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Teaching assistants now on track to become licensed MN teachers
A cohort of 25 registered teacher apprentices aims to be licensed by 2026.
EDINA, Minn. — Minnesota is on the verge of an educator crisis. The Department of Education estimates there will be more than 18,000 elementary school teacher openings and 14,000 openings for middle and high school teachers over the next decade.
But a new teacher apprenticeship program aims to shrink the statewide teacher shortage.
At the Edina campus of Minnesota State University-Mankato, experienced educators gathered Monday to celebrate 25 soon-to-be educators. The individuals have already worked in Minnesota schools, many as teaching assistants. They just don’t have a teaching license.
Jelicia Bell, for example, says she doesn’t have a teaching license but has worked as a behavioral dean for Metro Wilder in Minneapolis for the last 7 years.
“I did sub like one year at a level four school and I loved it,” Bell said.
This year, she begins Forward Together, one of Minnesota’s first paid teacher apprenticeship programs. According to Minnesota Commissioner of Education Willie Jett, it comes almost three years after the U.S. Dept. of Labor officially recognized K-12 teaching as an “apprenticeable occupation.”
In partnership with MSU-Mankato, the apprentices will be placed in Minneapolis Public Schools, North Branch Area Public Schools and Owatonna Public Schools. Each apprentice will be paired with a teacher mentor.
“You all are pioneers,” Minneapolis Superintendent Dr. Lisa Sayles-Adams told the group. “How awesome to have journey teachers with you, to have experts on the side to guide you, to show you their expertise, to whisper quietly in your ear, ‘Don’t do that’ or to ‘Do this.’ That is a game changer, so I’m really excited for you.”
The goal is to fill vacant licensed teacher positions. Last year, Minnesota’s Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board found 9 in 10 districts are impacted by the shortage.
“It was quite alarming and yet it reflected the experience that quite a lot of us were having across the state,” North Branch Superintendent Sara Paul said. “They had positions that were not filled by licensed teachers, and the majority of those positions were in the area of special education, and as you heard, we have students exploding with potential that have individualized education plans that need teachers that are going to come alongside and bring them to their full potential.”
Many of the apprentices said they plan to fill gaps in special education.
“Watching year after year after year of special education teacher positions opening … I decided I could make a difference,” said Amanda Hals, a North Branch apprentice.
“And lift them up to be not only the best learners they can be, but the best humans they can be,” Minneapolis apprentice Sophia Jenkins added.
“I’m so excited to finish my degree in special ed. all while working and getting to make a difference in the lives of children,” Owatonna apprentice Abigail Sutcliffe said.
If all goes as planned, they’ll be licensed by 2026.
“We lost a lot of morale in actual love for education for our students, and I want to bring that back,” Bell said. “I will be able to teach and have my own way of how I want to introduce certain things to the students.”
Last week, prosecutors charged John Sawchak with attempted 2nd-degree murder and other felony charges after he allegedly shot his neighbor Davis Moturi.
MINNEAPOLIS — Following the shooting between two neighbors, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to request that the city’s auditor conduct an independent investigation into the incidents and cases between Davis Moturi and John Sawchak.
Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor, Sawchak, on Wednesday, Oct. 23 but Minneapolis police did not arrest Sawchak until days later.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara defended not arresting Sawchak sooner, calling it a “high-risk” situation. O’Hara later said the victim, who had complained about harassment from Sawchak for months, was failed by police. Sawchak was arrested this past weekend after an hours-long standoff.
Moturi suffered a fractured spine, two broken ribs, and a concussion in the shooting. “Mr. Moturi’s life matters and I’m sorry that for nearly a year, MPD did not treat it like it did,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley in a news release, “Today’s vote affirms that the City Council is committed to taking meaningful actions towards accountability and restoration, starting with this independent review.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement:
“Mayor Frey fully supports an independent review of this incident. The mayor and City are committed to always doing better, and this means closely examining past actions and finding where there may be ways to improve and grow. The mayor extends his condolences to Davis Moturi, his wife, Caroline, and their family and friends. The safety of our residents is a top priority and any form of violence or hate speech is completely unacceptable and does not align with who we are as a community. Brian O’Hara will continue to be the Minneapolis Police Chief.”
“This Valentine’s Day, 2025, will mark the five-year anniversary of the premiere of ‘Love is Blind,” Vanessa said on the Season 7 finale. “And, it is gonna be the launch of Season 8, which takes place in Minneapolis.”
The episode also revealed three of the new cast members, one of whom, “Alex,” told Lachey Minneapolis is “not like a major city, but it’s also not a small town,” which he said is just one of the obstacles in his way of finding the one.
“I just never found the right person that clicked for me,” he said.
Meantime, you can bone up on Seasons 1-7 streaming now on Netflix.
MINNEAPOLIS — How much do you know about your grandma’s upbringing?
“The Stories From My Grandmother’s Hands” is a book that aims to show young Black children how their grandmas lived through beautiful illustrations and descriptions.
KARE 11 News at Noon shared more on Thursday about the impact that this book will have.
