Teachers who work with special-needs children in Maine schools but do not have full certification could be eligible for scholarship awards that will fund much of the course work necessary for earning full certification.
The Maine Department of Education is accepting applications from currently employed special education teachers with conditional, transitional and targeted-needs certificates for scholarships that will fund tuition, books and fees for course work completed through the University of Maine System.
The funds are available through the federal State Personnel Development Grant recently awarded to the Maine Department of Education. The grant seeks to boost the percentage of highly qualified special education personnel working in Maine schools.
Currently, one of eight Maine teachers who work with special-needs students is not fully certified.
Visit the Maine Department of Education’s special education personnel grant web page, www.maine.gov/education/speced/spdg/goal1/, to download an application.
Speech language, occupational and physical therapists who are not fully qualified, along with educational technicians hoping to become qualified to work with children with disabilities, will be eligible for an upcoming round of scholarship awards.
Contact Debrajean Scheibel with questions by phone at 207-624-6689 or by email at Debrajean.Scheibel@maine.gov.