The initiative to offer stipends to student teachers that launched earlier this month is a good first step but needs to be expanded so it can help address the state’s teacher shortage.

As reported in the Friday, April 19, edition of the Butler Eagle, the state allocated $10 million to provide stipends of $10,000 to student teachers. Offered on a first-come, first-served basis, the stipends are supposed to make it easier for student teachers to complete their education, helping to ease the state’s shortage of teachers.

The relatively small size of the program compared to the size of the shortage the state is facing means it might not have the impact lawmakers hoped for.

And the problem is a big one. According to figures from Penn State University’s Center for Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis, nearly 9,600 Pennsylvania teachers left the profession between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years.

That’s nearly 8% of all teachers in the state.

The problem is compounded by fewer new teachers being certified. In 2022, for example, there were about 5,000 new teachers certified in the state.

But the stipend program can’t support 5,000 student teachers — lawmakers allocated enough funding for about 650 student teacher stipends.

James Preston, assistant to the dean of education and associate professor of elementary education and early childhood development at Slippery Rock University, said demand is much higher.

“Within a mere week of making the application available, reports surfaced indicating that the response had surged to five times the initially allocated funds,” Preston stated.

That’s not surprising. Student teachers incur extra expenses, from professional clothing to testing fees to get certified, and they are encouraged to not work while teaching so they can focus on their education.

The state’s shortage of teachers needs to be addressed. A stipend to help support student teachers is a good idea — but it’s clear an expansion is needed to help solve the problem.

— JK