High school students could be paid to become teachers under a bill being considered in Frankfort.

The sponsor of Senate Bill 22 says it aims to ease the teacher workforce shortage by creating an intensive, quote, grow your own teacher program.

Our McKenzie Spink kicks off tonight's legislative update.

Kentucky's Ready to Work scholarship program includes teaching as one of the learning pathways for high school students, but it can only take students as far as an associate's degree.

Teachers are required to have a bachelor's degree.

Bill sponsor.

Senator Jimmie Higdon says his bill will take students all the way.

What this program is designed to do is get those students to participate in this when they graduate from high school, to have a associates degree and then go on to college.

And in two years, they would finish their get their teaching certificate and hopefully return to the school they came from, to go to work.

The proposed apprenticeship program would be registered with the Department of Labor and pay students as they attend classes and get real world experience with post-secondary institutions.

Lexington Democrat Senator Reggie Thomas raised concern with the intensity of the apprenticeship for high school students.

They've got to take 20 dual credit courses, which still not exceed eight courses per academic year.

That that that just seems like a lot to me for a child to take.

A similar program is already underway in Nelson County.

And a district representative shared that although the program is aggressive, students receive intense college and career advising as a part of the program.

Senator Higdon also mentions that there are other teaching pathways that are not as accelerated as the proposed program, but students who do choose the more rigorous apprenticeship path will graduate with no student debt.

They're paid the apprenticeship, they work, and they're paid through college.

And like I said, this associate degree is is paid for by both the scholarship money and the work ready scholarship.

The Senate Education Committee approved the teacher apprenticeship bill and it now awaits action from the full Senate.