UNDATED – Of the 59 graduates so far from a two-year-old teacher apprenticeship program, 41 have signed teaching contracts and are filling vacancies across 31 public school districts and three private schools in South Dakota, according to the state Education Department.
The program, started in 2023, allows full-time paraprofessionals — sometimes called teacher’s aides — to pursue a teaching degree online through Dakota State University in elementary or special education, or through Northern State University in secondary education, at a steep discount while retaining their position.
South Dakota Department of Education Secretary Joe Graves said in a news release announcing the third cohort that the program has been an “incredible success” to address the teacher shortage by combining graduates’ paraprofessional experience with their new education to fill vacancies.
Statewide, 144 positions were unfilled as of last month, weeks before the school year starts, according to the Associated School Boards of South Dakota. That’s the lowest number in recent years: there were 202 unfilled positions in July 2024, 256 in 2023, 225 in 2022 and 174 in 2021.
The program does not contractually require graduates to stay in the teaching profession or in South Dakota. The assumption is that paraprofessionals who’ve worked in the profession for years care about the children in their school, have built their lives in the community where they work, and will stay close to home.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for both the paraprofessionals and for their communities,” Graves said, “and it ultimately benefits our South Dakota students.”
Another 80 candidates from 50 school districts and private schools were selected for the third cohort, the department announced recently. The second cohort included 70 participants, five of which dropped out.
Thirteen participants in the first cohort are still participating in the program and are expected to graduate in December, while 18 dropped out of the program.
Most contracted graduates will teach in elementary classrooms and special education, according to the department. It is likely that other graduates have signed contracts but have not reported doing so to DSU or NSU, according to the state Department of Education.
The program was started by the department but is currently funded through the state Department of Labor and Regulation with a combination of state and federal grants to reimburse universities for the discounted portion of tuition and other programming.
School districts pay $1,000 a year per apprentice. Apprentices are responsible for up to $1,000 a year in tuition, books and state assessments.
Graves, with the Education Department, told South Dakota Searchlight earlier this year that the future of the program is uncertain.
It was originally intended as a one-time effort, using $815,000 in federal funds and about $446,000 in state funds.
The program launched its second cohort under the state Department of Labor and Regulation in 2024 due to demand after the Legislature appropriated $800,000 of state funds for the program. The second cohort cost another $410,000 in funding from the department and $9,000 from the federal government.
A spokeswoman for the state Department of Labor and Regulation said earlier this year that the exact funding needs for the third cohort will be determined after the apprentices start their coursework.
