As Gov. Kathy Hochul rolls out proposals to strengthen and rebuild New York’s teacher workforce, New York State United Teachers today released a new report, Forging a New Future: Recruitment and Certification, offering practical, ready-to-implement solutions to address issues in teacher certification and recruitment.
The teacher shortage is a national problem, and in New York, persists in key subject areas across the state, including secondary-level Special Education, Career and Technical Education, Science, English Language Arts, Math, and Library Media Specialists, according to federal data.
All the while, enrollment in New York’s teacher preparation programs has dropped 42 percent, and program completions are down at least 35 percent, according to NYSUT research since 2009. These are trends that threaten students’ access to qualified educators across the state.
Over the past two years, NYSUT convened a statewide workgroup of educators and teacher educators — from early childhood through higher education — to study what’s broken in the recruitment and certification system and what will work to fix it.
The result is a set of evidence-based recommendations designed to recruit and retain educators, reduce financial barriers, and streamline a certification system that has become unnecessarily complex.
“These are not theoretical ideas; they are shovel-ready solutions,” said NYSUT President Melinda Person. “We appreciate the governor’s focus on rebuilding the educator workforce, and we encourage policymakers to seriously consider these proposals as steps we can take immediately this year. Our students don’t have time to wait.”
Key Recommendations from the Report:
- Create a new statewide paid student teaching program providing $10,000 stipends to student teachers in shortage areas
- Expand teacher residency and apprenticeship programs statewide
- Convene a State Education Department workgroup to review, simplify, and streamline the certification system
- Increase funding for mentorship and teacher pipeline programs
- Restore and expand proven state and local teacher recruitment programs
- Reimburse the cost of master's degree tuition at SUNY rates
- Cover all state-mandated certification costs, including exams, workshops, and fingerprinting
Among the top recommendations is creating a statewide student teacher stipend program, which would pay aspiring educators during their required student teaching. States that have adopted stipends have seen immediate gains in recruitment.
Importantly, the report makes clear that strengthening the pipeline does not mean lowering standards. NYSUT’s proposals focus on cutting red tape — such as simplifying certification pathways, improving reciprocity, and addressing application backlogs — while maintaining New York’s rigorous expectations for educators.
“Our members know what it takes to attract and keep great educators in the profession,” said NYSUT Executive Vice President Jaime Ciffone. “These recommendations reflect years of work by educators themselves and offer a clear roadmap for policymakers who are serious about solving the teacher shortage.”