Pinellas County Schools is set to graduate its first class of teacher apprentices from a two-year program that converts support staff into certified teachers.

The program combines virtual college coursework with classroom teaching experience under mentor supervision. Participants work as co-teachers while completing their certification at no personal cost and earn higher salaries than their previous paraprofessional positions.

Tamara McKinney, a paraprofessional at Nina Harris Exceptional Student Education Center, joined the inaugural cohort after years of working with students with special needs. She recalled childhood aspirations of teaching and said the program changed her view of the district’s support for staff.

According to Dr. Nicole Gallucci-Landis, an HR partner with the district, participants spend two years with the same mentor teacher before promotion. The program addresses staffing needs while providing advancement opportunities for employees who have teaching ability but faced financial or personal barriers to certification.

Pinellas County’s program is the first endorsed by the Florida Department of Education. Twenty-four participants will sign teaching contracts by late February, graduate in May, and begin teaching in their own classrooms in August. Ten more staff members started in January, with 15 additional apprentices scheduled to begin in fall 2026.

The district plans to expand the program to address ongoing staffing challenges.

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