Harrisburg, PA - Today, Gov. Josh Shapiro released his 2024-25 budget proposal, which included funding for student teacher stipends, recognizing that we need to rebuild our teacher pipeline. #PANeedsTeachers released the following statement in response:

"Our schools are struggling to find and retain high-quality teachers, and if we do not act urgently to fix this problem, Pennsylvania students will suffer. 

We are encouraged that a bipartisan team of legislators and the administration have taken steps to rebuild our teacher pipeline, and we hope that this year's budget builds on last year's progress. 

Last year, the commonwealth enacted an initiative to provide stipends for student teachers for the first time. We're glad that the governor included $15 million in funding for this program to continue into the future and help make the teaching profession more attractive to students. However, we agree with the Basic Education Funding Commission's findings that the program should be fully funded at approximately $75 million. 

We know that a student-teacher stipend is a key component of making the cost of entering the teacher workforce more affordable, and we also believe that we need to establish a teacher scholarship program. We look forward to hearing more about the governor's plan to reorganize our higher education system and provide affordable learning opportunities to more students. It is important that higher education initiatives recognize the need for more teachers and incentivize students to choose the profession.

Further, Gov. Shapiro proposed an additional $10 million for teacher talent recruitment. We are eager to learn more about this investment. The initiative could fill important funding needs for innovative programs like a Grow Your Own grant program or a scholarship pilot.

Overall, we are encouraged that the Governor is taking the teacher shortage crisis seriously and putting real solutions on the table. We look forward to working with the legislation and the administration on solutions that will get more high quality teachers into our classrooms.”

#PANeedsTeachers is a statewide coalition led by Teach Plus and the National Center on Education and the Economy focused on addressing Pennsylvania's teacher shortage crisis. The organization has studied the teacher shortage crisis and offered policy solutions for lawmakers. Last year, the organization produced a report on Pennsylvania's teacher shortage, #PANeedsTeachers: Addressing Pennsylvania's Teacher Shortage Crisis Through Systemic Solutions. The report summarized the underlying issues and root causes of the teacher shortage crisis and proposes a path forward, including policy principles and specific policy strategies to systemically address teacher shortages and build a stronger and more diverse teacher pipeline. 

About Teach Plus and 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: Since 1988, The National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) has been researching the world's best-performing education systems to give states and districts the tools they need to become world class. NCEE has been a leader in U.S. education from policy to practice, producing reports that have led to landmark national legislation, supporting states in redesigning their education systems, and providing rigorous, proven support to more education leaders than any other organization. NCEE's dedicated, diverse, and experienced staff are working with teachers, school leaders, district leadership teams, and state policymakers to create the highest-performing, most equitable systems of education in the world. For more information, visit www.ncee.org.

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