Board members will tour Kansas State School for the Blind, Kansas School for the Deaf on April 12

The Kansas State Board of Education on Tuesday, April 11, will learn more about a new registered apprenticeship program that can help address teacher shortages across the state; recognize districts, students and teachers; act on proposed amendments to accreditation regulations; and receive an update on emergency safety intervention (ESI) regulations. 

Shane Carter, director of the Kansas State Department of Education’s (KSDE) Teacher Licensure team, will provide an update on the creation of the Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program during the State Board’s April meeting at the Landon State Office Building, 900 S.W. Jackson, Suite 102, in Topeka. 

Registered apprenticeships, as defined by the federal government, are industry-driven, high-quality career pathways where employers can develop and prepare their future workforce. Through the program, individuals can obtain paid work experience, receive progressive wage increases, classroom instruction and a nationally recognized credential. 

The Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program provides districts with another grow-your-own option for promising teacher candidates identified by local school districts. 

Individuals identified through their local school district as promising teacher candidates are eligible to apply for the Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program in Kansas. Once accepted, the person becomes a teaching assistant to a lead classroom teacher while earning a bachelor’s degree from a partnering, approved teacher preparation program. 

Through the program, participants would be paid an hourly wage to serve as teaching assistants, which can help eliminate the financial burden of completing a teaching preparation program. 

House Bill 2292 was introduced during the 2023 Kansas legislative session. The bill directs the creation of a Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program and provides the funding to do so. If the bill is approved, KSDE will be required to create and implement a Teaching Registered Apprenticeship program. 

KSDE’s Teacher Licensure team has been meeting since May 2022 with higher education partners, district partners and other professional education organizations to explore the idea of creating a Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program. The plan is to begin a pilot apprenticeship program during the 2023-2024 school year. 

State Board members are scheduled to recognize several students, teachers and districts during the first day of their meeting, including: 

• Maddie McCarty, an eighth-grade student from Colby Unified School District 315, who won the state-level and national-level SIFMA Foundation’s InvestWrite competition. InvestWrite is a national writing competition offered exclusively to teachers and students participating in the Stock Market Game. 
• More than 260 Kansas students applied and are now recognized by KSDE as Career and Technical Education (CTE) Scholars. The Kansas CTE Scholar initiative began in 2017 as an opportunity to recognize well-rounded, outstanding CTE students. 
• Fort Leavenworth USD 207, Derby USD 260 and Mulvane USD 263 as military-friendly schools. They have met specific criteria and demonstrated a commitment to serving students and families connected to our nation’s armed forces as determined by the Kansas Military Children Education Council (KMCEC). They have been designated as Kansas Purple Star Schools. 
• The eight members of the 2023 Kansas Teacher of the Year Team, including Brian Skinner, an interrelated special education and English teacher at Newton High School, Newton USD 373. Skinner is the 2023 Kansas Teacher of the Year. 

State Board members also are scheduled to: 

• Act on proposed regulation changes that must be made to reflect newly established graduation requirements.  
• Act on recommendations of the Accreditation Review Council (ARC) and award recommended accreditation status through Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA) to 19 systems. 
• Receive an update on ESI regulations. In 2013, the State Board adopted Article 42 of its administrative regulations related to the use of ESI. Those regulations have been amended several times since then. The State Board, in response to an administrative review, sought clarification on its definition of “seclusion.” The State Board approved the submission of the language through the formal regulatory adoption process. As part of that process, the State Board will conduct a public hearing in May and is scheduled to vote on whether to formally adopt amendments to the ESI regulations. 
• Receive a legislative update from Deputy Commissioner Dr. Craig Neuenswander. 

On the second day of their meeting, Wednesday, April 12, State Board members will tour the Kansas School for the Deaf in Olathe and the Kansas State School for the Blind in Kansas City.