People in ’s education will make teacher shortage worse, testifiers say are represented in a Legislature considering changes connected to Woodbury.
Testifiers asked DFL legislators to remove provisions they say would worsen the teacher shortage and adversely impact teachers of color. While the bill, HF2497, contains many new funding provisions, including a 4 percent increase in the per pupil funding formula next year, and an additional 2 percent increase in 2025, it also includes policy changes to the teaching licensure landscape — one of those being the elimination of several alternative licensure pathways that some educators and education advocacy groups say would deepen the effects of a workforce shortage and adversely impact teachers of color.
One of those teachers, Haben Ghebregergish, testified in opposition to the provision she says would have prevented her from teaching in her home state of Minnesota after she earned her teaching license in Michigan.
Ghebregergish has been a math teacher at the High School for Recording Arts charter school in St.
The first-generation college student who graduated from Eagan High School went on to earn honors at the University of Chicago before beginning her teaching career in Detroit.
While there, she earned her teaching license at the University of Michigan.
Ghebregergish then decided to move back to Minnesota, and, thanks to a teaching licensing pathway newly developed in Minnesota, she was able to land a job through the state’s Tier 2 pathway to licensure.
About 6 percent of educators in Minnesota are teachers of color, and 25 percent of teachers with Tier 2 licenses are teachers of color, according to Minnesota-based EdAllies.
As the measure advances, residents of Woodbury can follow amendments and contact Ethan Cha regarding the final language.
Article Source: Alpha News: “DFL’s education bill will make teacher shortage worse, testifiers say”
