Navasota ISD teachers complete bachelors degrees debt-free through new program
NAVASOTA, Texas (KBTX) – Ten Navasota ISD classroom instructors are working to get their bachelors degrees for free, thanks to a new program being offered by the district.
It’s called the PACE program, which stands for pathway advancing to certified educators.
“I just love to see the smiles on the kids’ faces,” Dorothy Sargent, a pre-k instructor at John C. Webb Elementary School, said.
The program is part of a larger partnership between the district, Indiana Wesleyan University, and Teachworthy. Director of personnel and administrative services Derek Bowman said they’re the only participating district in the Brazos Valley.
“They’ve invested so much into Navasota ISD, and we just want to invest back in them,” he added.
Completing their degrees and Texas teaching certifications for free comes with an agreement to stay in Navasota for three years. But one teacher couldn’t imagine herself anywhere else.
“I was raised here in Navasota. I came to this very school. My teacher, my kindergarten teacher’s still here teaching as well,” Giovana Zavala, a kindergarten instructor at John C. Webb Elementary School, said.
The opportunity to earn a debt-free degree comes with a significant pay raise, which has given the aspiring teachers the chance to dream big.
“It’s a huge weight off my shoulders, financially,” Zavala said, “It’s something that, it has pushed me to think even further for my life.”
It’s an opportunity they’re proud to seize.
“It makes you feel really good. It makes you feel really appreciated,” Jessica Krouse, a special education instructor at John C. Webb Elementary School, said.
Krouse said that she hopes to pursue her passion of becoming a fifth-grade science teacher.
This is the first cohort of aspiring teachers taking part in the program. They’re starting their first classes in the spring.
