similar efforts are already underway in metro Atlanta, including Gwinnett County, where Gwinnett College recently received a separate $3.5 million federal grant.
Dr. Angie Jasper, dean of education at Gwinnett College, says the additional funding is helping provide financial assistance to aspiring teachers.
“We have money to provide scholarships to students who are interested in becoming teachers,” Jasper said.
The funding is part of Georgia’s efforts to recruit more educators while providing current school employees with a pathway to teacher certification.
WSB Radio’s Ashley Simmons & Rob Archer contributed to this story.