Committee advances rule change to boost mentor stipends for Grow Your Own apprenticeship program

The Law and Licensing Committee voted to continue and approve proposed amendments to R277‑320 on first reading, enabling the Grow Your Own teacher and school counselor pipeline program to increase mentor stipends and use state grow‑your‑own funds to sustain apprenticeship activities after federal grant funding expires in July.

Lisa McLaughlin, educator preparation coordinator, said the Department of Labor grant that had supported mentor and apprentice stipends is expiring in July and the federal renewal did not materialize. "We were under the impression that we would be able to renew that and we were not," she told the committee, and staff proposed using newly appropriated grow‑your‑own funds and some carryover dollars to bridge the gap.

McLaughlin said there are about 30 apprentices in the program and that apprenticeship mentors must hold a professional teaching license, at least three years of experience, mentoring endorsements or equivalent training, and they must perform weekly check‑ins so mentoring is active rather than merely assigned. Members praised the program’s success in rural LEAs and supported the funding approach.

The committee voted 4–0 to advance R277‑320 on first reading and forward it for continuation and approval on second and final reading.