SACRAMENTO:- EdVoice brought together educators, families, and policy advocates at the State Capitol to urge Governor Newsom and state lawmakers to save the Golden State Teacher Grant (GSTG) Program before it sunsets in 2026.

California currently has a deepening teacher shortage crisis. Speakers at the press conference emphasized a simple message: California cannot close learning gaps or improve student outcomes without committed teachers in every classroom – particularly in the schools that need them most.

“Teachers are the single most important school-based factor in student success. Investing in them is investing in our kids,” said Marshall Tuck, CEO of EdVoice. “The Golden State Teacher Grant Program is a proven, cost-effective tool for getting qualified teachers into California’s hardest-to-staff classrooms and keeping them there. Allowing this program to end this year would be a serious mistake that our teachers and kids in low-income communities would pay for.”

Launched to help address persistent teacher shortages, the Golden State Teacher Grant Program provides financial support to teacher candidates who commit to teaching in high-needs schools for multiple years after earning their credential. Since its launch, the program has helped bring more than 22,000 fully qualified teachers to serve in nearly 2,900 high-needs campuses across California.

GSTG recipients are more racially and ethnically diverse than California’s existing teacher workforce, with 55% identifying as Hispanic or Latino, compared to just 26% of the statewide teacher workforce. Additionally, 91% of GSTG recipients plan to stay in their schools beyond their required commitment, showing how meaningful financial support drives real retention.

“The Golden State Teacher Grant made it possible for me to pursue teaching and serve in a high-need school,” said Siray Rogers, a Golden State Teacher Grant recipient and teacher resident with the Village Initiative at the Watts of Power Foundation in Los Angeles. “The cost of earning a credential in California can be overwhelming, and without support like GSTG a lot of talented future teachers simply could not afford to enter the profession. We need our state leaders to step up for us, so we can keep delivering real results for students, families, and communities across California.”

Despite its strong track record, the GSTG Program is scheduled to expire in 2026. EdVoice and coalition partners are calling on state leaders to invest $100 million in the 2026–27 state budget to sustain and strengthen the program, as part of the state’s broader efforts to strengthen the educator workforce. This is aligned with the state’s previous annual investments in the program.

In their day of advocacy, education supporters provided public comment to the Assembly budget subcommittee on the importance of the GSTG program, and met with legislators throughout the day to push for inclusion of the $100 million investment in the 2026-27 state budget.