Friday, December 3, 2021

Providence Public School District Announces New Recruitment Incentives 

District Offering Signing Bonuses for Classroom Educators with Focus on Hard-To-Fill Positions, Increased Support for ESL certification

PROVIDENCE, RI – As part of an ongoing effort to recruit and retain highly-qualified educators, Providence Public Schools today announced several incentives, including early signing bonuses for newly-hired educators and support staff in hard-to-fill positions and increased support for teachers pursuing their ESL certification.

“Recruiting and retaining highly-qualified teachers remains a top priority for Providence Public Schools,” said Acting Superintendent Javier Montañez. “These efforts focused on early hiring and supporting educators pursuing ESL certification will help us to attract and retain the well-trained teachers that our students need and depend on for their success.”

“We need incredible teachers in all our schools to offer Providence students the high-quality education they deserve,” said Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green. “These incentives will help PPSD be more competitive as it seeks top teaching talent so that we can help students excel and continue move our district forward. If you’re interested in a rewarding career, we encourage you to apply.”

The District will be offering signing bonuses to new employees hired for the 22-23 school year. This includes:

• All candidates who accept an offer of employment with the Providence Public Schools in a hard-to-fill area will receive a bonus of up to $10,000 ($5,000 in year one and $2,500 in year two and year three as part of a commitment incentive). Hard-to fill roles include Middle School and High School Math, Middle School and High School Science, Special Education, Dual/Language Bilingual, ESL (all grade levels), Speech and Language Pathologist, Psychologist, and Social Worker.
• A $2,500 early contract incentive for those signing a contract prior to March 1 in a hard-to-fill area.

• An additional $2,500 for experienced teachers with three or more years of experience in a hard-to-fill area.
• Relocation incentives for up to $3,000 for staff moving from a state other than Rhode Island, Massachusetts, or Connecticut.

Employees will be required to reimburse the incentives if they do not complete a full year in the position and all bonuses will be held until appropriate certification is issued to the employee.

The loan forgiveness incentive of up to $25,000 for educators of color will continue for the 22-23 school year. This incentive is made possible through funding and partnership with the Rhode Island Foundation. Participants are eligible to have up to $6,000 of their college loan debt paid off after completing year one of teaching, up to an additional $8,500 after completing year two and up to another $10,500 after completing year three.

In addition to these new hire initiatives, the district will offer improved multilingual learners support incentives for new and existing teachers. The district will:

• Increase ESL reimbursement to up to $8,000 for existing and new cohort members.
• Provide a $2,500 incentive for Special Education teachers pursuing ESL certification.
• Offer a $2,500 incentive for teachers pursuing dual language certification.

Educators must stay with PPSD for two years from last reimbursement or will be required to repay to the District.

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