Students who entered San Diego State University through the Compact For Success Program with the Sweetwater Union High School District can be guaranteed a job once they graduate.
A collaboration between the university’s college of education and the high school district created the Return, Inspire, and become a Sweetwater Educator (R.I.S.E.) program that will guarantee employment opportunities in the Sweetwater District to current SDSU compact scholars who meet a series of criteria.
‘What we basically said was if they are students who are interested in teaching and (are) working toward their credential, especially in the areas of math, science or special education, we are going to guarantee them a job when they graduate with their credentials,” said district spokesperson Manny Rubio.
Rubio said the district has done the math and giving a compact scholar a job once they graduate is possible.
“How it basically started out is we really have a need for math, science and special education teachers,” he said.
“We’ve been ok overall and we don’t have these massive shortages but there is definitely a need and the more (teachers) we get the better.”
For those students wanting to become a teacher outside of math, science or special education subject matters, the district will place that student on the top of a preferred priority list for a teaching job in those subjects when an opportunity arises, Rubio said.
Sweetwater Superintendent Karen Janney said there is value in having former Sweetwater district students comeback to the district to teach.
“We want our teaching staff to mirror, reflect our students demographics,” she said. “So if we can get our own students to comeback then we are also building the community, building the understanding of the students we have and giving back to the community as well.”
The requirements that a student must complete in the program include maintaining a 3.0 grade point average upon graduation. A student must also have to completed their degree within a certain number of years as well as obtaining a teachers’ credential and must pass all background checks.
Part of the agreement includes a graduate doing their student teaching work at the district.
Rubio said a scholarship fund was created between the district and SDSU that would seek donations to give out scholarships to make up for educational costs.
The program is in effect immediately, meaning a graduating compact for success senior can be eligible for a job once they graduate this year.
“If they are a current senior and they are looking to do their student teaching next year and get their credential, we’ll help them out,” Rubio said.
Rubio said on average about 1,000 students use the Compact for Success program and about 700 of those students actually go to SDSU. He did not know how many students pursue being a math, science or special education teacher.
Rubio said the number of teaching jobs available in the math, science and special education area varies every year.
That number he said is based on how many teachers the district has overall, how many teachers are retiring and how many have taken other jobs.
