Pennsylvania House lawmakers pass bill to recruit more educators by offering stipends of $10,000

HARRISBURG >> Faced with a rising number of Pennsylvania teachers leaving the profession, state House lawmakers on Thursday passed a bill to recruit more educators by giving student teachers a stipend while they’re in the classroom.

The legislation seeks to remove the barriers for prospective teachers, whose work in the classroom usually goes unpaid as they finish their education. The proposal passed 141-62 and now goes on to the Senate.

The program would award student teachers in Pennsylvania a minimum grant of $10,000. Student teachers could receive an additional $5,000 if they work in schools that attract few student teachers or have a high number of open positions. A teacher overseeing a student teacher would also be eligible for $2,500 under the program.

Students who receive the grant would also agree to work as a teacher in Pennsylvania for at least three years.

“The prospect of giving up that income, while incurring additional expenses associated with things like commuting and purchasing a new work wardrobe, is a significant barrier for prospective teachers in Pennsylvania who are already potentially struggling to afford the cost of college education and working to cover their living expenses,” said the bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Danielle Friel Otten, a Democrat from Chester County.

In Pennsylvania, teachers are leaving their jobs at an accelerating rate, reflecting national fears of an exodus from the field after the strains imposed by COVID-19, growing workloads, shrinking autonomy and increasingly hostile school environments.

And as more teachers leave the field, fewer teachers are entering — the number of teacher certifications plummeted from 15,000 in 2011 to under 6,000 in 2021.

The legislation comes amid several other proposals meant to recruit and retain teachers in the state, including a measure that would give a tax credit to new teachers. There has also been a national effort to increase pay for teachers, including in Pennsylvania.