Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration is boosting aid for Pennsylvanians who hope to become special education teachers. This comes as President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress limit the amount of financial support graduate students can receive from the federal government. 

Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Carrie Rowe on March 17 announced the state will provide close to $1 million in grants to 11 higher education institutions that officials say will help to more quickly train individuals to become special education teachers. 

The grants are part of a Shapiro administration program, the Accelerated Program for PK-12 Special Education Teacher Certification, that since 2023 has helped hundreds of Pennsylvanians receive special education teacher certification within 18 months or less. The program provides flexible instruction time and mentorship in an effort to support people who cannot afford to leave their full-time jobs to pursue the additional education they need. The grants announced this week will help about 175 people receive certification, bringing the total number of individuals trained through the program to more than 450.

“It’s no secret that in Pennsylvania and across the nation, we have been dealing for years now with a supply and demand problem,” Amy Lena, the deputy secretary for the state Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, said during a March 17 press conference at East Stroudsburg University. “Many schools struggle each year to staff each teaching position, and that’s especially true in special education, which requires a highly specialized skill set.” 

The schools that will receive the state funding are DeSales University, East Stroudsburg University, Gannon University, King’s College, Kutztown University, Mercyhurst University, Moravian University, Penn State University, Point Park University, Robert Morris University, and Temple University. 

The additional state dollars for special education come as the Trump administration is slashing federal funding for higher education. Under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Doanld Trump in July 2025, graduate students will have a more difficult time obtaining loans for their studies. The law entirely eliminates the federal Grad PLUS loan program, which allows students to borrow up to the full amount of the cost of graduate school, with flexible repayment terms and fixed interest rates. New Grad PLUS loans will not be available beginning July 1.

The law also changes caps for the amount that a graduate student can borrow in federal direct unsubsidized loans. Starting in January 2027, graduate students will not be able to borrow more than $20,500 in federal loans per year, and there will be a lifetime limit of $100,000 — a decrease from the previous cap of $138,500.

Democratic state Rep. Tara Probst, who sits on the House Education Committee, said the funding for special education teachers is especially important in light of the new federal limits. 

“They’re really trying to chip away at people wanting to do better and be professionals,” Probst said.

During the press conference, program graduates and current special education teachers explained that the state initiative plays a critical role in making higher education affordable for individuals, especially for those who are working to support a family and cannot leave their employment.

Tina Pan was working as a paraeducator supporting students with autism when she was accepted into the accelerated program through East Stroudsburg University in 2022. 

“When that opportunity came, my life was also going through a very challenging time,” Pan said. “I was in the final stages of my divorce and navigating custody while raising my daughter as a single mom. I was working full time and starting graduate school all at once, so many nights looked the same: I’d bring my daughter to her dance, to her activities, come home, attend classes online, and, then, after she went to bed, I would start doing all my homework. There were definitely moments where I wondered if I could finish with the workload, whether I was capable.”

While there were many nights filled with anxiety, Pan said, she worked hard to graduate from the program in 2024 and now has a job she loves as a special education teacher for an autistic support classroom at Morey Elementary School in the Stroudsburg School District. 

“Every day in my classroom reminds me why our work matters,” she said. “My students are all unique in their own ways. They challenge me to be patient, creative, flexible and constantly growing as a teacher. And some of the smallest moments, like a new word spoken, a successful transition or even a moment of connection, can feel like the biggest victories.”