The House budget proposal calls for paying teachers-in-training in Kentucky for their work beginning in the following year.
During their 70-day training period, student teachers would get a $5,000 stipend, or roughly $9.52 per hour.
To receive their full certification or to complete their teacher preparation program, the majority of teachers must complete the 70-day training period. Student teachers co-teach with a certified teacher who oversees and mentors them throughout that period.
Many people claim that the lack of compensation for student teachers’ labor in the majority of states prevents them from pursuing careers as teachers.
A few states, including Michigan, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Maryland, have begun providing stipends for student teachers in the midst of a national teacher shortage. Kentucky’s addition to the list would cost $7.3 million, according to a House budget provision.
Rep. Kim Banta, a Republican from Fort Mitchell, introduced House Bill 377, which mandates that student teachers get their pay in monthly installments while undergoing training.
The Kentucky Department of Education had a wishlist item for this legislative session: a stipend for student instructors. KDE representatives requested $6,500 to $8,000 every semester from legislators.
In addition, Banta’s proposal would establish a student loan forgiveness pilot program that would allow students enrolled in teacher preparation programs to receive up to $5,000 in loan forgiveness per semester. For every semester of loan forgiveness, recipients would have to work as Kentucky teachers for a full year.
In an email press release, Banta stated, “A quarter of Kentucky’s teachers left the classroom last year, and many of these were new educators.” “This legislation will encourage more people to enroll in teacher preparation programs and is specifically aimed at supporting our incoming educators throughout their educational journey. We will be in a better position to support them when they join the classroom if we assist them during their schooling and student teaching.
The House has approved the loan forgiveness pilot program and the provision providing a stipend for student teachers. The Senate is deliberating them further.
