President's Budget Calls for Larger Investments to Support Educators

In his Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget proposal, which was released last week, President Biden calls for increased investments in federal programs that support the educator pipeline. The budget summary highlights current shortages by noting, “While the education sector has faced shortages in critical staffing areas for decades, the COVID-19 pandemic and tight labor market have made shortages worse, further exacerbating the already disproportionate impact on students in underserved communities.”

The proposal would more than double funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part D Personnel Preparation program from $115 million to $250 million, a strong recognition that shortages are particularly acute in special education. It would also make large increases in the Teacher Quality Partnership program, which supports effective pathways into the profession, by lifting it from $70 million to $132 million, and double funding from $15 million to $30 million for the Hawkins Centers of Excellence program, which aims to increase the number of educators of color through high-quality preparation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, and Minority Serving Institutions, such as Hispanic-Serving Institutions. The proposal would also establish a new $10 million funding stream to support doctoral students through the Graduate Fellowships to Prepare Faculty in High Need Areas at Colleges of Education program to help address critical teacher pipeline issues including shortages in special education. Fellows would commit to teaching at an institution of higher education for one year for each year of fellowship funding.