By admin 
Kayla Safdari Flores works two jobs over and above pursuing a teaching credential program at Sacramento State. Even then, it is hard to get by, she said, because she spends several hours that could have been a job completing her in-classroom student teaching requirement. That labor has typically gone unpaid — until now.
Read more California launches $10,000 stipend program for student teachers
Beginning this year, California is offering $10,000 stipends to students enrolled in teacher preparation programs as they complete their student teaching requirements. With an investment of more than $700 million, the state plans to support about 12,500 student teachers every year through 2032 with a one-time stipend. This is the latest in the state’s efforts to address a persistent teacher shortage.
“The dream is to be a teacher and I’ll do it at any cost. But it definitely comes with a lot of financial burdens and issues that I still have to work on,” Flores said at a program launch event at Sacramento State Tuesday. “So this is going to help me because a lot of my money will get recovered and I’ll have more stability.”
A student must be enrolled in a preliminary teaching credential program approved by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing and be working towards completing 500 or more hours of student teaching to be eligible for the program. Candidates do not apply directly. The program is structured so that the student teacher’s credential program and participating school district work together to submit an application for the stipend on their behalf. Applications will be approved by the commission on a first come, first served basis.
Mary Vixie Sandy, executive director of the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, said the financial burden of completing the required 600 hours of unpaid student teaching has prevented an unknown number of aspiring educators from earning their teaching credential.
“The new Student Teacher Stipend Program directly addresses this challenge by providing financial support for eligible student teachers while they work alongside experienced educators to develop the skills needed to lead their own classroom,” Sandy said.
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Starting next year, student teachers pursuing credentials in high-need fields like science, math and special education will be eligible for an additional $5,000 stipend.
The stipend program is funded through Proposition 98, a 1988 constitutional amendment in California that establishes an annual minimum funding level for K-12 schools and community colleges every year. The money comes from the state’s general fund and local property taxes.
The state allocated $300 million from Prop. 98 funds in 2025 to establish the program. This year, Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded its funding with an additional $400 million.
Since 2016, the state has invested more than $2.3 billion in programs to support teacher recruitment, preparation and retention, according to a by research nonprofit Learning Policy Institute and UC Davis. Some major initiatives the state has taken are the Teacher Residency Grant Program and Golden State Teacher Grant Program.
These investments appear to be paying off, according to the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. The number of teachers who received credentials to teach in California public schools was the highest it has been in more than a decade in 2024-2025 — welcome news amid the state’s long-standing teacher shortage.
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