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Grow Your Own Teachers on Budget Chopping Block
(IRN)-Grow Your Own Teachers is a state program aimed at providing loyal and consistent teachers in lower income and minority communities. But the program is on the governor's chopping block for next year's budget.

GYO coordinator Roderick Wilson says too many young teachers start out in lower income areas, and after a year or two, move on.

"They're sometimes leaving our communities," said Wilson. "So the idea was, let's take stakeholders in our community, people who are invested in our community who have always had the desire to become a teacher with maybe not the means and support, and let's help them become teachers."

Organizers say the $3.5 million they're asking for is necessary now to keep the program growing.

There are 16 consortia, each consisting of a community partner, a higher education institution and a public school district in Illinois. The program has yielded about 30 graduates in its five year existence, most of the teachers being in their late 30's and going to school part time.

Wilson says there should be about 100 graduates by next year. That funding is needed now so teacher turnover in low income communities can decrease, and students can benefit.

"We can't keep cutting and cutting and cutting and wondering why our young people are not being educated the way they need to be, the way their test scores aren't as high because their teacher left half way through the year," he said.

(Source: Illinois Radio Network)
03 17 11 by Newsroom
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