Paraprofessional-to-teacher apprenticeship now has 72 graduates, department reports

Fifteen more teachers graduated from South Dakota’s teacher apprenticeship program this month, the state Department of Education announced Monday.

The program, started in 2023, allows full-time paraprofessionals — sometimes called teacher’s aides — to pursue a teaching degree online through Dakota State University in elementary or special education, or through Northern State University in secondary education, at a steep discount while retaining their position.

South Dakota turned to paraprofessionals to attack a teacher shortage, and hundreds responded

The latest group to graduate pushes the program’s total graduate number to 72. Two hundred and forty paraprofessionals have participated so far in the program.

The majority of graduates have signed teaching contracts and are filling vacancies across South Dakota public and private schools. Among the December graduates, four have signed teaching contracts in Andes Central, Bison, Rapid City and Wakpala. The department expects more to sign contracts in the spring and summer.

Of the 72 graduates so far, 59 have signed contracts, all within South Dakota, according to the department. Five graduates earned degrees in secondary education, 17 in special education, 17 in elementary and special education, and 33 in elementary education.

The goal of the program is reducing the teacher shortage in the state. Statewide, 144 teaching positions were unfilled as of July, weeks before the school year started, according to the Associated School Boards of South Dakota. That’s the lowest number in recent years: There were 202 unfilled positions in July 2024, 256 in 2023, 225 in 2022 and 174 in 2021.

Recent graduates were sponsored by school districts ranging from rural Bison in western South Dakota to Tea in the Sioux Falls metro area.

“The TAP program has opened doors and new possibilities for paraprofessionals to fulfill their dreams, for school districts to fill positions, and for kids to have that constant, well-trained professional leading their classrooms,” said Dakota State University Professional Academic Advisor Addie Borah in a news release.

Kathryn Blaha, state Education Department director for accreditation and certification, said support and continued interest in the program is “astounding.”

“It is exciting to see these new teachers who have demonstrated their commitment to our communities and schools entering their own classrooms to continue their service to our students as certified educators,” Blaha said in the news release.

Eighty candidates from 50 school districts and private schools were selected for the program’s third cohort, the department announced this summer. The second cohort included 70 participants, five of which dropped out, and 90 participants were in the first cohort, 18 of which dropped out.

The Department of Education started the program, but it’s currently funded through the state Department of Labor and Regulation with a combination of state and federal grants to reimburse universities for the discounted portion of tuition and other programming. 

School districts pay $1,000 a year per apprentice. Apprentices are responsible for up to $1,000 a year in tuition, books and state assessments.