Starting April 16, 2026, student teachers across the Commonwealth can now apply for a $10,000 stipend in the 2026-27 school year through the PA Student Teacher Support Program. Stipends are available on a first-come, first-served basis for future educators who enter a student teaching placement and commit to working in Pennsylvania as a teacher for three years. The program also provides up to $2,500 to cooperating teachers who mentor and assist student teachers.

In 2025-26, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) received more than 3,500 applications and provided stipends to 2,300 student teachers. Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposed 2026-27 budget includes $5 million increase to PHEAA for stipends for student teachers, bringing total program funding to $35 million annually.

To be considered eligible, applicants must:

• Be currently enrolled in an institution of higher education located in Pennsylvania.
• Be currently enrolled in a PA Department of Education approved educator preparation program.
• Meet the minimum GPA requirement of 3.0.
• Be placed in a position as a student teacher at an approved location in Pennsylvania. Placement is not required at the time of application, but it is required by the placement deadline. Locations: School districts, intermediate units, non-public schools, area career and technical schools, charter schools, regional charter schools, or cyber charter schools.
• Have obtained the required clearances for employment in public or private schools in Pennsylvania.
• Agree to work as a teacher at a participating LEA or non-public school within Pennsylvania for a period of no less than 3 years.
• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. A permanent resident is defined as a non-citizen who is legally permitted to live and work in the United States permanently.
• Be placed in a non-paid position as a student teacher. Temporary substitute teaching is permitted but must not exceed 10 days during the student teaching term.

Applications are due September 15, 2026.

PHEAA was created by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1963 to provide affordable access to higher education for PA students and families. Through the years, PHEAA has evolved into one of the nation’s leading providers of student financial aid services, including the Commonwealth’s first state-based student loan program—PA Forward Student Loans. PHEAA also serves millions of students through its loan guaranty, loan servicing, financial aid processing, and other programs.

On April 14, 2026. the PA House passed HB 2400, the PA House Budget proposal. The bill contains nearly $700 million to help close long‑standing funding gaps among PA school districts. This is the third year of increased funding for Pennsylvania schools. All 102 House Democrats were joined by five Republicans to pass the budget with a 107-92 vote.

Nearly 80% of the budget’s expenditures are dedicated to just two state agencies: the PA Department of Human Services (DHS) with $21.9 billion and the PA Department of Education (PDE) with $20.6 billion. Roughly $1 billion of the increase to DHS will fund Medicaid increases, which Democrats said will shrink if the state increases the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour, which is the federal minimum, to $15 per hour.

The budget proposal now moves on to the PA Senate where Republican leadership has stated that the budget will not pass in its current form. Last year, disagreements between Senate Republicans and House Democrats over spending caused the budget to be passed 135 days past the June 30th deadline.

On April 15, 2026, Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Deputy Secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) Amy Lena highlighted the importance of investing in career and technical education (CTE) and how those investments are expanding access to CTE in Pennsylvania schools and have helped 3,000 additional students across the Commonwealth enroll in CTE classes.

Since 2023, the Shapiro Administration has increased funding in CTE by $65 million – nearly 50 percent – helping to expand access for students, not only in career and technical centers (CTCs), but also through CTE programs right in their high schools. As a result, CTE enrollment has continued to grow under the administration, with more than 3,000 additional students engaging in CTE and career readiness programming.

An example of the effective use of this funding is Williamsport Area High School. The school offers 15 different CTE programs, including an Educator Rising program which was created under with the use of such funding in 2023 to engage and prepare secondary students interested in pursuing a career in education. At Williamsport, the program is designed for students who aspire to become educators, and provides a comprehensive foundation in teaching and learning through coursework such as Methods in Education, Developmental Psychology, Educational Technology, Neuroscience in Education, and more. The district also offers a Classroom Management Simulator for current educators and staff in the district, allowing them to practice management techniques and instructional strategies through six different scenarios they may encounter in the classroom.

Subsequently, during the 2024-25 budget cycle, Williamsport Area School District (WASD) was able to use more than $700,000 in adequacy funding to continue expanding and establishing CTE programs in their high school, including a state-of-the-art $3 million welding lab.

For more on how (WASD) has enhanced CTE programming, click here.

On April 15, 20256 Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) Secretary Dr. Carrie Rowe participated in a roundtable with students and staff at Pottstown Middle School to show how mental health supports implemented in the Pottstown School District have improved outcomes in student success across the school district.

Since January 2023, Pennsylvania has made available nearly $375 million to our schools to support student mental health and security needs, which is a piece of the nearly $3 billion increase the Shapiro Administration has made available to schools to give them the resources they need to create opportunity for every student to succeed.

In  the Pottstown School District, such funding was used to hire a coach focused on student mental health and wellbeing. That coach has helped students go from failing every class to getting good grades, being on track to graduate, and attend college. As a result, the school district has also seen a 90 percent decrease in problematic behaviors like skipping class, a 20 percent decrease in failing grades, and a 40 percent increase in regular attendance

Presently, Governor Shapiro has included another $111 million in his 2026-27 budget proposal for school safety and mental health supports. Thus far, under the Shapiro Administration more than 800 schools have expanded access to mental health services, and more than 200 counselors have been hired since 2023.

For more details on the Pottstown School District program, click here.