“We are grateful to our state legislature and Governor Josh Shapiro for once again increasing Pennsylvania’s investment in our next generation of teachers,” said Teach Plus Pennsylvania Policy Director Emily Sagor. “The Student Teacher Support Program will help thousands more aspiring educators step into the classroom with the support they need to finish their degrees. It says loud and clear: if you choose to teach here, Pennsylvania has your back.”

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. For the past several years, the state has issued more emergency certificates, granted to underprepared teachers when schools cannot find qualified teachers, than regular teaching certificates to fully-qualified teachers. 

The Student Teacher Support Program offers eligible student teachers a $10,000 stipend during their student teaching semester. These funds help cover rising tuition, housing, transportation, and basic living costs during a required full-time, unpaid internship. In exchange, recipients commit to teaching in Pennsylvania for at least three years, ensuring a strong return on the commonwealth’s investment.

The program, which is administered by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), was originally created through the bipartisan Act 33 of 2023 and has grown each budget cycle.

Based on current application numbers, fully funding the program will cost approximately $43 million.

“For the first time since the student teacher stipend program’s creation, we are within striking distance of full funding,” said Laura Boyce, Teach Plus Pennsylvania Executive Director. “While this is cause for celebration, we know that the program can only work as intended as an incentive to attract more students into the teaching profession once it is fully funded, so that it is seen as a guaranteed benefit that all eligible applicants can count on. We look forward to working with our state leaders in the next budget cycle to reach full funding — which we believe will lead to a measurable increase in student teachers and certified educators — as well as pursuing policies such as strategic staffing to reimagine teaching and improve teacher satisfaction and retention.”

Beyond student teacher stipends, the FY 2026-27 budget also includes several other measures that could help address the teacher shortage crisis:

• A third installment of $565 million in adequacy funding for underfunded school districts, which may be used for educator recruitment and retention initiatives

• A $10 million increase in funding for Grow PA, which provides college scholarships to students studying in high-need fields, including education

• A $5 million increase in funding for child care recruitment and retention bonuses

About PA Needs Teachers: PA Needs Teachers, a statewide coalition led by Teach Plus PA and the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE), has led efforts to alleviate the teacher shortage crisis in Pennsylvania since 2022. Their first report in 2023 called for student teacher stipends as a way to improve the financial value proposition of becoming a teacher. Over the past four years, they have activated thousands of educators, business leaders, advocates, and policymakers in support of student teacher stipends and other policy solutions through summits, educator workforce roundtables, annual Capitol Days, publications, and other advocacy efforts. For more information, visit www.paneedsteachers.com

About Teach Plus PA: The mission of Teach Plus PA is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students' success. For more information, visit www.teachplus.org/pa. 

About the National Center on Education and the Economy (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.

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