Union News

According to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, there are nearly 5,500 instructional vacancies statewide. Union County Public Schools is among those school systems struggling to fill teacher positions.

Wingate University is playing its part to help alleviate the shortfall. UCPS has announced Next Stop: TeachUCPS, a teacher-pipeline partnership with Wingate and South Piedmont Community College. The new strategy will help UCPS cultivate its own teacher base and provide a roadmap that removes financial barriers for pursuing a teaching license.

“Working together to produce an increased number of great teachers is partnership in its highest form,” Wingate Provost Dr. Jeff Frederick said. “The results of producing great teachers impacts the next generation of students almost immediately and will echo through our communities for years to come. This is a big win for the people of Union County, UCPS, SPCC, Wingate University and everyone who wants to see the county continue to strive for its highest educational and economic potential.”

“The teacher shortage is increasing, and we have to innovate locally to address recruitment and retention,” said UCPS Superintendent Dr. Andrew Houlihan. “We are blessed to have SPCC and Wingate University as partners. With their help, we can open doors and create new opportunities for students and staff to go to college and become certified teachers.”

Of Next Stop: TeachUCPS’s four pathways, three directly involve Wingate University: the Associate, Pre-Apprentice and Teacher Assistant pathways.

• Associate Pathway: Students can begin dual enrollment with SPCC in ninth grade, earn an associate degree by the time they graduate from high school, and then qualify for the Gateway to Wingate scholarship and earn a college degree for $2,500 or less per year in tuition.
• Pre-Apprentice Pathway: A CTE (career and technical education) program in which students register as a pre-apprentice and can be hired as a teacher assistant upon graduation from high school. Over the next four years they can then earn an associate degree at no cost and, via Gateway to Wingate, earn a bachelor’s degree for $2,500 per year or less in tuition.
• Teacher Assistant Pathway: Current UCPS teacher assistants can earn an associate degree from SPCC and then, via Gateway to Wingate and a UCPS scholarship, earn a bachelor’s degree at virtually no cost.

A fourth option – called University Pathway – provides Weddington High School students with hands-on experience at elementary and middle schools and enables them to earn credits that can transfer to a traditional four-year university of their choice. This pathway will expand to Porter Ridge High School in the 2023-2024 school year.

Original source can be found here.