Georgia gets $10 million to boost teacher hiring efforts

The Georgia Department of Education announced Friday it has received two big federal grants to expand teacher apprenticeships statewide.

The larger, nearly $6 million grant aims to expand paraprofessional-to-teacher apprenticeships and strengthen teacher preparation, mentoring and support for new educators. A second grant of about $4.3 million will expand registered apprenticeship opportunities for aspiring special education teachers.

The department hopes the grants will strengthen efforts to recruit and prepare future educators through its Teach in the Peach initiative. The department is working with the University of West Georgia and the National Center for Grow Your Own.

Through that partnership, UWG will work with the department and the center to develop an apprenticeship model that provides credit for prior learning and expands mentoring and support for new teachers. The model will then be scaled to additional educator preparation programs and school districts across Georgia.

“Some of Georgia’s best future teachers are already working in our schools,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said in a statement. “They know our students, they know their communities, and they’re ready to take that next step. We want to make it easier for them to become teachers without having to leave their jobs or take on unnecessary financial burdens.”

Georgia, like many states, is facing challenges to recruit and retain teachers. Statewide, public schools kept 90% of their educators during 2025. However, the state still had about 6,000 vacancies, according to an April 2025 state audit.