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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.”
The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council unanimously approved a plan to shut down the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) on Thursday.
The resolution comes after decades of protests against the massive North Loop trash incinerator that burns roughly 365,000 tons of garbage a year.
“Today is a big step towards protecting the health of our communities and addressing longstanding environmental injustices that disproportionately impact communities of color,” said councilmember Robin Wonsley, in a statement.
The resolution calls for the incinerator to be permanently closed by Dec 31, 2027 and for the entire facility to be shut down by Dec 31, 2033.
The council argues that the HERC must be closed to comply with the city’s zero waste policy, which was passed back in 2017.
In October 2023, the Hennepin County Board signed off on a plan to close the HERC between 2028 and 2040, depending on how quickly the county can transition into a zero-waste system.
Of the garbage burned at the HERC, 75% comes from the city of Minneapolis. The other 25% comes from a dozen other cities in the area. The HERC produces enough energy to power more than 25,000 homes and half the buildings in downtown Minneapolis.
At a City Council Meeting on Oct. 10, Jenni Lansing with the City of Minneapolis Health Department provided analysis on the air pollution impacts of HERC. She said the health department supports working towards a zero-waste future and the ultimate closure of HERC, but said closing it now is not the solution.
“Overall emissions in Hennepin County are dominated by on-road and non-road, mobile and nonpoint sources, and these sources drive the cancer and non-cancer risks to health in Minneapolis,” Lansing said.
Hennepin County defines zero waste as preventing 90% or more of all discarded materials from being landfilled or incinerated.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
The snow is really coming down in some places with Maple Lake getting 3.5″ so far.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — The wettest Halloween storm ever — is making mischief before little trick-or-treaters hit their neighborhood’s slushy streets.
Officials are reporting several power outages and car spin-outs.
There have been over 14,000 power outages, according to Xcel Energy.
The Minnesota State Patrol has responded to 169 crashes and 94 vehicles off the road, as of 2. pm. Thursday.
Meteorologist Beny Dery said an additional 1 to 2″ of snow is possible before things taper off this evening.
So far some of the totals around town are: 3.5″ Maple Lake, 3.0″ Buffalo, 2.5″ Dassel, 2.4″ Windom, 2.0″ St. Bonifacious, 1.5″ Maple Plain and 1.5″ in Bethel.
The snow is expected to let up from west to east and should wrap up for the metro between 5 to 6 p.m.
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.”
