Gov. Shapiro Highlights Student Teachers in Budget Address, Putting Spotlight on the Teacher Shortage Crisis

Shapiro Proposed $35 Million for Student Teacher Stipend

PA Needs Teachers Will Push to Fully Fund the Student Teacher Stipend at $40 Million

Harrisburg, PA — Today, Gov. Josh Shapiro gave his 2026-27 budget address, where he highlighted student teachers who have received the student teacher stipend and proposed $35 million in funding for the program—a $5 million increase from FY25/26. PA Needs Teachers is encouraged by Gov. Shapiro’s focus on the student teacher shortage and the investment in the student teacher stipend. Research from PA Needs Teachers found that shortages are widespread across the commonwealth.

“Governor Shapiro highlighted a local student teacher, Hallie Sill, in his budget address and shared how the student teacher stipend helped her overcome financial barriers and persist in the profession,” said Emily Sagor, Policy Manager with Teach Plus Pennsylvania and a leader with PA Needs Teachers. “There are over 4,000 Hallies a year across Pennsylvania who are excited to give back to the next generation but need help making ends meet during their semester of unpaid student teaching. We’re encouraged that Governor Shapiro proposed $35 million for this popular, bipartisan program. We also recognize that additional funding is needed to fully fund the program and ensure that every future teacher like Hallie can benefit from this life-changing opportunity.”

“With steady increases to the stipend program over the past four years, Governor Shapiro has shown steadfast commitment to addressing Pennsylvania’s ongoing teacher shortage,” said Lenny Sweeney, Pennsylvania State Director of the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) and a leader with PA Needs Teachers. “Pennsylvania has a shortage of teachers entering the profession while also facing higher attrition rates among experienced teachers. Over the next few months, we’re going to work with the Shapiro Administration and legislators to continue to push toward full funding of the Student Teacher Stipend Program with an investment of at least $40 million in this year’s budget. It is a practical, cost-effective, bipartisan strategy to rebuild Pennsylvania’s educator pipeline, bolster local economies, and support student success across the commonwealth.”

In addition to fully funding the stipend program, PA Needs Teachers plans to work with the administration and legislative partners on the following policy goals this budget season:

• Publishing a robust set of educator workforce dashboards by spring 2026, so that those working to end the teacher shortage can better understand where we need to focus our efforts

• Streamlining the process for approving certified teacher registered apprenticeship programs

• Continuing to remove unnecessary and non-evidence-based barriers to certification without lowering the bar to become a teacher.

In the past decade, the number of certified teachers produced by our commonwealth’s education programs has fallen by 75%, and teacher turnover remains near all-time highs. The state now issues more emergency certificates, granted to underprepared teachers when schools cannot find qualified teachers, than regular teaching certificates to fully qualified teachers. 

Communities across the commonwealth are struggling with severe teacher shortages, with 70% of Pennsylvania counties facing a “severe” or “very severe” shortage. 

PA Needs Teachers, a statewide coalition led by Teach Plus and the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE), has led efforts to alleviate the teacher shortage crisis. For the past four years, they have held an annual summit that brings together educators, experts, and advocates to explore the root causes of the shortage and possible solutions. 

The coalition has released multiple reports detailing their findings, including:

• PA Needs Teachers: Addressing Pennsylvania's Teacher Shortage Crisis Through Systemic Solutions

• Solutions Playbook: Locally-Developed Strategies for Attracting, Preparing, and Retaining Teachers

• The Advancing Quality and Removing Barriers brief series

PA Needs Teachers has also developed tools to track the severity of teacher shortages by county and state senate districts. For more information, www.paneedsteachers.com/. 

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About Teach Plus and the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE)

Teach Plus: The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students' success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning, to create an education system driven by access and excellence for all. For more information, www.teachplus.org

NCEE: NCEE studies the world’s highest-performing and fastest-improving education systems and the policies guiding them to understand what they do, how they do it, and the context and challenges they face. The evidence base informs partnerships with policymakers and educators to co-design systems that meet the needs of all learners and rise to the challenge of our collective future. For more information, visit www.ncee.org.