Harrisburg, PA - Today, Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid N. Mumin visited Shippensburg University to highlight the important role future educators play in the Commonwealth, and how we can create opportunities for growth and success, keeping more alumni in Pennsylvania and filling the critical educator workforce shortage.
“I am thrilled to be visiting Shippensburg University today, my alma mater, to highlight the Shapiro Administration’s dedication to improving postsecondary education, and how we can create more affordable career opportunities for Pennsylvania’s alumni right here in the Commonwealth,” said Secretary Mumin. “These Shippensburg students are the future educators, administrators, workers, and citizens of Pennsylvania – and we need more of our young people to have the opportunity to join their ranks and chart their own course in life. The Shapiro Administration’s blueprint for higher education invests in more opportunities for growth and success for our young people – which will change the course of history in the Commonwealth, creating a brighter future for future generations.”
Across the country, schools are facing growing teacher shortages in classrooms. Compared to ten years ago when Pennsylvania certified approximately 20,000 new teachers every year, in 2023 Pennsylvania certified just over 5,000 new teachers. The Commonwealth also has 5,500 teacher vacancies in schools across the state right now.
The Shapiro Administration has made it a priority to improve postsecondary education across the Commonwealth, creating a plan focused on competitiveness and workforce development, and grounded in access and affordability. After decades of disinvestment that have put postsecondary education out of reach for many Pennsylvanians, Governor Josh Shapiro announced his blueprint for higher education—a plan that dramatically increases state funding for colleges and universities, unites them under a new governance structure, and makes a college education more affordable for Pennsylvanians so we can get more students into our universities and into our classrooms as teachers. The blueprint ensures that no student making up to the median income will pay more than $1,000 in tuition and fees per semester at PASSHE institutions and community colleges, and increases PHEAA state grants by $1,000 for students making up to the median income.
Additionally, Governor Shapiro’s 2024-25 budget calls to increase support for the Student Teacher Support Program to $15 million. Administered through the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), this program will help address the teacher shortage in Pennsylvania by giving up to $15,000 stipends to eligible student teachers – ensuring they get paid for their hard work.
For decades, Shippensburg University has been committed to quality teacher preparation and providing opportunities for growth for its students and the community. One way the university is preparing students to become future educators, is by giving them real-world teaching opportunities in an on-campus public school. The Grace B. Luhrs University Elementary School (GBLUES) is the only on-campus public elementary lab school in the Commonwealth.
Attached to the university’s College of Education and Human Services, GBLUES gives students in a multitude of majors the opportunity to observe and participate in elementary school activities. University students majoring in education, early childhood, psychology, sociology, criminal justice, social work, and counseling can engage in the study of children from ages one to eleven, observing classes from observation booths, tutoring students in core content areas of reading and math, or participating in whole-class activities.
"It is always a pleasure to host Secretary Mumin at Shippensburg University. Ship serves as an engine of innovation, education, talent cultivation, and workforce training that is essential for advancing the socioeconomic landscape of our communities in the Commonwealth. We welcome to opportunity to strengthen our partnership with the Department of Education as we work together to advance higher education goals and drive economic growth and prosperity," said Dr. Charles E. Patterson, president of Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania.
The Shapiro Administration’s blueprint for higher education is grounded in research, lessons learned from leading states, and input from vested partners. The administration is continuing to engage in a collaborative process to build out the details of this plan, delivering tangible results for our students, workforce, and the future of the Commonwealth. Gov. Shapiro’s 2024-25 budget proposal invests $975 million in the community colleges and PASSHE universities that will comprise this new system, a 15 percent increase in the amount of funding those institutions received last year.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Taj Magruder, tmagruder@pa.gov
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