STUDENT TEACHER STIPEND; INCLUDE PRE-K S.B. 995:
SUMMARY OF BILL
REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 995 (as reported without amendment)
Sponsor: Senator Stephanie Chang
CONTENT
The bill would amend the State School Aid Act to allow a student teacher completing a student teaching requirement at a qualifying public preschool program to receive payment under the MI Future Educator Student Teacher Stipend Program.
The bill would take effect October 1, 2024.
BRIEF RATIONALE
Prospective Michigan teachers must complete an approved preparation program that includes a semester of supervised teaching (student teaching) to earn their teaching certification. Student teaching positions may be paid or unpaid, but student teaching without pay may create financial difficulties. Accordingly, the MI Future Educator Student Teacher Stipend Program was created, which provides up to $9,600 per semester for full-time, unpaid student teachers who meet certain eligibility requirements. For example, a student teacher is only eligible for the stipend if that student teacher is placed in a school district. As a result, student teachers placed in preschools unaffiliated with school districts, such as Great Start Readiness Program preschools or campus early childhood centers (preschools affiliated with public universities), are ineligible for the stipend. It has been suggested that the Stipend Program s eligibility be expanded to include preschool student teachers.
Legislative Analyst: Abby Schneider
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have no fiscal impact on the State or local units of government. The provisions of the bill would allow a student teacher to receive a stipend if the student teacher completed a student teaching requirement at a qualifying public preschool program, in addition to a district, as is currently allowed. The amount of the stipend paid to student teachers in preschools would be the same as is currently paid to student teachers in a district, so there would be no change in the total cost to the State. Also, there is no reason to believe that the change would result in more students enrolling in teacher preparation programs, so the total cost to the State for stipends in a given year would not change.
Date Completed: 10-24-24 Fiscal Analyst: Ryan Bergan
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.