SAN ANTONIO — Karla Chapa enjoys seeing the curiosity of kindergarteners.

“For many of them, it’s their first year so they are getting exposed to all of this, and you start seeing the growth,” Chapa said. 

She teaches in San Antonio at Edgewood Independent School District’s Loma Park Elementary. 

Chapa is part of the first cohort of the district’s “Grow Your Own Pipeline” program, aiming to fill teacher vacancies. 

This is her first year in her own classroom. 

“I graduated in December, and I continued working. I went into teaching summer school as well, and I was back for the fall,” Chapa said. 

Edgewood ISD, like Killeen and Plano ISDs, is partnering with Indiana Wesleyan University, offering bachelor degrees and fast track teacher certifications.

Edgewood pays 100% of tuition and the mentor stipend, offering a $40,000 salary in exchange for a three-year commitment to the district. 

For two years, they serve as classroom instructors, while taking online courses every six weeks.

Chapa plans to receive her certification before the end of the school year.

Texas Tech assistant professor at the College of Education, Dr. Jacob Kirksey, studies the need for teachers in Texas.

In a recent policy briefing, he found the number of uncertified teachers is climbing.

“If you look at new first-time teachers, it’s actually 50% of new hires are uncertified, and that’s unprecedented,” Kirksey said. 

Kirksey says his research shows students lose three-to-four months of learning if taught by an uncertified teacher with zero experience in the classroom. 

“If you look at the uncertified teachers who have been in a classroom before like paraprofessionals, it’s not the same thing, those students learn about as well other students,” Kirksey said. 

Edgewood recruits folks with experience in the classroom to be part of the pipeline program. Chapa was a paraprofessional before she came here. It’s a residency formula Kirksey says has shown positive results. 

“I’m hoping at the next legislative session the new residency certificate that the state board of education just created,” Kirksey said. 

Kirksey’s hope is that aspiring teachers like Chapa can clear that last hurdle. 

“It’s been many years for me in the making. I’m here, I’m teaching my kids, I have my classroom, it’s a great feeling,” Chapa said.