This California school district will pay you to become a teacher. Here’s how it works

Jacqueline Pinedo
·1 min read
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Natomas Unified School District is offering money to those willing to become teachers through its Diverse Future Teachers program.

Applications for the program opened Jan. 24, and will close next week, Sept. 15. The onus of the program is to recruit former school district students who are pursuing a career in education, using money as an incentive to lure them back to Natomas.

The greater statewide initiative also targets retired educators — to get them back in the classroom — to help California battle its teacher shortage.

“Teacher shortages are a growing national issue exacerbated by COVID-19, and California is no exception,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond told the Senate Education Committee earlier this year.

There were more than 10,000 teacher vacancies across California during the 2021–22 school year, according to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

How to apply for the Diverse Future Teachers program

Applicants must agree to a three-year commitment to teach in the NUSD. Applications can be submitted on the districts website.

Below are incentives teachers receive for signing up, according to the NUSD website:

  • NUSD will pay for 80% of the cost in getting a teaching credential

  • A Macbook to use while getting a teaching credential

  • $500 monthly stipend for a year for teachers who live within the NUSD boundaries while attending the credentialing program

  • Successful applicants will receive an additional $5,000 for diversity — for having lived in a ZIP code that matches the school district’s demographics, for being bilingual, demonstrates academic interest in subjects such as gender, race, multicultural studies and support for underserved students. Another $5,000 is available to educators who earn credentials in hard-to-fill subjects such as math, science, special education and world language.

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