AN ACT CONCERNING STIPENDS FOR STUDENT TEACHERS.

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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 5216
February Session, 2026 LCO No. 1376

Referred to Committee on EDUCATION

Introduced by:
(ED)

AN ACT CONCERNING STIPENDS FOR STUDENT TEACHERS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) ( Effective July 1, 2026 ) (a) The Department of 1
Education shall establish a program to be known as the "Student 2
Teacher Investment and Professional Educator Network for 3
Development" or "STIPEND" program. For the fall semester of 2026, and 4
each semester thereafter, the department shall provide funds to each 5
teacher preparation program, as defined in section 10-10a of the general 6
statutes, for each student teacher enrolled in such program who is 7
participating in a student teaching experience, pursuant to subsection 8
(i) of section 10-145a of the general statutes, at a public school in the state 9
for such semester. Such funds shall be in an amount equal to one 10
thousand dollars per week of such student teaching experience for each 11
such student teacher. The department shall request reimbursement, on 12
a pro rata basis, from any teacher preparation program that reports, 13
pursuant to subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this section, any such 14
student teaching experience as uncompleted. 15
(b) (1) Each teacher preparation program shall report to the 16
Raised Bill No. 5216

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Department of Education, in the form and manner prescribed by the 17
department, (A) not later that August 1, 2026, and December 1, 2026, 18
and each August first and December first thereafter, the estimated 19
number of student teachers who are enrolled in such program and will 20
participate in a student teaching experience at a public school in the state 21
during the following semester, and (B) not later than January 1, 2027, 22
and July 1, 2027, and each January first and July first thereafter, whether 23
any such student teachers did not complete such student teaching 24
experience during the prior semester, specifying the number of weeks 25
that were not completed. 26
(2) Upon receipt of the funds pursuant to subsection (a) of this 27
section, each teacher preparation program shall disburse stipends to 28
each student teacher who is participating in a student teaching 29
experience at a public school in the state for such semester in the amount 30
specified in subsection (a) of this section, provided such student teacher 31
shall return such stipend, on a pro rata basis, for any uncompleted 32
weeks of such student teaching experience. 33
(c) The Department of Education shall monitor the employment 34
status of each student teacher who received a stipend under the 35
STIPEND program for not fewer than three years after such student 36
teacher graduates from the teacher preparation program. The 37
department shall request reimbursement from any such student teacher 38
who is not employed as a certified teacher in a public school in the state 39
for at least two years after graduation from the teacher preparation 40
program, in an amount not less than fifty per cent of the total stipends 41
such student teacher received under the STIPEND program. 42
(d) Not later than January 1, 2028, and annually thereafter, the 43
Department of Education shall submit, in accordance with the 44
provisions of section 11 -4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing 45
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 46
relating to education a report, on a disaggregated basis, on the 47
employment rate at public schools in the state of student teachers who 48
received stipends under the STIPEND program. 49
Raised Bill No. 5216

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This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 July 1, 2026 New section

ED Joint Favorable C/R APP