UW-Madison’s education programs will continue to be able to offer grants to teachers that stay in Wisconsin thanks to a major donation.
The 5 million dollars from best-selling author and UW-Madison alum Susan Patterson is going to the Teacher Pledge program. Assistant Dean Tom Owenby says it’s vital to keep teachers here.
“We see this as a program that’s supporting the pipeline, you know, with getting folks into teacher ed programs and supporting them completing that work.”
Owenby says everyone benefits from having well-educated teachers in their school districts. “Investing in teachers is really an investment in the present and future of Wisconsin.”
The Department of Public instruction says there are almost 32 hundred emergency teachers in Wisconsin’s school districts, nearly triple from a decade ago. The new donation extends the program until 2027.