They Already Work for You. What Would It Take to Make Them Your Next Teachers?

Two district HR leaders share how they are helping paraprofessionals become teachers—and what other districts should consider before getting started.

The paraprofessional supporting students in a special education classroom may already want to become a teacher. They know the students, understand the school’s routines, and have experience with the realities of classroom work. But earning a degree or certification while supporting a family and working full time can feel out of reach.

For district HR leaders, that gap between aspiration and opportunity is worth a closer look.

During a recent AASPA webinar sponsored by BloomBoard, Dr. Cherrissa Gibson of Pennsbury School District in Pennsylvania and Julia Becich of Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 in Illinois shared how their districts are helping current employees move into teaching. Their experiences offer practical lessons for districts looking to build a teacher pipeline from within.

Start by finding out who wants to grow

Both districts began with a pressing need for special education teachers and a pool of paraprofessionals who already had valuable classroom experience.

“Paraprofessionals are already in the classroom. They know and understand the challenges,” Gibson explained.

For Pennsbury, that experience, combined with employees’ existing connections to the community, made paraprofessionals a natural starting point.

At Pennsbury, a survey helped identify interested support staff and their educational backgrounds. Some needed a bachelor’s degree; others already held degrees in different fields and needed a route to certification. Those findings helped the district expand beyond its initial pathway to serve employees at different starting points.

Lake Zurich also uses annual talent reviews with building and department leaders to discuss employees’ strengths, goals, and potential next steps. Those conversations include support staff as well as teachers.

“What are their goals? What are their dreams? What do they need to move to that next level?” Becich asked.

For HR teams, the starting point can be simple: ask employees about their interests, then involve the leaders who see their work every day. A personal conversation may help someone recognize a possibility they have not yet considered.

Make the pathway workable for working adults

Interest alone does not make a teaching degree accessible. Employees also need a way to continue earning a paycheck while completing program requirements.

For Becich, one feature of the on-the-job model stood out:

“They don't have to stop working to complete student teaching.” Candidates can continue earning while connecting their learning to classroom practice and receiving support from educators around them.

That structure still requires substantial effort. Becich emphasized that participants complete work both during and outside the school day. Lake Zurich provides paid teacher mentors, and building leaders help candidates access the classroom experiences they need.

Pennsbury also involved an instructional coach as a point of contact, supplementing building-based mentors and helping candidates understand the district’s approach to teaching and learning.

The lesson for HR leaders: plan for the support that helps employees complete the pathway, alongside the pathway itself.

Build the funding conversation around district priorities

Both districts initially used district funding tied to identified staffing needs. In Lake Zurich, board support grew out of the district’s strategic planning process. Pennsbury examined existing tuition reimbursement resources, including funds that some employee groups were underutilizing.

Both leaders also described working with BloomBoard to connect with local workforce funding that helped offset costs. Those opportunities came with local requirements and reporting responsibilities.

For districts exploring a similar approach, the practical questions are: What professional learning or tuition resources already exist? How could they support hard-to-fill positions? And what additional funding might be available locally?

Bring the business office into those conversations early, including planning for future cohorts and support costs such as mentoring.

Prepare candidates for the classrooms that need them

Pennsbury made deliberate decisions about candidates’ classroom placements during preparation, including experiences across elementary and middle school settings and different types of special education support.

At the time of the webinar, Gibson reported that all 10 graduates in the district’s first graduating group were working in teaching assignments: approximately six in contracted positions and the others in substitute assignments. Among them were three first-year teachers in autistic support classrooms.

“They are doing great work. Principals are reporting very positive outcomes,” Gibson said of those teachers.

Graduation did not automatically guarantee a teaching job. Pennsbury’s candidates still participated in an interview process that included demonstration lessons. Lake Zurich likewise emphasized matching graduates with positions suited to their skills and interests.

“We don't want to pluck someone from a job that they're really good at and they like and put them in a spot that they may not be successful in,” Becich explained.

Building a pipeline means preparing people for success in the roles they may eventually fill.

Plan for the positions they leave behind

One of Gibson’s most practical lessons came from an additional staffing challenge: when paraprofessionals advance, districts need a plan to replace them.

Pennsbury began creating opportunities for employees in roles such as lunch and recess support to become paraprofessionals through the state’s credentialing process.

The leaders also emphasized early coordination with employee associations, principals, student services, and other departments. Clear expectations around tuition support, service commitments, mentoring, and hiring helped establish how the programs would operate.

Your first step: ask the people already in your schools

Start with a focused conversation about your district’s staffing needs and your employees’ career interests. Who wants to become a teacher? What education have they already completed? What would help them take the next step?

Those answers can reveal where a manageable first cohort might begin—and what it would take to support them.

Interested in discovering your district’s future teachers? Connect with BloomBoard to explore employee interest and on-the-job pathways that could help your staff move forward.