The General Assembly appropriated $2.85 million in each year of the biennium to strengthen teacher preparation and retention in Virginia’s hard-to-staff school divisions through targeted teacher residency partnerships. These funds support collaborative programs between university teacher preparation providers and school divisions such as Petersburg, Norfolk, and Richmond City, with eligibility extended to any public institution of higher education partnering with hard-to-staff divisions.

The initiative is designed to improve teacher readiness and long-term retention in high-need schools through site-specific residency models that include structured preparation, mentoring, and potential stipends to attract qualified candidates. As required in Item 124.Q of the Appropriation Act, partner school divisions contribute at least one-third of program costs and provide the data necessary to evaluate outcomes. University partners must submit annual reports to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).

For fiscal year 2026, VDOE received three applications from institutions of higher education. A review panel—representing a school division, and two public institutions—determined that all submissions met statutory and program requirements and recommended full funding for all three. These awards supported teacher residents across multiple divisions, and every resident completing the program accepted a teaching position in their host division, advancing the legislative goal of improving staffing stability in high-need schools. The awards supported 28 teacher residents across 21 school divisions.

VDOE is undertaking a comprehensive modernization of Virginia’s teacher licensure system, with a new system planned for implementation in 2027. In addition to creating a more efficient and user-friendly licensure process for educators, school divisions, and educator preparation programs, this modernization provides an opportunity to strengthen the Commonwealth’s educator workforce data infrastructure. The new system will be designed to capture more consistent information about how educators enter the profession, including their preparation pathway and participation in residency-based and other alternative preparation models, and to connect those data with information about where educators are employed and how long they remain in Virginia classrooms. Over time, these improvements will allow VDOE to better understand the outcomes of different preparation pathways, identify patterns in educator recruitment and retention, and provide policymakers, preparation programs, and school divisions with more actionable information about Virginia’s educator workforce. This enhanced data capacity will also support the Commonwealth in evaluating the effectiveness of investments in teacher preparation and workforce initiatives and making more informed decisions about how best to strengthen the educator pipeline.

VDOE has consolidated all required reports from participating higher education partners for fiscal year 2026. Attachments include submissions from each awarded institution and partner school division.