The Lafayette Parish School System (LPSS) and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette) announced Thursday a first-of-its-kind initiative to support aspiring educators during yearlong residencies in LPSS classrooms. According to an LPSS news release, beginning in the 2024-2025 academic year, resident teachers attending UL Lafayette will be eligible for a monthly stipend of $1,000 to complete their ten-month residency program.
“We are pleased to once again partner with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to address major issues impacting our classrooms,” stated Superintendent Francis Touchet, Jr. "This stipend program not only addresses the financial challenges faced by our education majors but also solidifies our commitment to nurturing a talented pool of educators for students attending school in our district."
This innovative stipend program is designed to alleviate the financial burdens education majors face during their residency portion of earning an education degree. To be eligible for the stipend, teacher residents must commit to a two-year employment term as classroom teachers with LPSS after graduation. Upon completing Residency I and II and subsequent hiring as classroom teachers, residents will be placed on step one of the classroom teacher pay scale, the release states.
“We commend the Lafayette Parish School System for being proactive in attracting future teachers,” said Dr. Joseph Savoie, UL Lafayette president. “This partnership between the University and LPSS will help put more qualified teachers in classrooms, and we are grateful to the school board and the LPSS administration for the opportunities this collaboration provides.”
A key objective of this stipend initiative is to establish a robust pipeline of certified classroom teachers within LPSS. Despite the existing $3,300 stipend provided by the Louisiana Department of Education for yearlong residencies, students often struggle to support themselves financially outside of school day hours. By providing financial support during the crucial residency period, LPSS and UL Lafayette aim to attract and retain highly qualified educators, enhance the educational experience for aspiring teachers, and ensure a seamless transition from student to professional classroom teacher roles.
There is an urgent need for certified classroom teachers nationwide and statewide, and the need is expected to grow exponentially over the next decade. The current local annual need is approximately 589 teachers, with an anticipated growth of 36 new positions per year.
In addition to the stipend initiative, LPSS and UL are addressing the teacher shortage through the Educators Rising program. Launched two years ago, this program allows middle school and high school students to explore the field of education and receive mentorship from experienced educators, according to LPSS.
Activities like visits to UL, future teacher signing days, and participation in the Educators Rising State Conference are offered at the high school level. High school students enrolled in
pre-educator pathway courses may become eligible for college credit upon meeting specified requirements. Upon graduation, UL Lafayette students are invited to join Educators Rising
Collegiate, which has grown from 3 to 90 members in about three years.
LPSS Diversity and Equity Talent Coordinator Nicky Walker stated, “By working together with preparation providers and transforming how we build and diversify our pipeline of educators, we have already begun to see quite a few middle and high school students look at this profession as an attractive possibility, and we are hoping to increase the teacher pool by providing financial support to senior college education majors during their year-long residencies. We will not grow lazy on this effort because addressing this kind of shortage will take many years to overcome, and it would be an injustice to our kids if we did not do everything in our power to put effective teachers in front of them.”
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