In the near future, I intend to re-introduce legislation from last session (SB 714) that will create the Pennsylvania STEM Partnership Program within the Pennsylvania Department of Education. 

This program will afford qualified STEM subject teachers the opportunity to teach at nonpublic schools to help address the rising cost of STEM education, address the growing shortage of qualified STEM teachers, and expand STEM curriculum to all students to prepare them for the future.

As stated, this program will be administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and will provide funding to compensate participating teachers for the instructional hours taught at nonpublic schools.   Under the program, participating nonpublic schools will form partnerships with eligible teachers and school districts. 

Participating teachers will teach at nonpublic schools during hours following the completion of the teacher’s duties at their respective public school or at a time agreed to by the teacher and nonpublic school as part of the agreement.
 
Teachers will be compensated at the same wage at which they are paid by the school district by which they are employed.  The program is completely voluntary for teachers, school districts and nonpublic schools.

The need for high-quality and diversified STEM instruction for Pennsylvania’s young people is more vital than ever and that need will only continue to grow. 
 
Businesses are growing in Pennsylvania, and they want skilled and well-educated workers who are prepared for the 21st century economy. Students need to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to enter the workforce and be successful in a tech-driven, global economy.
 

• According to the Department of Education: There will be 590,000 new and replacement jobs in Pennsylvania through 2026, with STEM jobs growing at over 9 percent.
• 71 percent of new jobs will require computer science skills over the next 10 years
• On average Pennsylvania has 13,000 open computing jobs every month. The average salary for computing jobs is $101,047.
• STEM graduates earn an average annual wage of $37,000 or more at entry level and an average of $65,000 or more annually over the course of their career
• Research shows STEM instruction and majors offer benefits in a student’s postsecondary career, even if that student does not necessarily pursue a STEM career
• Pennsylvania has nine nationally recognized STEM ecosystems that engage learners of all ages. The​se ecosystems connect communities, provide the architecture for cross-sector teaching and learning, and help create STEM learning opportunities and experiences.​
   

It is clear that in order to compete in a world where science and innovation will drive our economy, Pennsylvania must provide opportunities for all of our students to succeed.
 
This program will help us meet this important educational objective.
 
A similar program was implemented in New Jersey in 2019 and, due to its success, was recently expanded to allow more teachers to work more hours for more money.  Now in its third year, the New Jersey program has resulted in more teachers pursuing STEM certifications to address teacher shortages at both public and nonpublic schools.  This is exactly the type of innovative educational opportunities Pennsylvania needs to provide to its students and teachers.
 
 
Last Session, the following Senators co-sponsored this bill - BY AUMENT, BARTOLOTTA, BOSCOLA, LAUGHLIN, MILLER, PENNYCUICK, ROBINSON, SANTARSIERO, STEFANO and A. WILLIAMS
 
 
Please join me in cosponsoring this important legislation. 
 
 
 

Statutes/Laws affected:
Printer's No. 0205: P.L.30, No.14