On April 30^th Baldwin County Public Schools and the Baldwin County Education Coalition hosted the Annual Baldwin Proud Future Teacher Scholarship ceremony. Over 60 scholarships were awarded to students pursuing a degree in education and current employees seeking to advance in their career. Family members, co-workers, Baldwin County Board of Education staff members, and friends joined in the awards celebration.

The Future Teacher Scholarship Program was originally developed by the Baldwin County Public Schools HR Department to grow future teachers and help address the teacher shortage. The Baldwin County Education Coalition serves as the fiscal manager for the scholarship and works in partnership with Baldwin County Public Schools to raise funds for the program.

The Baldwin Proud Future Teacher Scholarship awarded $28,000 in scholarships to students pursuing a degree in education. These recipients included 2024 graduates from Baldwin County Public Schools as well as former recipients who applied to renew their scholarship for continued support on their journey to becoming educators.

The Josh Hall Memorial Scholarship recipients were also recognized during the event. This scholarship was created to honor former Baldwin County Public School employee Josh Hall and is awarded to employees who are enrolled in a teacher certification program or to a child of a current employee who is pursuing their degree in education. This year the Josh Hall Memorial Scholarship awarded $31,000 in scholarships.

The Alabama Education Association has also been a strong supporter for students interested in pursuing a career in education and representatives were on hand to award two $1,000 scholarships.

The final $1,000 scholarship presented at the banquet was the Superintendent’s Award. This scholarship was new this year but will become a recurring award recognizing one outstanding future educator from Baldwin County Public Schools.

The Baldwin Proud Future Teacher Scholarship program awarded $62,000 in scholarships this year helping to ensure that the educators of tomorrow have the support they need today. If you are interested in donating to the Baldwin Proud Future Teacher Scholarship fund, please contact Terry Burkle at [email protected].