Charles County Public Schools has received a second round of state funding to expand its “Grow Your Own” educator pipeline, this time focusing on conditional teachers who already hold bachelor’s degrees and need professional licensure.
The new funding will allow eligible CCPS employees to complete an accelerated licensure program through Notre Dame of Maryland University at no cost to the participant, according to the school system. Grant funds may cover tuition, books, fees, assessments and program admission costs.
CCPS plans to support 75 conditional teachers through three cohorts of 25, with the Round 2 grant extending through June 30, 2030. The district said participants may receive up to 45 credits for experiential learning completed while working in classrooms.
“That, coupled with accelerated coursework, means that they could complete their license in 12 to 15 months,” Holly Dolan, CCPS staff growth and retention specialist, said.
The Round 2 award builds on a separate $2,042,630 Grow Your Own grant CCPS received earlier this year. That funding supports the district’s Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program, or RTAP, which is designed to help paraprofessionals and other school employees become licensed teachers while continuing to work in CCPS.
The earlier program combines on-the-job training, mentorship and free coursework. CCPS has said participants who earn a Maryland teaching license through RTAP must then commit to working as a teacher in the district for three years.
For the newer grant, CCPS is focusing on conditional teachers — employees who are already teaching but have not yet completed requirements for full professional licensure. The pathway is open to all conditional teachers, but the district said it intends to prioritize hard-to-fill areas including secondary mathematics, special education and early childhood education.
Those areas align with statewide teacher shortage concerns identified by the Maryland State Department of Education.
MSDE’s Round 2 Grow Your Own Educators Grant Program is designed to create sustainable, on-the-job pathways to teacher licensure through partnerships among local school systems, employee organizations and Maryland colleges and universities. The state made $19.4 million available for the round and anticipated making about 24 awards.
Under the state program, participants may receive financial support while preparing for licensure and must commit to a three-year service pledge as full-time teachers in a high-needs school, grade level or content area within the same local school system where they are employed.
“The funding will allow them to attend Notre Dame of Maryland University 100% cost free to them,” Dolan said.
Notre Dame of Maryland University offers an Accelerated Certification in Teaching program for people who already hold non-teaching bachelor’s degrees. The state-approved graduate-level program provides certification pathways in areas including elementary education, early childhood education, special education and several secondary subjects, including mathematics, English, science and social studies.
The new award follows a broader statewide expansion of Grow Your Own funding announced in April. Gov. Wes Moore’s office said $19 million in that earlier round was distributed among 13 local school systems and would support more than 620 educators. Charles County’s share was $2 million, with CCPS later identifying its exact award as $2,042,630.
“The Grow Your Own program is the vital mechanism for addressing our teacher shortage by recognizing and licensing the professionals already within our school system,” Moore said when announcing the earlier awards. “This strategic pipeline investment is the foundation for a diverse and world-class educator workforce, ensuring our students benefit from the mentorship and quality support they deserve.”
CCPS has made educator recruitment and retention part of its 2025-2029 strategic plan. The district said its Grow Your Own efforts are intended to remove financial and structural barriers for employees who want to move into teaching positions while remaining connected to the communities they already serve.
The local effort also reflects a broader national decline in interest in teaching. A 2024 working paper by researchers Matthew A. Kraft and Melissa Arnold Lyon, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, found that roughly 8% of the college-educated U.S. workforce — about 5.4 million people — worked as K-12 teachers. The researchers documented a substantial decline in interest in entering teaching beginning around 2010 and examined factors including wages, college costs, union strength and teacher autonomy.
“For many participants, especially those who grew up in the communities we serve, there is a strong sense of giving back,” Dolan said. “They want to teach in schools that shaped them and contribute to the success of future generations.”
Dolan said some candidates have also described wanting to become the type of adult who helped them when they were younger.
“They recognize that teaching is about far more than delivering content,” Dolan said. “It is about building relationships, fostering belonging and helping students develop the academic, social and life skills they need to thrive.”
