NR Public Schools Awarded $91,286 Teacher Diversification Grant

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has awarded a $91,286 Teacher Diversification Grant to the North Reading Public Schools, Acting Massachusetts Education Commissioner Russell Johnston recently announced.

North Reading was one of 15 public, regional and charter schools to share in a total of $1.5 million in funding awarded through the Teacher Diversification Grant program, which utilizes federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds to help support school districts with their efforts to recruit and retain a more diverse educator workforce.

House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) and Senate Minority Leader Bruce E. Tarr (R-Gloucester) commended North Reading Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick Daly and Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Sean T. Killeen for their success in securing this grant award.

According to Superintendent Daly, the North Reading Public Schools will use the grant funding to support:

• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Professional Development for staff;
• Grow Your Own retention incentives and strategies; and
• Recruiting and retaining diverse teachers with financial incentives

“We know that research suggests the importance of having our staff reflect the diversity of our student body and we are so pleased that this grant will assist us in supporting and recruiting highly qualified educators from diverse backgrounds,” said Superintendent Daly. “These funds will also be used to support our ongoing professional development for leadership and staff to ensure we are implementing strategies for cultural proficiency.”

“Through the work of the grant the district is building relationships with local colleges and universities to support our efforts to diversify our workforce,” said Assistant Superintendent Killeen. “The commitment of funds to promote financial incentives to support continuing education for aspiring educators will be a powerful recruiting tool. The goals are aligned with the district strategic plan to recruit, hire and retain a workforce that better represents our student population and community.”

“Under Superintendent Daly’s leadership, the North Reading Public Schools have expressed a strong commitment to building a teaching staff that reflects the diverse backgrounds of its students,” said Representative Jones. “This grant funding will enable our local schools to make additional strides towards achieving that worthy goal, while also providing teachers and staff with ongoing professional development support.”

“Over the past several years recruiting and retaining teachers and staff has been rising as a challenge for school districts across our state, and the future of quality education for our students depends on how effectively we meet that challenge,” said Senator Tarr. “This grant funding will provide critical resources for the leadership of the North Reading School Department to focus on teacher recruitment and retention in ways that the regular school budget would not necessarily allow, and that have the potential to add to the roster of best practices that schools across our Commonwealth could benefit from.”