Marsal staff help connect veterans with state grant funding to support their transition to teaching

Derek Jones (AM ’26, TeachCert ’26) served in the United States Army for over 20 years, primarily in the Infantry, retiring as a senior noncommissioned officer. Throughout his military career, he held various leadership and instructional positions, including serving as a Drill Sergeant and Senior Military Science Instructor in an Army ROTC program. These experiences allowed him to mentor, teach, and develop individuals from diverse backgrounds, which shaped his passion for education. When he retired, teaching felt like a natural continuation of his commitment to service.

“I wanted to bring the leadership, mentorship, and life experiences I gained in the military into the classroom while helping young people develop the knowledge, confidence, and critical-thinking skills necessary to become informed and engaged members of society,” says Jones. He enrolled in the Marsal School’s Secondary Master of Arts with Certification (SecMAC) program, an immersive June-to-June graduate program designed to help students earn a master's degree and secondary teaching certification.

Kevin Hankinson is the managing director of the Marsal School’s Secondary Teacher Education Program. His role includes coordinating field placements for candidates to do their student teaching. Hankinson takes pride in fostering partnerships in the community that provide student interns with learning environments that prepare them well for becoming teachers. So when he learned about the Future Proud Michigan Educator grant for military veterans, he couldn’t wait to tell his partners in school districts about it. The grant program, funded by the State of Michigan, provides a method for school districts to implement a paid mentorship and salary program for military veterans seeking educator certification. “The goal of the grant,” explains Hankinson, “is to help veterans transition to teaching—to extend their service in a new direction.”

When student interns are doing their student teaching, they are managing a lot: driving to their placement, leading a classroom, and applying all that they have learned in their coursework to students in real time. The hours are long, and like all new jobs, getting the hang of it can be demanding. There is some assistance available to student teachers by way of a stipend from the State of Michigan. And the Marsal School does have a fund for mileage reimbursement to help offset the cost of transportation to and from their student teaching sites. But Hankinson knew the additional funds the Future Proud Michigan Educator Grant would supply if the military veterans in his program received it would be meaningful.

Military veterans who choose to pursue the teaching profession are in the midst of a career transition. They might have families to support, and they are navigating the real impacts of a change in their salary. The grant provides income during student teaching and can help reduce the pay gap for veterans whose military earnings exceeded a starting teacher’s salary.

“This allows teachers to enter the profession with a salary closer to their last year of military service,” says Hankinson. “It makes the career transition easier.”

The grant helps participating veterans transition into teaching by providing two key financial benefits. Veterans can earn pay at a rate equivalent to the district’s starting teacher salary while completing their student teaching. Once they are employed as a teacher, the district pays the full starting teacher salary. If the veteran’s highest annual military salary was higher, the grant provides an additional 50% of the difference, with total compensation capped at the district’s highest teacher salary.

But there was a hitch: veterans who wish to become teachers in Michigan cannot themselves apply for a Future Proud Michigan Educator grant—school districts have to. Hankinson knew his partners in the districts he works with were swamped, so he decided to do everything he could to prepare the grant applications, making it as easy as possible for the districts to click submit. Hankinson enlisted the help of Stephanie Hensel, assistant director of research development for the Marsal School, who helps faculty members find funding opportunities for their research, and regularly assists with the preparation of grant proposals. The three military veterans who were enrolled in the SecMAC program in the 2025-26 academic year, provided the necessary financial information needed for the application. The two districts that applied for funding were able to submit the applications, and in summer of 2026, the three veterans, who were by now Marsal School graduates, learned that the grants had been awarded! When the districts received the grant funding, the veterans were retroactively paid for their student teaching.

“The Future Proud Michigan Educator grant provided meaningful financial support during a significant transition in my life,” says Jones. “After spending more than two decades in the military, returning to school and preparing for an entirely new profession required a considerable commitment of time, energy, and resources. The grant helped alleviate some of the financial pressures associated with student teaching, allowing me to focus more fully on developing my instructional practices and building meaningful relationships with students.

“Beyond the financial assistance, receiving the grant was also an acknowledgment that the skills and experiences veterans bring to education are valued,” says Jones. “It helped to reinforce my belief that my commitment to serving others did not end when I retired from the military. It simply took on a different form.”

The conditions of the grant also encourage school districts that have received funding to hire the military veterans who have done their student teaching in the district. This continuity makes for a more supported, seamless job transition for the newly certified teacher, and it supplies the district with an experienced, well-trained new staffer—one who has a proven track record of admirable service.

When the school year began this fall, all three veterans who went through the SecMAC program in the 2025-26 academic year had new jobs as certified teachers in classrooms—one in Ypsilanti Community Schools, another in Ann Arbor Public Schools, and the third in East Lansing Public Schools.

Jones is now an individual and societies teacher at Scarlett Middle School in Ann Arbor—the same school where he did his student teaching.

“I hope to create a classroom where students feel respected, supported, and challenged to think critically about the world around them. As a teacher, I want students to understand that history and the social sciences are not simply about memorizing facts, but about understanding people, perspectives, systems, and the decisions that shape our world,” says Jones. “I hope to make a lasting difference in the lives of my students. Just as I worked to make a difference in the lives of the soldiers I had the privilege of leading. For me, teaching is not simply a second career; it is a continuation of a lifetime commitment to service.”