Salem Public Schools Begins DESE Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program (RTAP)

ESE-funded pathway helps aspiring educators become licensed special education teachers

SALEM (Oct. 9, 2025) – Consistent with its core value of empowering educators, Salem Public Schools recently received a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to take part in the Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Pilot (RTAP) program, in which aspiring educators are offered a pathway into a teaching career.

The RTAP combines on-the-job training with academic coursework, allowing participants to earn while they learn. Aspiring teachers (apprentices) gain practical classroom experience under the supervision of experienced educators (teacher mentors) while simultaneously completing the requirements for Initial licensure.

After a rigorous application and review process, three veteran teachers were selected to mentor three apprentices full-time, in 2,000 hours of structured on-the-job training over the next two years while apprentices complete a licensure program at Salem State University. At the end of the program, apprentices will emerge fully licensed and ready to teach in special education, specifically in moderate disabilities preK-grade 8. 

RTAP participants include: 

• Rebecca McGhee (mentor teacher) partnered with Aldea Potorski, Salem High School Class of 2004, (apprentice) at the Salem Early Childhood Center (ECC).
• Lacey Allen (mentor teacher) partnered with Lorena Diaz, Class of 2020, (apprentice) at Bates Elementary School.
• Maria Beaulieu (mentor teacher) partnered with Lindsey Welch (apprentice) at Collins Middle School.

As a senior at SHS, Ms. Potorski received her certificate in Early Education & Care. Years later, while raising three children, she attended North Shore Community College from which she received her degree in early childhood education. Upon graduation, she began as a substitute teacher at the ECC and later became a full time intensive instructional paraprofessional. 

Last year, she joined Ms. McGhee’s classroom. 

“I’ve learned so much from Becky and she has inspired me to continue my education,” Ms. Potorski said. “When I found out about the program and Becky’s role in it I knew this was an opportunity that I had to take. It is incredibly convenient to be able to put in hours towards becoming a teacher while working in my regular classroom. I have been able to join Becky in common planning time, meetings, observations and begin to take a teacher role at times in the classroom. I am looking forward to being a student myself at Salem State and learning more to become a better educator to our students.”

An intensive instructional paraprofessional at Bates Elementary School, Ms. Diaz began her career at Salem Public Schools in 2022 after serving as a counselor and group leader at the YMCA of the North Shore. She achieved her associate’s degree in liberal arts and general studies from NSCC in 2023.

A stellar student at SHS, Ms. Diaz graduated among the top 14 percent of her class with a 3.9 grade point average and was a recipient of the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship as a senior.

“I am excited and grateful for this new opportunity,” Ms. Diaz said. “With this program I am able to advance in my career and it will help me reach my personal goals as well. The start has been slowly progressing but I am ready for the next steps.”

For Ms. Welch, the RTAP opportunity is particularly meaningful. 

“I have two autistic children who are on the opposite sides of the spectrum,” she said. “I am learning how they learn, communicate and thrive, and I am using what I am learning to support my kids at home as well as increasing my skills and confidence at school.”

Ms. Welch came to SPS in 2024 as an intensive instructional paraprofessional at Collins Middle School following three years in a similar role at Peabody Public Schools. She is a 2003 graduate of Marian Court College.

Mentor teachers will also receive mentorship from Gina Anderson, Special Education Supervisor/Team Chair at the ECC. 

Along with Ms. Anderson, members of the RTAP Planning Committee include: Jennifer Doucette-Ly (Executive Director of Special Education at SPS), Ann Berman (Salem Teachers Union President and music educator at Bates Elementary School), Dr. Jill Conrad (Executive Director of Human Resources), Dr. Nicole Harris (Associate Dean, Salem State McKeown School of Education), and Stephanie Santarpio (Consultant, Salem State). 

About Salem Public Schools

Salem Public Schools is an urban public school district in Salem, Massachusetts, a small, diverse city with a proud maritime and immigrant history. Our leaders and our teachers are passionate about education and understand the urgency of improving student achievement with equity and social-emotional needs as the lens through which we view our work. We respect and value the racial, cultural, and linguistic diversity of our students and their families, and have a strong commitment to the Salem community. Salem Public Schools staff unconditionally serves each of our 4,000 students across 11 schools regardless of ability or language.