Commentary: Expanding the Tennessee Future Teacher Scholarship Act is a commonsense way to address the state’s teacher shortage

Teacher surrounded by students (Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko/Pexels)

When we talk about the state of education in Tennessee, we often hear of staffing shortages and issues caused by teacher retention. Last fall, more than 800 classes in Middle Tennessee alone did not have a full-time educator.

Student achievement is dependent upon quality instruction in the classroom, and it is crucial to develop a workforce of educators large enough to handle Tennessee’s student population. By implementing legislation to encourage Tennessee students to enter the educator workforce, we can invest in the future of Tennessee students and set our students up for success.

Senate Bill 0682/House Bill 0504 provides one important step to do that.

Sponsored by Senator Dawn White, R-Murfreesboro, and Representative Mark White, R-Memphis, the legislation expands eligibility of the Tennessee Future Teacher Scholarship Act lawmakers passed in 2023 to education students in undergraduate programs and in alternative pathways and postgraduate programs. Currently the $5,000 annual scholarship is only available to students in an undergraduate Education Preparation Program (EPP).

This change will allow Tennessee to expand access to potential teachers and help build a larger pool of qualified educators in the state of Tennessee.

Recruitment and professional education should be central to ensuring a strong educator workforce, however, teacher retention is also key to ensuring that Tennessee classrooms remain staffed by a qualified educator. SB0682/HB0504 also requires recipients of the Tennessee Future Teacher Scholarship to sign a promissory note committing to work at a Tennessee school district or public charter school for two years after graduating. In short, to receive this scholarship, future teachers must commit to teaching Tennessee students. 

The legislation also requires the Comptroller of the Treasury to conduct three studies on the program’s effectiveness at increasing the number of teachers in Tennessee. These studies would begin four years after the implementation of the program and continue for the next seven graduating classes. This valuable research will help guide future leaders to make educated decisions about teacher recruitment and retention.

By expanding the Future Teacher Scholarship in scope, ensuring its recipients stay and work in Tennessee, and developing a comprehensive dataset to evaluate policy effectiveness, we can build a better future for Tennessee schools and provide more effective, quality instruction to students across the state.

Simon Rosenbaum is an associate with Tennesseans for Student Success. The Tennessee Firefly is a product of and supported by Tennesseans for Student Success.