The New Jersey Department of Education is launching a new $1 million initiative called “Teach.Inspire.New Jersey” to recruit and retain teachers in the state.
The initiative includes a website where New Jersey’s “Teachers of the Year” statewide and locally share their stories to inspire their fellow educators and those looking to enter the field.
Stefanie Lachenauer, New Jersey’s 2024-2025 Teacher of the Year, said the stories highlight the lessons they present in their classrooms.
“Every day we plant seeds,” Lachenauer said. “You never know when that seed will grow into something great.”
In the Garden State, school districts have faced challenges attracting new teachers and retaining and growing existing teachers.
A state task force on the public school workforce shortage found that between 2014 and 2018, the number of teachers leaving New Jersey schools far exceeded the number of new college graduates.
Antonio Martin Franco came to teach in New Jersey from Spain.
He said no matter where someone comes from, everyone can cultivate the spirit of the Garden State’s next generation.
“We bring the experience. We bring the knowledge,” Franco said. “You can have that knowledge, and you can have that experience that a lot of kids are looking for.”
The initiative will last for the rest of the school year.
