During his recent tour of schools in the area, Dr. Khalid Mumin, secretary of education, visited the BLaST IU 17 headquarters on Reach Road to learn more about the “earn while you learn” teacher certification pathways for working paraeducators.

BLaST was one of only ten IU’s across the Commonwealth to receive the Governor’s competitive Paraeducator Preparedness Pathways Grant designed to support special education paraeducators to earn a teaching certification while they continue working, according to a news release from BLaST.

Through the support of this grant, BLaST is partnering with Luzerne County Community College, to offer an innovative teacher certification career pathway.

“The Governor’s grant elevates the important role of paraeducators in regenerating our teaching pipeline and represents the Commonwealth’s investment in addressing the teacher shortage,” said Dr. Christina Steinbacher-Reed, executive director of BLaST Intermediate Unit 17.

“By pursuing their teaching certification, paraeducators are not only furthering their professional growth but are also diversifying and strengthening our future teacher workforce,” she added.

Special education paraeducators participating in the program represent BLaST Intermediate Unit 17 and the South Williamsport Area, Sullivan County, and Canton Area school districts.

BLaST worked closely with the Secretary’s team to coordinate the visit to the region, including visits to the Lycoming Career and Technology Center, Williamsport School District’s Career and Technical Education program, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Northern Tier Career Center, and Commonwealth University’s Mansfield Campus.