Kentucky teachers-in-training would be paid for their work starting next year under the House budget proposal .
Student teachers would receive a $5,000 stipend during their 70-day training period, earning about $9.52 an hour.
Most teachers are required to go through the 70-day training period in order to get fully certified or graduate a teacher preparation program. During that time, student teachers co-teach with a certified educator who supervises them and provides guidance.
Most states don’t pay student teachers for their work, and many say that’s a barrier to entering the teaching profession.
Amid a nationwide teacher shortage, a handful of states — including Michigan, Colorado, Oklahoma and Maryland — have started offering student teachers a stipend. A provision in the House budget would set aside $7.3 million to add Kentucky to the list.
House Bill 377 , from Fort Mitchell Republican Rep. Kim Banta, stipulates that student teachers would receive their stipend in monthly installments during their training.