Greener Grass
The Bay Education Foundation Employee Tuition Assistance program is available to all district employees who are pursuing degrees or certifications.
One of the most important roles of the Bay Education Foundation is supporting the efforts of Bay District Schools in recruiting, retaining and recognizing highly effective educators. The Greener Grass project is designed to assist Bay District Schools with those efforts through assisting eligible employees with tuition assistance. These small scholarships can be used by staff and teachers toward higher ed coursework, certifications, tests, conferences, and to pay for other training that benefits Bay District Schools.
ELIGIBILITY
Any employee is invited to apply for our tuition assistance program to pay for additional training that benefits the district–whether that training involves adding certifications, endorsements, or degrees to the applicant’s resume.
SCORING
Applications are received and reviewed in the fall for spring semester enrollment each year. The standing Scholarship Committee of the Bay Education Foundation uses the following criteria to score each application. Scoring categories include the number of years of service in BDS/BCS, current employment status, essay responses, and the Letter of Recommendation. Five bonus points are awarded to those applications who are members of the Bay Education Foundation.
Timeline
Employee Tuition Assistance–2024 Grant Cycle Dates
- October 1 – October 31 Grant Portal Open
- November 15 – Funding Announced
(Funds can be used for Spring 2025 Semester or retroactively applied to Fall 2024 Semester) - May 15 – Transcripts Due
Qualifications
- Be a full-time employee of Bay District Schools (including charter schools). Employees who work at least 28.75 hours per week may apply.
- Complete the application and write the required essays, making sure to answer each question.
- Submit a letter of recommendation before the deadline.
- Pursue a degree program that is beneficial to Bay District Schools.
*If you are applying for a scholarship to Beacon’s Alternative Certification program, you must be actively enrolled in at least one Beach Professional Development Certification Program class to qualify for this scholarship. At this time, Beacon Learning Center scholarships are limited to the professional development certification program.
For the 2024-2025 school year, the following certifications will qualify for Critical Shortage:
- English 6-12
- ESE K-12
- Mathematics 6-12
- M/G General Science 5-9
- PreK/Primary Education (age 3 through grades 3)
- Social Science 6-12
The following endorsements will qualify:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- American Sign Language
While not required to apply, additional points are awarded to applicants matching the following criteria: