Pennsylvania faces an ongoing teacher shortage crisis, driven by a range of root causes and impacting every corner of the commonwealth. While progress has been made in recent years in reducing financial barriers to enter the profession and beginning to grow the pipeline of future teachers, high rates of teacher turnover persist, with many educators citing working conditions and the structure of the job as key reasons for leaving. In most schools, teaching remains the same isolating, one-size-fits-all, unsustainable job it has been for more than a century. Rookie teachers struggle in a sink-or-swim environment with too few supports, while highly effective teachers have few opportunities to advance their careers and extend their reach without leaving the classroom. Meanwhile, teachers at all levels struggle with unsustainable workloads, lack of time for collaboration, and burnout.
 
My legislation will establish the Advanced Teaching Roles and Evidence-Based Strategic Staffing Program to support school districts in developing advanced teaching roles that recognize expanded professional responsibilities, instructional leadership, team-based collaboration, and professional growth. Specifically, it will establish an opt-in grant program that will support districts with the up-front and technical assistance costs associated with transitioning to these new models.
 
Innovative, strategic staffing models offer the opportunity to reimagine the teacher role, moving beyond a one-teacher, one-classroom model to more flexible, team-based structures that differentiate roles, distribute expertise, and create sustainable career pathways. With strong collaboration structures and expert teacher leadership, these models not only support teacher satisfaction, but also better equip teachers to deliver rigorous instruction that will improve student outcomes. Several strategic staffing models have demonstrated strong outcomes, improving both student outcomes and teacher satisfaction and retention. These models increase collaboration, improve instructional quality, and create leadership opportunities that allow outstanding teachers to remain in the classroom while positively impacting more students.
 
Please join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation. We can reimagine the teacher role to be more differentiated, attractive, collaborative, and rewarding, and rebuild Pennsylvania’s educator workforce and ensure a thriving education system and economy in the process.