Educator Advancement Council -

Senate Bill 283 (2023) authorized the state to provide $8 million dollars in one-time grants  to school districts, ESDs, and Regional Educator Networks for mentoring programs that pair experienced educators with beginning teachers and administrators.

It is the goal of SB 283 that one-time funds support the continuation of existing mentoring programs in serving beginning teachers and administrators, prioritizing those who hold an endorsement related to special education, who serve in school districts in rural areas, who are culturally and linguistically diverse, and who hold an emergency teaching license.

On behalf of the Educator Advancement Council, ODE will administer the one-time grant for the 2024-25 school year to offset the costs of the programs. Grant recipients will also participate in regional and statewide Communities of Practice to support the continuous improvement of mentoring programs and practices. 

All links and information about the grants are available on the Educator Advancement Council’s website. 

Next Steps:

• Review the Grant Guidance document that explains how grants will be administered and the expectations for spending and reporting that recipients will need to meet. 

• Attend an Informational Webinar at 3PM on Thursday, April 25, 2024. The webinar will be recorded for those who cannot attend. Please register for the webinar at this link.

• To apply for funds, complete the Grant Application form no later than 5pm on June 10, 2024.

We strongly encourage connecting with a Regional Educator Network (REN) before applying to the grant. RENs currently provide funding, staffing, and resources for mentoring services across the state and will be convening Regional High Quality Mentoring (HQM) Teams required by this grant. Use the links below to contact your region’s REN:

• Central Oregon REN (Crook, Deschutes, & Jefferson counties)

• Columbia REN (Gilliam, Hood River, Sherman, Wasco, & Wheeler counties)

• Douglas REN (Douglas County)

• Eastern Oregon REN (Grant, Harney, Lake, Malheur, & Wallowa counties)

• Multnomah-Clackamas REN (Multnomah & Clackamas counties)

• Northwest REN (Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook, & Washington counties)

• Oregon Trail REN (Baker, Morrow, Umatilla, & Union counties)

• South Coast to Valley REN (Coos, Curry, Marion, Polk, & Yamhill counties)

• Southern Oregon REN (Jackson, Josephine, & Klamath counties)

• Western REN (Benton, Lane, Lincoln, & Linn counties)

If you have any questions after reading these documents, please contact us at ode.retentiongrants@ode.oregon.gov.