HARRISBURG, Penn. —Teach PA, a project of the Orthodox Union and a leading advocate for Pennsylvania’s nonpublic schools, welcomes Senate Majority Whip Ryan Aument’s announcement that he has introduced legislation supporting greater access to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education for all students.
Senate Bill 714 establishes the Pennsylvania STEM Funding Program within the Pennsylvania Department of Education. This program will allow qualified STEM subject teachers the opportunity to teach at nonpublic schools to help address the rising cost of STEM education, to address the growing shortage of qualified STEM teachers, and expand STEM curriculums to all students to prepare them for the future. Teachers will be compensated by the state for the instructional hours taught at nonpublic schools.
Said Senator Ryan Aument, “Offering our students more opportunities to learn foundational skills in the STEM fields will open new doors for them and help them succeed after graduation,” said Aument. “By removing barriers so knowledgeable STEM instructors can more easily teach those in-demand courses to more students, we will be helping both Pennsylvania students and teachers simultaneously.”
Said Teach PA Executive Director Arielle Frankston-Morris, “We are thrilled that Senator Aument has championed this transformative program in Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth has always been a leader in expansion of educational access for all students and Senator Aument’s action today sets the stage for continued growth, for great teacher satisfaction, for addressing teacher shortage, and granting greater access to high quality STEM instruction.”
Said Teach Coalition Director of Government Affairs Dan Mitzner, “The OU’sTeach Coalition spearheaded nonpublic school STEM education programs similar to this one both in New York and New Jersey. This is now Pennsylvania’s moment, thanks to Pennsylvania’s leaders.We have already seen the massive difference programs like these make in improving educational outcomes in our schools and providing public school teachers with an avenue to enrich the lives of more students by doing what they do best. We are eager to see the establishment of this program in the Commonwealth as well.”
Teach PA is a branch of the Orthodox Union’s Teach Coalition, a multi-state, grassroots movement that advances Jewish and other nonpublic schools by advocating for strong school programs and resources.www.teachcoalition.org/pa