For the second year, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) was able to award Grow Your Own (GYO) grants to 125 local education agencies (LEAs). Review the list of LEA grant recipients here. DESE’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget includes $2.5 million to support one-time grants of $10,000 to LEAs to create or strengthen their local Grow Your Own program, designed to increase recruitment of quality teachers in LEAs across the state.

“Investing in Missouri students and their achievement means investing in our educator workforce — both the teachers serving classrooms today and those that will join the profession in the coming years,” said Commissioner of Education Karla Eslinger. “Grow Your Own programs are an important part of continuing to address the statewide teacher shortage, so we are thrilled to be able to provide a second round of funding to support this work at the local level.”

Grow Your Own programs work to attract local students as well as non-certified school staff, such as paraprofessionals and substitute teachers, to the teaching profession. Many programs also support those future teachers through their post-secondary education and path to certification. Funding is used to support a variety of activities, including dual credit courses, scholarships for high school students, student internships, and opportunities for other non-teaching adults to pursue programs that will allow them to become certified teachers.

“Our Grow Your Own program demonstrates sustainability through our Spark! Teaching and Learning Program that began in 2016,” Dr. Keith Marty, Superintendent at the Parkway C-2 School District, wrote in the LEA’s application. “We served 58 students from 2016-2021. By the close of the 2024-25 school year, Spark! Teaching and Learning will have served 120 students since 2021. This grant will help continue to strengthen our GYO Program!”

“Students in our GYO program benefit from real-world education settings both within and outside of our school boundaries,” wrote Northwest R-I School District Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Hecktor. “This exposure helps them understand the diversity within their learning environment and prepares them for future roles in education. We are committed to promoting the field of education to our students and the broader stakeholder community.”

LEAs applied to DESE through a competitive grant application process. Grant funds must be obligated and reimbursement requested by May 31, 2025.

Funding was also provided to award Grow Your Own grants to 15 educator preparation programs and five community colleges. Review the list of educator preparation program and community college grant recipients here.