LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Ashanti Buford is completing field experience here at J.B. Atkinson Elementary School to prepare her for her future career.  

What You Need To Know

  • The Kentucky Board of Education proposed legislation which would allow student-teachers to receive a $8,000 stipend per semester to help address a teacher shortage in the state

  • Education students must complete 70 full-time student-teaching days to be certified. Currently, students don’t get compensated

  • Student-teachers work about seven and a half hours per day, five days a week

But next semester, she will be in the classroom full-time as a student-teacher, another critical step to become a certified teacher.

The University of Louisville education student says she has wanted to be a teacher since she was a child. 

“I really want to be a second grade or third grade teacher because they’re still learning, they’re still young and they’re so innocent but you can still get into those hard core, curriculum stuff with them and just enjoy them,” Buford said.  

In order for Buford to become an educator, she must complete 70 days of full-time student-teaching to be certified in Kentucky. 

Currently, those students don’t get compensated for student-teaching hours.

To address the teacher shortage in Kentucky, the Kentucky Board of Education is proposing an $8,000 stipend per semester for student-teachers. This works out to $15 an hour for a student-teacher working seven and a half hours a day for 70 days. 

“It would be such an improvement if it were to happen because it’s a full-time job, and a lot of people my age, we can’t do other outside jobs. Maybe on the weekend, maybe night shifts, but that would impact our studies,” Buford explained.

She says that the stipend could help student-teachers bring their A-game. 

“So for working on top of that for 40 hours, it would be stressful, and it’s hard to get the sleep that we need, it’s hard to plan the lessons that we need and just to be prepared for ourselves to do this,” she shared.

The U.S Department of Education reported Kentucky has over 50% of critical shortage areas in the 2022-2023 school year. 

This means specific subject areas and grade levels lack certified teachers.

Buford believes the stipend will eliminate some financial barriers and will ultimately help with the teacher shortage. 

“So I think this will help a lot of people want to become teachers and get their undergraduate degree in teaching, and this would help with the teacher shortage or get more qualified teachers what they need before becoming actual certified teachers,” Buford said.  

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