Presidential Transition Letter

November 20, 2024

 

Trump-Vance Administration

Education Staff

White House Transition Team

Washington, D.C.

 

Dear Trump-Vance Education Staff:  

 

Please accept our congratulations on President-elect Trump and Vice-President Elect Vance’s victory in the presidential election. We look forward to working with you and the new administration to strengthen the nation’s schools to better serve students and families. 

 

The American Association of School Personnel Administrators (AASPA) serves as a voice for the local education workforce leaders who shape staffing and human capital strategies in school districts across the country. Our members lead the recruitment, development, and retention of education professionals who serve millions of American students. AASPA works to ensure that all schools have the talented staff needed to serve today's students, families, and communities. 

 

Considering the pressing staffing challenges confronting many of the nation's schools, AASPA offers these essential priorities for your consideration as you identify and implement your education and workforce policy priorities.  

 

Modernize Apprenticeship Programs to Address Education Workforce Shortages

 

The education sector faces unprecedented staffing challenges that require innovative solutions. We recommend:

 

  • Updating the National Apprenticeship Act to explicitly include education sector careers as apprentice-able occupations, including dedicated support and funding for school districts to implement locally developed apprenticeship programs to meet their talent needs 
  • Creating policies and providing funding that support the development of structured pathways for paraprofessionals to pursue teacher certification while maintaining their current positions
  • Establishing a public sector set-aside within federal apprenticeship funding to ensure education employers can access these vital resources
  • Issue non-regulatory guidance and technical assistance to school districts in support of the development of locally developed apprenticeship programs
  • Expanding the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to include specific investments in building the public  education workforce


    Transform Education Workforce Development and Training Systems

     

    To build sustainable talent pipelines for schools, we recommend:

     

    • Expanding Pell Grant eligibility to cover short-term training programs (8+ weeks) for paraprofessionals and other critical education support roles
    • Investing in comprehensive data systems that promote credential transparency and help candidates understand pathways into education careers
    • Supporting state adoption of credential transparency policies that align with federal workforce development goals
    • Modernizing the Higher Education Act to encourage and facilitate interstate teacher certification reciprocity
    • Creating financial incentives for states to streamline and modernize certification requirements while maintaining high standards

     

    Strengthen Professional Development and Support Systems

     

    Ensuring current school personnel have opportunities for growth and support is essential. We recommend:

    • Continuing ESEA Titles II and IV to provide comprehensive professional development resources
    • Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of school personnel, especially teachers working with high need special education students; identify the most effective strategies for improving educator mental health and wellbeing
    • Establishing targeted micro-credentialing and other programs to help current staff develop new competencies in high-need areas such as special education, learning recovery, and strategies for most effectively supporting high poverty students
    • Supporting mentor programs that pair experienced educators with new staff members
    • Supporting school districts to develop and implement school leadership residency and pipeline programs aligned with Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which emphasizes the importance of high-quality leadership in improving student outcomes

     

    Implement Strategic Tax Incentives to Boost Recruitment and Retention

     

    Tax policy can serve as a powerful tool for addressing education workforce challenges. We recommend:

    • Establishing a federal income tax credit of up to $5,000 for educators who commit to teaching in high-need subjects or underserved communities, such as rural and urban areas
    • Creating a progressive tax credit structure that increases with years of service, incentivizing long-term retention in hard-to-staff positions
    • Developing federal tax credits to offset educator preparation costs, including up to 50% of tuition expenses for those who commit to teaching for five or more years and for paraprofessional staff who seek additional education for licensure and certification
    • Providing matching funds to states that implement complementary tax credit programs for education personnel
    • Extending tax benefits to support staff and specialized instructional support personnel serving in high-need schools
    • Including provisions for rural and urban schools and economically disadvantaged districts to enhance their ability to attract and retain qualified staff


  • Enhance Data Privacy and Technical Infrastructure

     

    Modern education requires robust data systems and privacy protections. We recommend:

     

    • Modernizing the U.S. Department of Education Privacy Technical Assistance Center's capacity to support students and school district personnel
    • Providing dedicated funding for school districts to modernize their human resources and other information systems, including to enhance cybersecurity, and help districts conduct pre-employment criminal background checks and employment history searches
    • Supporting the development of secure, interoperable data systems that facilitate workforce planning
    • Creating resources to help school personnel understand and implement data privacy best practices
    • Establishing guidelines for protecting staff data while enabling necessary information sharing

     

    These priorities offer concrete solutions to fundamental challenges in America's education workforce. They leverage existing federal structures while introducing modern approaches to address current staffing realities. Implementing these recommendations would markedly improve schools' capacity to build and maintain the professional workforce needed for student success.

     

    AASPA offers its expertise and support as a resource to advance these critical priorities. We believe successful education workforce policies emerge from collaboration between federal policymakers, state agencies, and local school personnel administrators. Together, we can create systems that effectively serve both education professionals and their students.

     

    We look forward to providing additional details about these recommendations and exploring specific pathways to achieve these important goals.

     

    Sincerely,

     

     

    Kelly Coash-Johnson

    Executive Director