# 119-s-4025: Addressing Teacher Shortages Act of 2026

119-s-4025, Addressing Teacher Shortages Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN] (D-MN); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4025
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4025
- Congress: 119
- Title: Addressing Teacher Shortages Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-03-09
- Sponsor: Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN] (D-MN)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Education
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

This bill would create **federal grants to tackle teacher shortages**, funding local educational agencies and partnerships to build residency programs, mentoring, Grow Your Own pathways, and 2+2 pipelines. - Teachers and early-career educators: Would fund residencies, mentor programs, induction supports, student-teaching stipends, tuition forgiveness, and pay for leadership roles to help recruit and retain teachers. Grantees must track retention at 3 and 5 years. - Rural communities and high-need subjects: Would reserve not less than 25% of funds for rural LEAs and not less than 25% for high-need subject areas like STEM, special education, and English as a second language. - Local districts and colleges: Would award at least 5-year grants to eligible LEAs or consortia, allow 1-year planning grants, require nonfederal matching equal to the grant unless reduced or waived, and direct the Secretary to assign staff to help under-resourced applicants. It would also encourage recognizing teaching as a Career and Technical Education pathway.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Easier routes for future teachers: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would widen who can participate in program-funded pathways. Eligible entities would be LEAs or consortia. A 2+2 program would let community colleges fully transfer teacher preparation credits to 4‑year programs. Teaching residencies could lead to a bachelor's or a master's with…
- New federal grants to hire teachers: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Department of Education would run a competitive grant program to reduce teacher shortages. The bill would authorize "such sums as may be necessary" for fiscal years 2027–2032. The Secretary would reserve 5% of funds for Bureau of Indian Education schools. From the remaining funds, n…
- Grants for teacher pay and training: mixed, medium. If enacted, grant recipients would be allowed to pay for residency programs, mentor incentives, and direct supports for teacher candidates and early-career teachers. Grants could pay resident salaries, tuition forgiveness in exchange for at least a 3-year teaching commitment, mentor pay, student-te…
- Grant reporting and evaluation rules: mixed, low. If enacted, applicants would need an evaluation plan with measurable objectives. Plans must track educator retention at years 3 and 5, licensure pass rates or reliable teacher assessment results, hires by high-need LEAs, and percentages of participants from underrepresented groups and in high-need…

## Related bills

- 119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026
- 119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act
- 119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act
- 119-s-1507: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-4025 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4025)

## Related
- [119-s-5071: Children's Safe Welcome Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5071)
- [119-s-5022: Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5022)
- [119-s-2819: Head Start for America's Children Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2819)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [119-s-1507: Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1507)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4025 (as of 2026-04-21).