NACCTEP

NACCTEP's Executive Board has the following openings for the term starting on July 1. 2026 through June 30, 2030:
President
Vice President
Treasurer
(1) Member-at-Large
Titled positions require one year of prior board experience.
Deadline to self-nominate is May 14, 2026 with candidates posted to our website for members to vote on.
Follow the QR code on the flyer or visit https://www.nacctep.org/nominations for more information and to nominate yourself.

Dr. Mary Olvera is the State Director of Teacher Education, Public Services, and Perkins Special Populations for the North Carolina Community College System. In this episode she shares the unique structure of community colleges in NC, that there are 58 that all use a singular curriculum and none are more than 30 miles from their students across 100 counties. They operate in service areas, and if the community college in a student's service area isn't one of the 29 with an EPP program, the student can attend the next nearest college that does.

Through various programs such as College Promise, students can begin their journeys to becoming teachers as early as high school and continue on through the community college before transferring to a university that may charge as little as $500 a semester on their way to a degree. Programs may include a one-year apprenticeship or a three-year residency for teacher candidates that hold different licensure levels.

Listen at nacctep.org/podcasts or through your preferred podcast provider.

In this episode, we hear from Dr. Jennifer Gresko of Rio Salado College and Heather Merrill of Glendale Community College discuss the joint Bachelor of Elementary Education and Special Education program they share with Paradise Valley Community College in the Maricopa County Community College District, MCCCD. When state legislation was passed in 2021 allowing community colleges to offer bachelor's degrees, Jennifer and Heather joined forces to create a dual-certification bachelor's degree. The BAEE/SpEd program was created by existing associates and post-baccalaureate programs, based on the knowledge that all teachers need special education training and requests from students and districts, to help reduce the teacher shortage in Arizona.

Their collaboration doesn't stop with the accredited program; it continues as the students, the teacher candidates, who may face unique needs, are able to take courses at any of the three colleges because of their shared curriculum and the flexibility of the in-person and online modalities. At a price under $13,000, and with the opportunity for state-backed scholarships specifically for future teachers, the degree is among the most affordable paths to becoming a teacher.

For more information, please visit https://www.maricopa.edu/degrees-certificates/bachelors-degrees/elementary-education-special-education-baee-sped

Listen at nacctep.org/podcasts or through your preferred podcast provider.

Rio Salado College Glendale Community College

Do you want to help influence the future of teacher preparation at community colleges? This is your chance! NACCTEP Executive Board nominations are open through May 14, 2026 for the 2026-30 term. Open positions are listed below and full details on submitting your nomination are available at nacctep.org/nominations or through the QR code.