LYNN — A total of seven school districts, including Lynn, will receive over $1.7 million in grants awarded by the Healey-Driscoll Administration, as part of the Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program (RTAP), which supports educators on a path to earning their teaching license, as well as job-training and academic coursework.
Lynn Public Schools will receive $275,236 in grant funding. The other awarded public schools include Everett, Lowell, Martha’s Vineyard, Randolph, Salem, and Waltham, which will all receive 27 registered teacher apprentices and funding to support mentorship and supervision, as well as tuition and fees, and both “licensure assessment preparation, professional development, and program coordination,” according to an official press release.
“We greatly appreciate the partnership of the Healey-Driscoll administration as we strive to provide educators with the resources they need in pursuing their teaching license,” said Lynn Public Schools Superintendent Molly Cohen. “This funding is critical in supporting those efforts.”
“We want all students in Massachusetts to have educators with the knowledge, skills, and training to best support students’ learning,” said Acting Education Secretary Amy Kershaw. “This program is part of our commitment to supporting both educators and students.”
RTAP was created with the intention of fostering diversity in classrooms across Massachusetts. The program provides both access to full-time job opportunities, as well as mentorship to teachers, including in roles that are harder to staff, specifically special education, early childhood, ESL, and STEM, at no cost.
The news is a win for Lynn Public Schools amidst proposed FY27 budget cuts, including a $7 million deficit.
“Programs such as the Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program help local communities by cultivating an educator workforce reflective of student populations,” Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll said. “We want to continue to continue expanding access to the teaching profession and providing opportunities for educators advance their skills.”
It’s just the latest effort by Healey, whose goal is to register over 100,000 apprenticeships over the course of the next decade – including in fields such as clean energy, health care, education, and skilled trades – to meet state needs.
“We need more talented educators in our classrooms, and we need to make it easier for people to enter the teaching profession. That is why our administration launched the state’s first Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program to diversify and strengthen the educator workforce and pipeline across Massachusetts,” Gov. Maura Healey said. “These apprenticeship programs are part of our broader goal to grow our workforce and fill 100,000 critical jobs across Massachusetts, including in our schools. By helping districts remove financial barriers and create real pathways into teaching, we are helping more people step into the classroom and make sure every student has access to a great educator.”
