A sudden federal funding reversal has jeopardized Sonoma State University’s teacher residency program, which was designed to address California’s chronic teacher shortage by supporting aspiring educators from low-income backgrounds.
The university’s five-year $3.2 million grant, approved under the Biden administration, was terminated after its first year on Sept. 16, leaving dozens of students at risk of dropping out mid-program.
The Sonoma State program combines coursework with a year-long, 900-hour classroom residency, which more than satisfies the state’s 600-hour requirement for clinical practice. It prepares teachers to serve in high-need public schools across Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Solano Counties. Many of these schools are majority Hispanic, with large numbers of English learners…