Committee hears HB 12 to provide $2,500 scholarship supplement for Delaware Teacher Academy graduates

Senate sponsors presented House Bill 12 (with House Amendment 1), which would create a scholarship to supplement existing educator support funding and fill a $2,500 gap for students who have completed the Delaware Teacher Academy and are enrolled in an approved Delaware educator-preparation program.

The committee was told the scholarship is intended to be paid in two equal installments, one each semester, to help remove financial barriers during a student’s first year in a preparation program. "HB 12 is a smart targeted investment in that pipeline," Taylor Hawk of the Delaware State Education Association told the committee, urging support for a measure designed to strengthen local recruitment and retention of educators.

Why it matters: Committee members framed the bill as a continuation of existing Grow Your Own and residency programs that have helped Delaware expand its educator workforce. Members asked whether the term "Delaware educator preparation program" meant only the University of Delaware; witnesses clarified that the label refers to any program approved by DOE, and that multiple institutions may hold an approved program through articulation agreements.

What the bill would do: The legislation would supplement an existing educator support scholarship; the bill text discussed a $2,500 award intended to be paid across two semesters to offset college costs for an aspiring teacher in their first year of a preparation program.

Next steps: Committee members heard testimony and public comment and did not take a committee vote on HB 12 during this meeting. The sponsor said a backer sheet was circulating for cosponsors.