The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) began sending out the first round of stipends for student teachers in Pennsylvania this week.
The funding was made available by a new grant program signed into law by Gov. Josh Shapiro last year. Student teachers are required to spend a semester in a classroom as part of their training. But aside from the stipends, that work is otherwise unpaid.
The goal of the program is to help alleviate the school staffing shortage by making it easier for more Pennsylvanians to become teachers. Recipients of stipends must commit to teaching in the state for three years after becoming certified.
“This is a commonsense investment to ensure student teachers are fairly compensated for their work, lowering barriers to pursuing a teaching career, and helping get more dedicated, qualified educators into our classrooms,” Shapiro said .
While over 2,000 student teachers are set to receive funding this year, more than double that number, 4,125, applied for stipends, most within the first few hours that applications became available.
Numerous advocates for the stipend program have said they would like to see funding increased in future years in the hope of reaching even more student teachers.
“I am thankful for PHEAA and their hard work over the last year, and I look forward to seeing this program expanded to meet the demand,” said Sen.Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia), who sponsored the Senate version of the bill creating the stipend program.
The initial bill creating the grant program allocated $10 million for stipend funding. Following budget negotiations, an additional $10 million was made available, bringing the total to $20 million.
Most student teachers in Pennsylvania with a GPA of at least 3.0 were able to apply to receive stipends of up to $15,000 to supplement their semester of classroom work.
A spokesperson for PHEAA said that 2,052 student teachers have been made provisionally eligible to receive funds. The first round of stipends were sent out Thursday, and more will continue to be sent on a rolling basis as their eligibility is verified.