Educator Recruitment and Retention Program

The Educator Recruitment and Retention (ERR) program was created by SB21-185 to provide qualified program applicants with up to $10,000 in one-time financial assistance toward their educator preparation program costs. Recipients must commit to teaching in a shortage area for three years in a Colorado public school. Applicants can meet eligibility criteria for the program by first being enrolled in a Colorado-approved traditional or alternative educator preparation program (EPP) (or institute of higher education for applicants pursuing a CTE credential)  and meeting one of the criteria below:

1. Has an earned bachelor’s or higher degree from a regionally accredited college or university and has secured employment as an alternative teacher or temporary educator eligibility (TEE) educator in a shortage area; or
2. Is currently employed as a paraprofessional in a school district, charter school or BOCES 
3. Has secured a position as a CTE instructor in a rural or small rural district and meets state CTE requirements

Please note that all employment referenced in the above list must be in a Colorado public school. Information on awards made, including geographic location and preparation program participation, and retention of awardees will be shared in reports and other informational venues at the aggregate level. No individual or personally identifiable information will be shared.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

FAQs: Eligibility

• Does the applicant have to be employed full-time in their school to be eligible? 
  • No. Part-time employees are also eligible for these funds. 
• What are the eligible shortage areas?
  • Visit this webpage to view the list of eligible shortage areas.
• How do I know if the school where I am teaching is an eligible public school?
  • To be considered an eligible public school, the school must be listed as a public school on the Colorado school list, which can be found here.
• Are non-public (private) school educators eligible?
  • No. The 3-year commitment must be served in a Colorado public school. 
• Where can I find a list of rural districts?
  • The list of rural districts is updated annually on this webpage.
• I am a paraprofessional currently completing courses at a community college and plan to transfer to a 4-year institution to complete my bachelor's degree. Am I eligible?
  • The program cannot cover tuition costs at the community college because they are not an approved educator preparation program. Once tuition charges are being incurred at a 4-year institution, an applicant in this situation is eligible to apply.
• How is a paraprofessional defined in the context of this program? 
  • A paraprofessional is an individual who may not yet hold a Colorado teaching credential. A paraprofessional provides classroom support and assists the teacher of record in a school setting. Paraprofessionals may be actively working toward earning their Colorado teaching credential through a community college, alternative licensure program, and/or a 4-year college. Note that because community colleges are not approved EPPs, a paraprofessional must have transferred to an approved EPP in order to be eligible for the funds. 
• I am going through an approved teacher apprenticeship program. Am I eligible? 
  • Teacher apprentices are eligible if they are in a job role which fits the statutory definition of a paraprofessional (see above definition). While their job title does not have to be paraprofessional, an apprentice is not eligible if they are serving as the teacher of record. 
• My tuition has already been covered by another grant or scholarship. Am I eligible?
  • No. The program can only cover tuition costs that are not already paid by grants or scholarships.
• My tuition has not been covered by grants or scholarships but I did take out loans or my employing district paid my program fees. Am I eligible?
  • Yes. If an applicant paid their tuition via loans, their program will issue a refund to the applicant after they receive payment from CDE. If the employing school district paid the student’s program fees, the district will receive the refund from their program.
• How do I know if I meet CTE requirements?
  • Applicants can meet CTE requirements in one of two ways:
    • as outlined in 23-60-304(3)(a) and section 4.04 of 1 CCR 301-37; or
    • having the equivalent of eighteen (18) semester hours of postsecondary enrollment and six (6) years of military experience that are applicable to a CTE credential, 

FAQs: Application Process

• How do I access the application?
  • The application is accessed via a COOL account. For instructions on accessing and completing the application, download the application guidance document here.
• Does the applicant or the educator preparation program (EPP) submit the application?
  • The applicant submits the application. 
• How will I be notified when the status of my application changes?
  • Applications are reviewed in the order they are received. The COOL system will notify applicants when the status of their application changes. 
• When will I receive a decision on my application?
  • Applicants can expect to hear from CDE within 30 days of receipt of your application. Applicants may be asked to submit missing information or documentation, so applicants are strongly encouraged to monitor their email closely and respond to CDE as soon as possible to ensure timely application processing. 

FAQs: Funding

• Which semesters can be covered by the program?
  • Applicants can apply for funds to cover any semester during the application window, as well as any future semesters that will be required to complete the program.CDE will issue payment to the educator preparation program as costs are incurred and invoiced by the educator preparation program. Semesters prior to the application window in which the applicant is applying cannot be covered.
• What can funds be used to cover?
  • Funds can only be used to cover the program expenses associated with completing the Colorado-approved educator preparation program or institute of higher education courses needed for a professional CTE credential. Funds will be paid directly to the educator preparation program.
• Are the funds paid directly to program participants?
  • No. Funds are paid directly to the educator preparation program (EPP) or institute of higher education (IHE).

FAQs: Commitment and Repayment

• What happens if the program participant does not complete the three years of teaching in a shortage area?
  • The program participant must return the funds received to CDE.
• What happens if an educator is approved for an ERR award but resigns from their position or withdraws from their program before payment is sent by CDE to the EPP?
  • If an awardee becomes ineligible before CDE has sent payment to the EPP, the award will be rescinded. CDE cannot issue payments for costs that would not satisfy the purpose of the ERR program. In these cases, the candidate may owe funds directly to the EPP.
• Can the three-year commitment be satisfied by teaching in more than one district?
  • Yes. As long as the total years spent teaching in any shortage area is three years, the requirement is met. This could mean teaching the same subject in different districts or teaching in different rural districts over the three years. Residency years also count toward this requirement.
• When does the 3-year commitment start?
  • The 3-year commitment starts the year in which you are awarded the financial assistance. The table below illustrates examples of this timeline for various cohorts of awardees. If you have specific questions about the timing of your commitment, please email the Educator Recruitment and Retention program at [email protected]. 

    • This table lists the start and end dates for various awardees' 3-year commitments.

      ​Year Funds Received	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3
      2022-23	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25
      2023-24	2023-24	2024-25	2025-26
      2024-25	2024-25	2025-26	2026-27
      2025-26	2025-26	2026-27	2027-28

If you have questions about this program, e-mail the Educator Recruitment and Retention program.