 Update on SB 2032
The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) rolled out the state-funded SB 2032 Para-to-Teacher Program on September 8, 2023. We had a phenomenal response and have now awarded all $3 million provided to the NDDPI by the Legislature.
The program funded 230 participants from across 60 districts. All ten Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) participating in this program had applicants approved in the program.
We are so pleased to announce that the SB 2032 funding in the amount of $3 million is in NDDPI's base budget, which means we will have these dollars for the foreseeable future.
We will be releasing the new application in early 2025 for interested paras using a tiered approach.
- Multicultural plan recipients
- Current paras in program
- Waitlist applicants
- Open to additional paras
 SAEF Grant - Year Two
In July 2023, the NDDPI successfully secured SAEF Grant funding for our Registered Teacher Apprenticeship program.
SAEF Competitive Grant
- July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2026
- $3,720,000
SAEF Base Grant
- July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024
- $311,338
We are pleased to share that earlier this month, the NDDPI was awarded a SAEF Base Grant year 2 in the amount of $389,661. The funding period is July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025. This grant will allow us to retain Dr. Lynn Hammonds as our program manager and fund our data system, GeoSolutions.
 Convening to Support Education Professions
In mid-June 2024, the Hunt Institute and USED sponsored three regional convenings designed to support state action to advance the education professions. A team from ND attended, which included staff from NDDPI, Career and Technical Education, the Education Standards and Practices Board and the University of North Dakota. Eleven different states attended the convening, where we all learned from each other and developed action items for the state to consider. North Dakota created the following two plans:
Youth Plan
We decided we would like the state to focus on pathways into the profession, by encouraging middle and high school students to pursue education careers. An outline of the plan is available here.
Multicultural Plan
The purpose of this plan will be to create a more multicultural teaching pipeline in ND. A workgroup is being established to formulate our plan going forward.
 Governor’s Teacher Retention and Recruitment Task Force
It is well known that North Dakota teacher shortages have been slowly growing over the past several years, spreading across the state from the once most impacted rural districts, now to larger districts. There are an estimated 10,300 licensed teachers in North Dakota, yet only 9,100 worked in North Dakota school systems in 2023.
Governor Burgum through Executive Order created the Teacher Retention and Recruitment Task Force comprised of 15 members from diverse backgrounds, including former and current educators, administrators, lawmakers, and University System representatives.
The goal is to establish comprehensive recommendations to address various aspects of the teaching profession including strategies for increasing teaching profession recruitment and improving teacher preparation programs across the state.
The Task Force began meeting with the Hunt Institute in May 2024 to discuss three main topics of importance:
- ND Educator Work Force Pathways
- ND Educator Retention
- ND Educator Compensation
A summary of key recommendations from these meetings can be found here.
In addition, the Hunt Institute has met with key stakeholders such as North Dakota State Teachers of the Year, North Dakota United, North Dakota School Boards Association, and North Dakota Council of Education Leaders to elicit their unique perspectives.
The Hunt Institute has collated and refined the recommendations from all sources and found three themes from this work:
- Working conditions
- Professional value and support
- Flexible funding
Based on these themes, several recommendations have been formulated. The next phase of the project has begun.
The recommendations will be finalized in August and presented to the Governor and the Superintendent of Public Instruction through a final report by September 30, 2024.
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