Lora Downey, a former secretary at Jeter-Watson Elementary School, now teaches childhood special education. Downey benefited from a state grant Alleghany Highlands Public Schools received that provided tuition assistance to employees who are continuing their education. “Teaching has been a lifelong dream of mine,” Downey said.
Sharon Elementary School secretary Katie Gibson is pictured with second grader Emerson White. Gibson wants to be an elementary school special education teacher. A recruitment and retention grant awarded to Alleghany Highlands Public Schools provided her with tuition assistance to continue her education and pursue her career goal.
AHPS Employees Benefit from Grant to Retain, Recruit Teachers
LOW MOOR — Some Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division employees have benefited from a $30,000 state grant. The grant, awarded in 2023, was designed to retain teachers and pay for provisionally licensed teachers’ coursework needed to earn a Virginia K-12 teaching license.
The Recruitment and Retention Support Grant is commonly known as RARS. The Virginia Department of Education funded the grant. It was awarded to AHPS in March 2023 for use until September 2024.
The Virginia Department of Education distributed grants to school divisions statewide. School divisions could apply for up to $30,000 in funding from the grant program.
AHPS used approximately $20,000 of the grant for teacher recruitment, specifically providing tuition reimbursement to eligible employees to obtain coursework in areas of education identified as a “critical need” in Virginia.
Critical needs are shortage areas identified annually by Virginia. These shortage areas include elementary education, special education, middle school education, career-technical education, and others.
The grant funding assisted Alleghany Highlands Public Schools in “growing” its own teachers. Money was awarded to employees who desired to teach. Individuals were selected to receive funds following a process that began in July 2023.
The money enabled a secretary at Jeter-Watson Elementary School to become a teacher this year. At Sharon Elementary School, a current secretary used grant money to continue pursuing her goal of becoming a teacher.
“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity this grant provides. As a mom of two and working as a school secretary, returning to school to pursue my dream of becoming a teacher in special and elementary education is exciting and challenging,” said Sharon Elementary secretary Katie Gibson.
“This funding not only supports my educational journey but also reaffirms the commitment of our community and the Alleghany Highlands Public Schools Division to invest in future educators. I look forward to positively impacting the lives of students within our division,” Gibson said.
Lora Downey at Jeter-Watson Elementary was also able to support her ongoing education with RARS funds. She most recently worked as a school secretary and is now an early childhood special education teacher.
“Teaching has been a lifelong dream of mine. At the age of 40, my dream came true with a classroom of my very own. My heart has always been in the field of special education. I am blessed to work in a school division that supports me both in the classroom and furthering my education to best support the needs of my students,” she said.
Kim Halterman and Melinda Snead-Johnson, leaders of AHPS, said outside funding sources are very helpful in supporting the professional development of employees and teachers.
“Educators are lifelong learners, and it is such an honor to have additional grant funds to support teachers in their professional development,” said Halterman and Snead-Johnson, leaders of AHPS. “While we wish we had limitless funds to support teachers who wish to take additional coursework, we are grateful for every dollar we receive to support their interests.”
“We value the contributions of all our team members no matter their roles. It was quite a unique gift that the RARS funds could be used by individuals already employed in classified positions who wanted to become teachers,” Halterman and Snead-Johnson said.
AHPS staff receiving grant funds include Gibson, Downey, Barbara Childs, Amanda Burns, Tangie Cline, Winter Crance, Heather Eggleston, Tammie Looney, John Meyering, Rachel Morgan, Kelsey Nicely, Tonya Easton, and Samuel Morse. Tuition support and professional development are also provided through other sources
Approximately $10,000 of the grant was used to support teacher retention or encourage teachers to remain with AHPS. With these funds, AHPS provided $1,000 bonuses to middle and high school science teachers in 2023-2024. Locally, middle and high school science teachers are needed. AHPS is also working to provide additional resources to support student learning in science.
"We’ve faced a shortage of science teachers over the past few years, and it’s been a challenge to maintain the quality of our programs. Receiving the stipend has been a huge help in supporting our staff and ensuring we can continue offering strong science instruction for our students," said Robert Wood, a science teacher at Alleghany High School.
AHPS leaders say it’s important to capitalize on opportunities to support teachers. When special funding opportunities are available to support groups of staff, AHPS works to secure the funds. Many grants, including RARS, are competitive, meaning that several applicants seek a portion of the funding.
“We appreciate all the work of our local communities and the Alleghany Highlands School Board that helps us compensate our staff fairly as well,” said Halterman and Snead-Johnson.
Around the state, school divisions are working to urge persons thinking about a career change to consider public education. Halterman and Snead-Johnson say it's important for the local community to support and encourage teachers.
“One of the best things everyone can do to help Virginia attract teachers and other school staff is to encourage them in their work. Please tell teachers and school staff you know when you notice that they have done something very well, and please be fair to them and reach out to them if you have a concern,” said Halterman and Snead-Johnson.
With approximately 2,700 students, AHPS was created when Alleghany County Public Schools, Covington City Public Schools, and Jackson River Technical Center merged in July 2022. The school division is jointly funded by Alleghany County and the City of Covington.
AHPS news and events are regularly updated on Facebook at AHPublicSchools and Instagram at ahpublicschools. Information is also available at www.ahps.k12.va.us.
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