Hire in Advance

Hire in Advance – part of the Troops to Teachers program – guarantees eligible military members a teaching position up to three years before they separate/retire from service, providing a seamless transition from the military to the classroom and helping fill a growing teacher shortage.

Working directly with the participating school district, Hire in Advance participants will be interviewed and have their background and initial credentials reviewed. If qualified, they will be guaranteed a position within the district. A specific school is not guaranteed, but the agreement secures a job in the district at the credential-qualified grade level. A salary projection also is provided.

Individuals will receive a signed “Letter of Intent for Employment” a year to two years in advance outlining specific contingent requirements, such as testing and education requirements.

Army Col. Thomas Duffy and Navy Chief Petty Officer David Olsen became APS’s inaugural Hire in Advance participants, signing contracts during a ceremony at Aurora Frontier K-8 School.

“This is something that I am even more motivated to do than the Army,” Duffy, who is based at Northern Command in Colorado Springs, told the Denver Post. “I want to teach the students new concepts and share the experiences that I have had.”

Olsen served during the first Gulf War and is based out of Colorado’s Buckley Air Force Base.

“Some of the greatest influences in my life have been teachers,” Olsen told the newspaper. “It’s about making a difference.”

The APS joins Clark County (Las Vegas), Portsmouth, Va., and Prince Georges County (Baltimore/D.C.) school districts in offering the program..

Aurora schools Superintendent John Barry, a retired two- star Air Force general, told the Denver Post he hopes to fill about 50 teaching positions in math, science and special education with retired military personnel.

The Clark County School District (CCSD) became the first school district to launch a Hire in Advance Program, with an agreement for Troops to Teachers.

At least two more Hire in Advance programs are planned, with negotiations in the advanced stages with San Diego and Los Angeles school districts.

Troops to Teachers (www.ProudtoServeAgain.com) is administered by the Department of Defense and Department of Education and managed by the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES). The program helps eligible military personnel begin second careers as public school teachers by providing referral assistance, placement services, and – for those electing to teach at high-need schools – financial stipends and bonuses.Hire in Advance – part of the Troops to Teachers program – guarantees eligible military members a teaching position up to three years before they separate/retire from service, providing a seamless transition from the military to the classroom and helping fill a growing teacher shortage.