Rider University is partnering with the West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District in New Jersey for a program that helps school district support staff become teachers amid a national shortage.
The Pathways to Teaching program will give eligible West Windsor-Plainsboro Service Association (WWPSA) employees tuition assistance to complete a bachelor’s degree and/or a 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 larger school community,” said Dr. David Aderhold, superintendent of schools at West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District. “By offering this program, we aim 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 reduction through partnership Rider has with the state of New Jersey.
“The financial assistance being offered through these programs will go a long way in helping those who might not have been able to afford to become a teacher otherwise,” said Dr. Jason Barr, dean of Rider’s College of Education and Human Services. “We’re proud of the long-term investment that both Rider and West Windsor-Plainsboro are making in the teaching profession as a whole.”
