Providence public school teachers who earn their English as a Second Language certification will be reimbursed up to $3,200, city and state education officials announced Thursday.
The cost of tuition is one of the biggest barriers preventing teachers from becoming certified, state education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green said at a news conference.
The state’s three public colleges as well as Roger Williams University have committed to ensuring that there are enough classes for teachers who want to take the classes, she said.
The goal is to train 125 teachers over two years to meet the needs of a rapidly growing multi-lingual student population. About one-third of the district’s 24,000 students are English language learners.
The city’s school system, recently taken over by the state, reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice last year to reform its English learner program after an investigation found the district was violating federal law. One of the issues was a lack of ESL qualified teachers.
City teachers’ union president Maribeth Calabro said educators received an $800 stipend previously for certifications, but that was not enough.
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