Idaho launches new principal apprenticeship program

KIMBERLY, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — Local superintendents said the pool for principal candidates is low.

To deal with that problem, the Idaho State Board of Education has just approved a new principal apprenticeship program. Now that they have received the go-ahead from the U.S. Department of Labor, the program is ready to roll.

The State’s Education Effectiveness Program Manager, Katie Shoup, said it is meant to provide financial assistance to school districts, especially those in rural areas, to help train aspiring teachers to be principals.

“Individuals would receive two years of paid on-the-job learning. That includes principal-like duties as a mentee under the direct supervision of a certified principal,” Shoup said.

Shoup added that, besides the on-the-job training and the certification process, there are additional benefits people in the program can access to help encourage others to join.

“Potential federal funding that could be put toward the cost of tuition. Potential supportive funding that could be used toward things like gasoline or clothing. And this federal program would allow for veterans to get their GI funding fast-tracked,” Shoup said.

The program is meant to help schools recruit from their community so the candidate is more likely to remain with the district. It would help make things easier for school districts when hiring principals.

“When we would first open up a principal position, it would not be uncommon to get as many as 20 applicants, and now you are maybe at three or four applicants,” Kimberly School District Superintendent Luke Schroeder said.

The Kimberly School District already has a similar program to help teachers become principals by assisting them in getting their master’s degrees. However, Schroeder said there is much more to the job than that.

“You are really looking for a dynamic person,” Schroeder said. “You know obviously one that knows instruction, curriculum, but also has a personality to make positive relationships with staff, with parents, with students specifically.”

The apprenticeships will begin this fall. Schools can start applying for openings now.