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During an event last week at Stockton University in Galloway, the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) highlighted efforts being made by the Murphy administration to address an issue of critical importance — the teacher shortage felt here in New Jersey as well as nationally.

The two initiatives include:

• The New Jersey Teacher Loan Redemption Program – which offers partial student loan redemption for certain recently hired teachers in high-need fields within eligible schools. Teachers can receive up to $5,000 per year, with a lifetime maximum total of $20,000, in student loan redemption in exchange for teaching in a qualifying position for up to four years.
• The Student-Teacher Stipend Pilot Program – which issues $3,000 stipends for student-teachers during their full-time clinical practice semester as part of an approved Educator Preparation Program (EPPs) at one of Jersey’s colleges and universities. The funding helps with the cost of living while future educators are student-teaching – going toward housing, nutrition, health care and education expenses.

Officials say that these efforts are in addition to other steps the administration has taken to address the issue, such as: allocating more money in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget improve teacher quality of life, facilitating the development of local partnership, supporting a teacher apprentice program; establishing a Task Force on Public School Staff Shortages; streamlining the certification process for educators by eliminating the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) requirement; signing legislation to allow retired teachers to return to classrooms for up to two years while retaining their pensions; and implementing a teacher certification fee holiday.

Gov. Phil Murphy says that the state is looking to grow and strengthen the educational workforce.

“Teachers are the lifeblood of our school systems, helping to prepare the future leaders of our state, country, and the world,” said Murphy. “It is of critical importance that we create competitive initiatives that attract and retain top educator talent by ensuring financial barriers don’t keep great teachers out of the classroom.”

“These critical HESAA initiatives play a key role in the Murphy Administration’s comprehensive and ongoing efforts to grow New Jersey’s educator workforce,” said HESAA Executive Director David Socolow, who met with key stakeholders at Stockton to discuss these issues and initiatives.

“As educators, we recognize the value of strong teachers and the transformative experiences they provide their students each day,” said Stockton University President Joe Bertolino. “We are pleased to see their importance highlighted by these two programs. The stipends and loan redemption program provide tangible support to Stockton’s student teachers as they embark on their teaching careers.”

“I am proud to stand alongside our education partners, including Stockton University and the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) to unveil two groundbreaking initiatives,” said Angelica Allen-McMillan, acting commissioner of education, who is set to depart at the end of January. “These initiatives are integral to our collective mission of addressing the national educator shortage and play a critical role in cultivating a robust and dedicated workforce for New Jersey.”