Since the beginning of the STEM teacher salary reimbursement program, we’ve been assisting schools, reviewing applications, hosting webinars, providing checklists, and liaising with NYSED. Through all this involvement with the STEM program, at all stages over seven years, we’ve discovered some myths, confusion, and opportunities associated with this program.
We want to share methods and ideas with you to help you better understand teacher eligibility about the program. Understanding these nuances will help ensure you’re applying for every possible teacher. In future articles, we’ll share clarifications and ideas about other topics, including reimbursable classes, schedules, and more.
Graduate Degrees:
- A Masters in Education with anyspecialty or area counts. From Educational Leadership to Jewish Education to Special Education, they are all eligible.
- A Masters in Library Science or Masters in Teaching counts.
- A PharmD, MD, or DMD makes a teacher eligible.
- A Masters in Literacy, Nutrition, or Nursing does NOT make a teacher eligible.
Other Eligible Certifications:
- If your teacher holds a certification from another state, it may be simple for your teacher to obtain an NYS teaching certification, thus making them eligible for reimbursement. Please click here for more information.
- Does your teacher hold an NYS Speech Language Pathologist license? If so, you can view simple certification requirements here.
- Is your teacher National Board Certified? Such a certification allows for a teacher to obtain an NYS teaching certification. Please see here for a list of National Board Teaching Certificates and their comparable NYS teaching certifications.
Which teachers are eligible?
- Anyone teaching a STEM class – if they hold the appropriate credentials – assuming they are not disqualified by teaching a religious class. To be clear, if they meet the qualifications, a principal, head of school, librarians or even a security guard could be eligible for reimbursement for the time they taught a STEM class.
- Co-teachers are eligible. However, please note: support teachers, teacher aides, teacher assistants, tutors (a 1:1 student/teacher course is considered tutoring), and short-term substitute teachers are NOT eligible teachers.
- A substitute teacher may be eligible if taking over for a teacher who goes on leave (such as parental leave) for an extended period of time.
If any of your current teachers meet these qualifications, pleasure either apply for them or guide them to earn an NYS teaching certification. For each full-time teacher you help make eligible, it could mean another $40,000 in revenue per year for your school.