HCPS Opportunity Schools

Only licensed instructional personnel employed in positions that require an instructional license at designated schools are eligible for the stipend. Eligibility is tied directly to the purpose of the program, which is to recruit and retain licensed instructors in schools that are not currently staffed as such. If a qualifying staff member leaves the school, the stipend will not transfer with them. Any new staff that fills qualifying positions at any point in the three year time period will receive the supplement. 

Eligible positions include:

• Principal
• Associate principal
• Assistant principal
• Administrative intern
• Classroom teacher
• Coordinators of assessment and remediation (CARs)
• School test coordinator
• School counselor
• Innovative learning coach (ILCs)
• Librarian
• Instructional coaches
• Teaching fellows

It should be noted that some staff members in these roles serve multiple schools. An individual in one of these roles qualifies for the entire stipend if their time assigned to an Opportunity School exceeds 50% of their total workload.

If an individual is working in one of the eligible positions listed above at multiple schools, and is assigned to a designated Opportunity School for more than 50% of their time, they are eligible for the full stipend. 

Individuals working in one of the eligible positions listed above in a permanent part-time capacity at a designated school will receive the stipend if they are at a designated school for 50% or more of their time. 

This is not a traditional extended responsibility stipend. Rather, it is a stipend for instructional personnel in schools that have faced challenges fully staffing the school with licensed instructional personnel.

The stipend is contingent on an employee continuing to work at an Opportunity School. If they move to a school without the designation, they will no longer be eligible to receive the compensation supplement. Qualifying new staff members who start at an Opportunity School will receive the stipend.

In order to support existing school leadership, designated middle and high Opportunity Schools will have flexibility to determine and hire one additional administrative leader. This may be an assistant or associate principal, a dean of students or another similar position tailored to the needs of the school’s students and staff.

A Henrico teacher fellow is a highly effective classroom teacher who spends a portion of the workday teaching students and a portion working closely with first year and provisionally licensed teachers. This new position, created as a part of the Career Ladder, will support new and provisionally licensed teachers with lesson design and delivery, student engagement, co-teaching, and the day-to-day management of professional responsibilities. The teacher fellow’s classroom will serve as a learning lab that models researched-based instructional strategies for new teachers to observe in practice. In addition, teacher fellows will also support PLCs and professional learning at their assigned schools.

Schools that have high proportions of provisionally licensed teachers or vacant instructional positions have significant need for additional school leadership support in a variety of forms. In this initial deployment of the Opportunity School program, it will include a school-based teacher fellow and administrative support for instructional leadership. It also includes additional substitute capacity to protect teacher planning time, and to enable teachers to take time away from their classrooms for the critical professional learning they need to become fully licensed or receive supplemental professional development.

HCPS will continue to closely monitor the vacancy rates and number of provisionally licensed teachers in our schools via the October and February snapshots, with the potential to designate additional schools in the future. Once a school is designated, they keep the designation and associated support for three consecutive school years.

Compensation will be paid to eligible employees semi-monthly during the school year. Eligible employees working at an Opportunity School will receive compensation related to Extracurricular Sponsorship Stipend 38, Step 3, which will be $3,606 for School Year 2026-2027. 

The instructional nature of ACE centers is such that they traditionally employ experts in their fields. This includes instructors who are more often career switchers and do not follow a traditional pathway to licensure. Because of this, ACE centers were not included in the consideration of a school for Opportunity Designation.

No. Eligibility for the stipend is contingent on employment in a qualifying position at a designated school. The stipend provided to individuals through this designation follows different criteria from the salary advancements that correspond with other Career Ladder pathways. 

If eligible, staff in Opportunity Schools may still participate in other Career Ladder pathways and opportunities.

The annual amount will be subject to yearly changes in Henrico County’s unified pay plan, such as wage increases. HCPS anticipates that the dollar amount will increase each year, assuming pay plan increases and a positive performance review of the respective employee.