CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Brand new teachers working towards their North Carolina license in those first three years have a new choice and opportunity at Central Piedmont Community College.
"That’s a lot of pressure and stress, and there’s training and faculty development they have to do," Central Piedmont faculty member Jennifer Perkins said. "With this new program, they said we’re going to put this in the hands of the community college. we’re going to let them create a residency program which basically will for two years follow these new teachers and help them from day one."
Perkins, the chair of this new program, says it’s not only convenient through the community college system, but will cost about $2,000, cheaper than other options in the Charlotte region.
The state is asking community colleges to develop this program to give teachers more options.
"I do think it will help the deficit for sure in the local community and we’re right here in charlotte," Perkins said.
The statewide teacher shortage is getting worse.
A state report shows in the 2021-2022 school year, there were 3800 open positions across the state on the first day of school.
In the 2022-2023 school year, it shot up to more than 5500 vacancies.
Perkins said the one-on-one coaching and mentoring this program offers is vital in those first few years.
"Teachers will have such a good sense of 'I know what I’m doing, I got this, I’m going to be successful' that they’ll stay," she said,
The program starts in the fall 2023 semester.
Contact Chloe Leshner at cleshner@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.