Fall River Public Schools Partners with BSU to Offer Discounted Master’s Programs for Staff

FALL RIVER — Superintendent Dr. Tracy Curley is pleased to announce a new partnership between Fall River Public Schools (FRPS) and Bridgewater State University (BSU) that will provide district educators with the opportunity to earn a master’s degree in either Special Education or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at a reduced tuition rate through an online program.

Participants who complete all the requirements of the special education program (moderate disabilities, grades PreK-8 or grades 5-12) or the TESOL program will earn a Master of Education and a Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Initial License.

“This is an additional benefit that we’re now offering our teachers through this new partnership with Bridgewater State University,” said Brian Raposo, assistant superintendent and chief academic officer for the Fall River school district, who helped establish the program together with Bridgewater State. “This partnership was forged with BSU in response to our need to recruit and retain qualified special education and English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers. This is an opportunity for teachers to advance in their careers through graduate level studies at a discounted rate, while also growing the capacity of our district to meet the important needs of our diverse student population.”

Participants in both programs will be eligible for the Fall River Public Schools tuition reimbursement program, which provides educators with up to $2,000 per year for approved coursework.

As a benefit of earning a Master of Education, Fall River Public Schools teachers would advance in the district’s salary scale.

In addition to these two pathways toward a master’s degree in special education or TESOL, the new partnership offers one more credential for Fall River teachers to pursue: a certificate in autism spectrum disorders, which would be added to a teacher’s pre-existing license. 

Superintendent Curley and Assistant Superintendent Raposo thanked Bridgewater State University for working with the school district to forge this partnership and provide this vital opportunity for Fall River teachers to gain important credentials that will advance their careers and help meet the needs of so many students.

“Meeting the needs of our students with disabilities and multilingual learners is a priority for the Fall River Public Schools as we strive to offer a high-quality education for all students,” said Assistant Superintendent Raposo. “This has been a great opportunity for the school district to collaborate with Bridgewater State University to establish this partnership in order to help meet this goal. Thank you to our partners at BSU for working with us to make this possible.”

“I’d like to thank our partners at Bridgewater State University for working with us to help make this exciting opportunity available to our staff,” said Superintendent Curley. “This is a chance for our teachers to advance in their careers while addressing a crucial need in the district, helping us continue to meet our goal of delivering a quality education to all of our students, including our English learners and students with disabilities.”

For more information on the partnership, go online to www.bridgew.edu/graduate/frps.