Students are led to their classroom by a teacher at Yung Wing School P.S. 124 on March 7, 2022, in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
In only 24 hours, more than 3,000 Pennsylvanians studying to become educators applied for a stipend of up to $15,000 to fund their required semester of in-classroom training. But unless lawmakers act, many will not receive them – essentially meaning they will work for free.
“ Student teacher stipends are life-changing for the aspiring educators who receive them,” Aaron Chapin, President of the state’s largest teachers’ union, the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said in a statement. “Over the past year, I have met student teachers who are sole providers for their families and could never have completed their student teaching without the financial security that comes with receiving a stipend.”…