Student teaching stipend aims to fill void for aspiring educators, but some say program needs more support

Almost nothing could deter Brianna Savko from teaching.

Generally modest pay, an all-time high annual attrition rate of 7.7% and a statewide shortage of more than 2,000 teachers were not enough to change her mind.

“There’s a passion there, and I don’t care what the money is behind it when it’s a passion,” said Savko, 22, of Hempfield, who is majoring in education at Carlow University.

That passion can come at a cost as students such as Savko finish preparations to receive their degree.

Savko, a rising senior, is preparing to enter a 16-week student teaching placement at Greensburg Salem’s Nicely Elementary in the fall.

Student teaching gives college students valuable experience in a classroom, a crucial step in the degree program. But it’s also a time when universities advise students not to work an additional job in favor of directing their attention and energy to the demands of student teaching.

A $10 million student teacher stipend program signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro last year is designed to address that problem. It provides $10,000 to college students spending a semester student teaching.

But, of the 3,800 students who have applied for the stipend, only about 600 are estimated to receive it, according to Bethany Coleman, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency. Simply put, there’s not enough money to fill the need.

“If I don’t get this money, there’s no way I cannot work (another job),” said Savko, who works full time at a child care center in South Greensburg making $15.25 an hour and babysits in her spare time. “It’s going to have to be working after school when I’m done, and I’m going to have to babysit during my free time just to try and make ends meet.”

Stipend up in air

By the end of the month, education majors across the state will learn whether they were one of the lucky ones to receive a stipend. Those fortunate enough to receive a stipend and who are assigned to schools that typically attract few student teachers or have a high number of open positions will receive an additional $5,000.

Grant payments of $2,500 may be available for the recipients’ cooperating teacher — the professional educator who serves as their mentor.

Pitt-Greensburg student Amber Bloom remembers how nervous she felt waiting for the stipend application period to open April 11.

“It opened at 9 a.m. I was sitting on my computer at 8:50 in the morning refreshing the page, which is kind of like when you go to buy concert tickets,” joked Bloom, 23, of Irwin.

Shortly after 9 a.m., enough people had applied to account for the $10 million allocated to the program, Coleman said. About 3,200 students applied in the first 24 hours. The application will remain open until Dec. 15.

Bloom has been involved with the Student PSEA — Pennsylvania State Education Association — since she stepped foot on Pitt-Greensburg’s campus. She has served in leadership roles with the university’s chapter and the statewide organization, speaking in April about the stipend in Harrisburg on behalf of 7,000 members.

“I’m hoping I get the money, but even if I don’t, if that means that my kids one day will have a fantastic teacher because of the stipend, it will have all been worth it,” said Bloom, who will enter a student teaching placement at Franklin Regional Intermediate School in the fall.

To apply for the stipend, students must be enrolled in a teacher preparation program in the state, have a minimum GPA of 3.0, receive an approved student teacher placement and agree to work in a Pennsylvania school for at least three years following graduation.

Recipients who fail to fulfill the three-year commitment may be asked to repay the funds.

PA Needs Teachers, a coalition formed about three years ago by Teach Plus Pennsylvania and the National Center on Education and Economy, is advocating for full funding of the program in the upcoming state budget, said Laura Boyce, executive director of Teach Plus Pennsylvania. The budget could be finalized by the end of the month.

To provide a stipend to every student who applied, the state would need about $75 million to fund the program, said Rep. Gina Curry, D-­Delaware, one of the lawmakers who helped introduce the program.

“We know that it will continue to be inequitable if we don’t get the $75 million that we really need to cover every (person) who wants to be a teacher,” Curry said at a news conference in Harrisburg on May 31.

Coleman was unable to confirm the estimate because the stipend application period is still open.

Boyce said that number may be an underestimate.

“If anything, I think that number could be higher than $75 million,” Boyce said.

Manuel Bonder, spokesperson for Shapiro, said the governor is having conversations with lawmakers about additional funding for the program.

“As Gov. Shapiro has made clear, this is a commonsense, critically important initiative with broad bipartisan support — and it is positive to see such high demand for it,” Bonder said.

Until the stipend is guaranteed, Savko will continue babysitting and working at the child care center, anxiously awaiting the email from the state agency.

“For me, $10,000 to $15,000 would mean I could feel better about this summer,” she said. “I could spend more time just working and focusing on my schoolwork and preparing for my student teaching time rather than spending all of my free time working myself tirelessly trying to just make money anywhere I can.”