A South Coast college and a local school district have announced a new partnership to try to create more teachers.
Westmont College and the Santa Barbara Unified School District are using a $2.4 million state grant to launch a new residency program for students seeking to become teachers in California.
Students in the program will receive a $33,000 stipend towards tuition and other expenses at the Montecito-based college. They’ll work in Santa Barbara Unified School District classrooms three days a week.
The students will be paired with experienced mentors while finishing their graduate classes at Westmont.
The hope is that some of the students will become teachers in the Santa Barbara district. The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing awarded the grant, which is making the new program possible.
