The proposed legislation, General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5216, aims to establish a new program called the "Student Teacher Investment and Professional Educator Network for Development" (STIPEND) program, effective July 1, 2026. Under this program, the Department of Education will provide financial support to teacher preparation programs for each student teacher participating in a public school student teaching experience. Specifically, the bill stipulates that these programs will receive $1,000 per week for each student teacher, with provisions for reimbursement if any student teaching experience is reported as uncompleted. Teacher preparation programs are required to report the estimated number of student teachers and their completion status at specified intervals.

Additionally, the bill mandates that the Department of Education monitor the employment status of student teachers who received stipends for a minimum of three years post-graduation. If a student teacher does not secure employment as a certified teacher in a public school for at least two years after graduation, they must reimburse at least 50% of the stipends received. The Department is also tasked with submitting an annual report on the employment rates of these student teachers to the relevant legislative committee, starting January 1, 2028. The bill introduces new legal language to facilitate these provisions while deleting any conflicting language from existing statutes.