Olathe Public Schools see value in preparing students for their future and will begin securing highly qualified teacher candidates from our very own Future Educators Academy. This program began in the spring of 2021. Students involved in the Future Educators Academy spend four years of high school learning from the best educators in our school district. This preparatory program prepares students to enter the field of education directly upon graduation as a paraprofessional or as a certified educator upon completing a college teacher preparation program. It is the academy’s job to train students to become passionate educators and groom them to become candidates for this new initiative while they are in high school. Future Educators students are invited to apply to Olathe Public Schools via the newly created Hire Our Own position(s).

Students who apply will be contacted by Human Resources to schedule a screening interview to assess their knowledge base, skill set, and educational pedagogy. Human Resources will then make hiring recommendations based on the candidates' job applications, references, and interview skills. The Future Educators Academy students who are recommended will be presented with a letter of intent to sign guaranteeing them a position in the district upon degree completion and after meeting specific contract stipulations.

This Hire Your Own initiative helps with teacher shortages in our workforce by focusing on workforce development at an early age, creating a culture of collaboration, promoting the positives of educational careers, and diversifying our workforce. This initiative is another way we are thinking of the future and sending the message to our Future Educators that they matter, their work is noticed, and we believe in them. We are not only helping to secure the future of FEA students, but we are also helping the future of our elementary, middle, and high school students by giving them passionate educators in their classrooms.

Read coverage about Olathe Future Educators in the Kansas City Star.

All Future Educators Academy students graduating in their class who are pursuing a degree in the field of education are eligible to apply.

Future Educators Academy students will be informed of the process, and be invited to apply for the Hire Our Own vacancy. Human Resources will then screen applicants and select candidates to interview with building principals. Upon completion of interviews, building principals will recommend candidates to Human Resources for participation in the Hire Our Own Program. Offers will be made to selected candidates and they will sign a contract with the district that promises them a position in the district provided they meet the requirements of the contract.

FEA seniors begin preparing for this opportunity as sophomores in the Academy. Sophomore year students draft their resumes and host an "HR and Building Principal" interview panel getting tips from principals about the dos and don'ts of interviewing. Junior year professionalism and a letter of introduction are written in class and used for students to introduce themselves to their senior capstone host teacher. In addition, FEA students attend Skills for your Success and gain more professional tips and participate in a mock interview. Senior year students complete mock interviews with FEA staff for feedback. Seniors then interview with an Olathe East building principal to gain more experience before heading into their Hire Our Own interview.