Addressing Maryland’s Educator Shortage
Grow Your Own Support Staff-to-Teacher Programs
In early December, Gov. Moore announced the first round of a $19 million Grow Your Own (GYO) grant program to support education support professionals (ESPs) and non-licensed school staff looking to teach, with a particular encouragement for men to join the teaching profession. This initiative seeks to further reduce teacher vacancies statewide, which have dropped by nearly 50% from the 2024-25 school year to the 2025-26 school year.
While the total number of teachers in 2024-25 increased slightly (a 0.6% increase over 2023-24), vacancies fell by nearly half, from 1,619 in 2023-24 to 886 in 2024-25 (and down from a high of 2,144 in 2022-23). While there’s more progress to make, this promising data was paired with a decline in conditionally licensed teachers, a 3% growth compared to last year in ESPs, and an eye-popping 40% growth in Nationally Board Certified Teachers over the last year.
“Good policy sets the stage for real progress,” said MSEA President Paul Lemle. “When we do the work to make sure that education is a viable career for everyone, then we see more educators in our schools, more high-level credentials, and fewer vacancies. There’s more room to grow, and taking steps like expanding GYO programs will help get us there.”
GYO programs are proven to help ESPs who want to become licensed teachers. One such former ESP, Frederick County teacher and member of the MSEA Board of Directors Ronnie Beard, spoke at the governor’s event announcing the grants. “Grow Your Own programs changed my life, and I know it can make a big difference in the lives of so many other educators and students,” said Beard. “Grow Your Own programs will not just help recruit more teachers, they will recruit more teachers who know the students, know the school, and know the community.”
“Through our strategic investments, Maryland has cut the teacher shortage in half—but we still have work to do,” said Gov. Moore. “By making the choice to invest in our educators and our schools, our administration is helping every educator pursue their dream of teaching and inspiring the next generation.”
As Beard pointed out in his remarks, local unions play a critical role in shaping high-quality GYO programs. “The financial burden to becoming a teacher is real,” he shared. “Luckily, I had support. Our union, the Frederick Association of School Support Employees, negotiated increased tuition reimbursement for ESP seeking to become teachers. And they negotiated the ability for ESPs to remain employed, receive a salary, and have a guaranteed return to their job while participating in student teaching. Previously ESPs would have had to take unpaid leave. Without this support, I would not have been able to become a teacher.