Rural Inservice Educator Stipend (RIES)
The Colorado Center for Rural Education and the Colorado Department of Higher Education encourage talented inservice PK-12 educators working in a rural Colorado school district to pursue the necessary qualifications to: (a) teach concurrent enrollment courses, (b) add an additional endorsement; or (c) fulfill a local faculty need. The Rural Inservice Educator Stipend provides recipients with up to $6,000 to offset costs associated with a qualifying program provided by one of Colorado’s institutions of higher education.
Ready to Apply?
The application timeline for this stipend is May 1 through August 31.
Application Requirements
Eligible Applicants Must Meet the Following Criteria:
- Be employed in one of Colorado's rural or small rural school districts.
- Provide evidence of full admission to a program at one of Colorado’s institutions of higher education with a plan of study that includes the necessary coursework to: fulfill the qualifications of college faculty required to teach concurrent enrollment courses (e.g., copy of official admission letter from the Graduate School); or add an additional endorsement to an existing teaching license (e.g., Special Education Generalist (K-12); Middle School Math (6-8); or World Languages (K-12) etc.); or earn a masters degree that meets an instructional need of the rural school, school district, or Board of Cooperative Educational Services in which the applicant is employed.
- Be committed to teach in a Colorado rural school district for three (3) years after receiving the award.
- Be willing to sign a promissory note with the Colorado Department of Higher Education.
- Maintain communications with the Colorado Center of Rural Education staff to share experiences, complete surveys, and verify employment status.
Selection and Award Process
If the number of applications exceeds the amount of available funding provided by Colorado’s General Assembly, stipend recipients will be selected using a random lottery draw and by CDE region. The total amount is allocated by CDE region.
For the complete Colorado Department of Education list of rural and small rural school districts: https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeedserv/cderuraldesignationlist
