Rider University is partnering with West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District in New Jersey on a program to help school district support staff become teachers amid a national shortage.
The Pathways to Teaching program will provide eligible West Windsor-Plainsboro Service Association (WWPSA) employees with tuition assistance to complete a bachelor’s degree and/or teaching certificate. Such employees include instructional assistants, cafeteria aides, custodians, bus drivers, secretaries, and other support staff.
“These employees provide essential services that have a significant and positive impact on our students and the wider school community,” said Dr. David Aderhold, superintendent of schools in the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District. “By offering this program, we want to not only benefit our employees, but also strengthen the district’s robust and diverse teaching staff and the quality of education in our community.”
School district employees and immediate family members may also be eligible for a 20% tuition discount through Rider’s partnership with the State of New Jersey.
“The financial aid offered through these programs will help those who otherwise could not afford to become teachers,” said Dr. Jason Barr, dean of Rider’s College of Education and Human Services. “We are proud of the long-term investment both Rider and West Windsor-Plainsboro are making in the teaching profession as a whole.”
