January 12, 2023
23-4
Jessica Pope
Communications and Media Relations Coordinator
ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµ Receives Federal Funding to Expand Rural Teacher Pipeline

VALDOSTA — Valdosta State University has received $750,000 in federal funding to help address the need for more teachers across South ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµ, where classrooms are overcrowded and school districts struggle to recruit certified professionals ready to develop and inspire young learners.
ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµ plans to use the funds to expand its rural teacher pipeline by providing scholarship and other support to paraprofessionals who wish to earn a Bachelor of Science in Education in Elementary Education through the university’s Online College for Career Advancement. Participating paraprofessional educators will be able to continue serving as vital members of their school’s support staff while earning their professional teaching credentials.
“Schools and students need quality teachers now more than ever, and this program focusing on helping paraprofessionals — who already have substantial prior experience in classrooms — earn their teaching credentials makes sense,” said Dr. David Slykhuis, dean of the James L. and Dorothy H. Dewar College of Education and Human Services. “Through our online elementary education degree program and with this additional financial support, we know we can help fill the teacher shortage in our PreK-5 schools.
“ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµ opened in 1913 as a two-year teacher preparation institution. More than 100 years later, we continue to be proud to prepare new generations of graduates ready to change lives in schools and classrooms across our region and beyond.”
ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµ is the only public institution of higher education in ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµ that offers an online Bachelor of Science in Education in Elementary Education. Enrollment in this program has increased nearly 323 percent in one year, from 35 students in Fall 2021 to 148 students in Fall 2022. Classes are taught by ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµ’s world-class faculty, who are accessible, responsive, and committed to creating a rewarding academic experience for all students.
United States Representative Buddy Carter of ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµ’s 1st District requested and secured this funding in the House version of a nearly $1.7 trillion Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill signed by President Joe Biden just before the New Year. U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock of ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµ supported ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµ’s request for this funding in the Senate.
“I am exceptionally excited to see the expansion of ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµ’s online elementary education degree program,” Carter noted. “It is crucial that all youth have access to a high-quality education no matter where they live, from Atlanta to rural ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµ and beyond. This is an excellent program that will empower a new generation of students and teachers. I am glad that both ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµ and Congress see the value in this investment.”
“As a product of smart federal policies and a quality education, I understand the importance of making sure the best and the brightest are teaching ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµ students in the classroom,” said Reverend Warnock. “I was proud to partner with Valdosta State University to secure federal scholarship funding to train more elementary school teachers to teach in rural areas. I applaud ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµ’s innovative degree program that makes a fulfilling teaching degree accessible for all ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµns who seek this important career.”
“We are expanding Valdosta State University’s teacher education and training program so every child in ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµ gets the attention and skill they deserve — and that parents expect,” Ossoff shared.
According to the National Council of State Legislatures, 8.9 million American school children attend rural schools. One in four schools in America is considered rural.
“ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµ is incredibly thankful that our lawmakers in Washington, D.C., recognize the work we are doing to address the teacher shortage,” said Dr. Richard A. Carvajal, university president. “As South ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµ’s flagship institution of higher education, our mission to support and advance this region we call home is something we take very seriously.”
ºìÐÓ¶ÌÊÓÆµ’s rural teacher pipeline initiative primarily targets paraprofessional educators working in rural communities across the university’s 41-county service area — Appling, Atkinson, Bacon, Baker, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Calhoun, Camden, Charlton, Clay, Clinch, Coffee, Colquitt, Cook, Crisp, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Echols, Grady, Irwin, Jeff Davis, Lanier, Lee, Lowndes, Miller, Mitchell, Pierce, Quitman, Randolph, Seminole, Telfair, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Turner, Ware, Wilcox, and Worth.
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