City Teaching Alliance

Cost of Living:
Medium

Residency Stipend:
$30,000

Cohort 2024 Stipend:
$4,000

Fellow Minimum Salary:
$53,900

Rent – Single:
1) 1 Bedroom: $900- $1,600
2) 2 Bedroom: $1,100- $2,400

Rent – Shared:
1) 2 Bedroom Shared: $550- $1,200
2) 3 Bedroom Shared: $500- $1,100
3) 4 Bedroom Shared: $400- $1,050

Housing partnerships available?
City Teaching Alliance Baltimore partners with a variety of organizations that provide housing for educators at a reduced cost, including Teacher Props (will defer 1st month of rent & can pay back in installments over the next 2 months, if you apply early) and Seawall

1) In Maryland as a whole, there are a plethora of tax credits and student loan relief programs that apply specifically to educators.

Maryland Quality Teacher State Tax Credit: Up to $1,500 state credit for educators taking graduate-level courses)

Maryland Student Loan Debt Relief Tax Credit: Up to $5,000 credit toward student loans

Janet Hoffman Student Loan Assistance Repayment Program: Up to $10,000 a year (depending on debt amount) for 3 years for public school teachers

Maryland 529 College Savings Plan:Up to $1000 per year if you are under 26 years old

2) In Baltimore specifically, teachers can earn more than $90,000 after just a few years in the classroom using BCPSS career pathways.

3) Baltimore City Public Schools offers a generous tuition reimbursement plan that educators can take advantage of during their first fellow year and beyond. 50% tuition reimbursement for Master’s Degree and above. Main requirement is that educators are employed with BCPSS for 2 years after receiving this reimbursement & have a B or above in the course.

4) Baltimore City Public Schools offers Sabbatical Leave for employees of 7+ years for study and travel! Employees receive 50% of their normal pay during this leave.

Programs of Study Offered:

• Early Childhood (PreK-Grade 3) & Special Education (Birth-Grade 3)
• Elementary (Grades 1-6) & Special Education (Grades 1-8) – Middle School ELA (Grades 4-9) & Special Education (Grade 6-Adult) – Secondary ELA (Grades 7-12) & Special Education (Grade 6-Adult)
• Middle School Math (Grades 4-9) & Special Education (Grade 6-Adult) – Secondary Math (Grades 7-12) & Special Education (Grade 6-Adult)
  

Minimum GPA Requirement:
2.50

Entrance Exam Requirements:
In place of the PRAXIS Core exam (code 5752), Maryland accepts a 3.0 cumulative GPA OR qualifying SAT, ACT, or GRE scores.

Ability to Bypass Testing Requirements? (through transcripts/ GPA exemption):
Yes

Additional Certifications Offered:
SPED

Depends on Program of Study and specific certifications

Car Required/ Public Transit:
There is Public Transit, but not comprehensive. Vehicle Recommended

Year Region Established:
2010

School Partners (Districts, Charters, etc):
Throughout Baltimore City (Baltimore City Public Schools is our only district partner). All of our participants teach in public schools. Baltimore is unique & offers a range of public school models and specializations, from early college programs to vocational-technical schools, language immersion, visual and performing arts, and STEM emphases.

Number of Participants/Alums In the Region:
454 participants and alums working in classrooms in 98 schools across Baltimore

% of current/most recent cohort who identify as a person of color:
70%

Current number of Residents:
Cohort 2023 (Residents): 24

Current number of Fellows/Senior Fellows/Alumni Year participants:
129

Cohort Size:
24-52

Sexual Orientation Legal Protections:
Yes – #12 most LGBTQIA friendly state, according to The Equality Index.

Gender Identity Legal Protections:
Yes – Governor Wes Moore recently signed an executive order to protect gender affirming health care in Maryland.

Resident Schedule Benefits/Things to Know:
Since City Teaching Alliance educators are not Baltimore City Public School employees during their residency year, there is a lot more flexibility with programming and stipend payout. – Baltimore residents are released from their schools twice a week at noon for American University coursework, so they are not in coursework in the evening. – Baltimore residents are released approximately 8 Fridays a year for PD/ wellness days. Half the day are PD sessions and the other half residents have off!

Things to do in the region:
Baltimore is a cultural and historical hub where you can visit free art and history museums, indoor and outdoor markets, unique events (like Artscape, Flower Mart, the Maryland Book Festival, and AFRAM: one of the largest African American life, music and culture fairs on the east coast), tons of parks, sports leagues and sporting events, music and theater shows, and enjoy a wide variety of food (most importantly seafood).

What makes your city great?
1) Baltimore has all the big city resources, but also holds nicknames like “Smalltimore” and “Charm City” because of its community feel and distinctly unique neighborhoods.

2) Baltimore is a quick trip away from many major cities like DC, New York, and Philadelphia (you can often get $5 Amtrak tickets from Baltimore to all these cities), but is a fraction of the cost to live here

3) The cost of living in Baltimore is lower than average — both in the US at large, and in the state of Maryland. In terms of major cities where you can live well for less, Baltimore ranks #3 in the nation.

Unique Features:
1) Maryland recently passed exciting legislation called The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, which will raise teacher salaries statewide & financially incentivize well-trained educators (which City Teaching Alliance Educators will be, by the end of programming!)

2) In Baltimore City Public Schools, the English learner population doubled over the past 6 1/2 years. Eleven percent of students receive ESOL services, and that number grows by 15% each year, making it the fastest-growing student population within the district.

Please note that ESOL is not a certification area for City Teaching Alliance Baltimore, although City Teaching Alliance educators could have large numbers of ESOL students in their general education classrooms. This is a certification that can easily be added on after City Teaching Alliance programming.

Community partnerships:
Teacher Props, Leadership for Educational Equity, Living Classrooms, Sherman Scholars Program, Arts for Learning Maryland, and many more!

Where in the city do we work?
Throughout Baltimore City (Baltimore City Public Schools is our only district partner). All of our participants teach in public schools. Baltimore is unique & offers a range of public school models and specializations, from early college programs to vocational-technical schools, language immersion, visual and performing arts, and STEM emphases.

Alum/school leadership presence in the city?
We have a rich network of alumni and partners throughout the city, many of whom have been recognized as Baltimore City Teacher of the Year (Kyair Butts, Cohort 2019) or as a finalist (Kathryn (Kat) Locke-Jones, Host Teacher). Others are recognized as model teachers (Jevons Liu, Katrina Bacovcin). 

We have Executive Directors of Schools (Tim Smith, Southwest Baltimore Charter School), Assistant Principals (Samra MeKonen, Henderson Hopkins). 

Others are forging new supports for students, like Michael Payne, Co-Founder & current Director of Teaching and Learning, Black Male Educators Alliance, and Michael John, who started an after-school boxing program, with tutoring called the Agoge Project. (Some residents volunteer here as well!)

“The best part about working with City Teaching Alliance is knowing that I came to Baltimore City Public Schools prepared and equipped to uplift and educate the children of Baltimore City. I have community as well, and that’s priceless.” —Devante W.

“For some, the longer they’re in education, the more cynical they get. They can’t help but see minor cracks and faults. For me, however, the longer I work with Baltimore City Public Schools, the more committed I am to be a healthy presence for my kids in the classroom. Too often we complain about what is not or what is wrong, yet we have the most resilient kids in the state and probably the country. We have some kids that have to grow up all too soon. Some are tasked with more responsibility than we as adults shoulder, and yet they come to school, grind, work, learn — and they do it without complaint. Whatever your call to service is, answer it. I am forever grateful that when Baltimore City Public Schools “called” and asked me to serve that I answered because there is no greater district with more resilient kids than ours. I am at my most powerful when I am serving. I am greeted each morning by the hopes, dreams and passions that will lead this city and state into the next decade, century and beyond. I am surrounded by the curiosity, intellect and drive that make me proud to represent Baltimore City Public Schools. You see, when some say we can’t, I say we can and we will — it’s what serving is all about.” —Kyair Butts (2019 Baltimore City Teacher of the Year):