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Procurement #254: Teachers of Tomorrow / TOTSMBE 2026-2030

Legislative Authority

The Teachers of Tomorrow Program was established under an amendment to Education Law, Chapter 62 of the Laws of 2000 to assist school districts in the recruitment, retention, and certification activities necessary to increase the supply of qualified teachers in school districts experiencing a teacher shortage, especially low-performing schools. Not more than sixty percent of funds allocated will be made available to any one school district.

Purpose of Grant

The purpose of the Teachers of Tomorrow Program is to provide a variety of incentives that will encourage prospective teachers to teach in a school district experiencing a teacher shortage or subject shortage, especially in districts with low-performing schools.Ìý

The statewide shortage subject areas for 2025-26 are: Career and Technical Education (7-12), Language Arts, (7-12), Library/Media Specialist (Pre-K-12), Mathematics (7-12), and Sciences (7-12), Special Education (7-12). The statewide shortage subject areas are updated each year and can be found on the . For the purposes of this Request for Proposal, early learning or early childhood education is a priority per the Deputy Commissioner of P-12.

There are two grant programs for this funding opportunity.

Program One (1): The Teachers of Tomorrow - these grant funds are distributed on a competitive basis to eligible districts to fund activities in each of the following categories:

  1. Teacher Recruitment Incentives
  2. Summer in the City Internships for City School Districts in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and Yonkers and NYC Department of Education
  3. Master Teacher Program
  4. Tuition Reimbursement Program
  5. Summer Teacher Training Program for NYC Department of Education schools ONLY
  6. Transitional Certification Program for NYC Department of Education Schools ONLY

Program Two (2): The Teachers of Tomorrow Science, Mathematics, Bilingual Education and English as New Language Tuition Reimbursement Program funds are allocated to eligible districts to attract qualified teachers who have received or will receive a transitional teaching certificate, to teach in a low-performing school that is experiencing a shortage of teachers in science, mathematics, bilingual education, and/or English as a new language. Districts may fund activities in each of the following three categories:

  1. Tuition Reimbursement for Professional Certification in Science, Mathematics, and English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
  2. Tuition Reimbursement for Initial Certification in Science, Mathematics, and ESOL
  3. Tuition Reimbursement for the Bilingual Education Extension

Project Period

7/1/2026Ìý— 6/30/2030

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are school districts experiencing a teacher shortage and school districts with a school building that has been designated as a low-performing school. In allocating grants to school buildings, a school district shall give priority in the following order:

  1. Schools designated as under Receivership
  2. Low-performing schools (Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI), Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI), or Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) Schools that are designated as teacher and/or subject shortage areas,
  3. Schools that are designated as teacher- and/or subject-shortage areas.

Amount of Funding

$100,000,000.00 for the four-year cycle.

The previous cycle funding for these grants was approximately $25 million annually. For this grant cycle, С槼ºÖ±²¥ projects that $20,000,000 will be allocated annually for Program One (Teachers of Tomorrow) and $5,000,000 will be allocated for Program Two (Teachers of Tomorrow Science, Mathematics, Bilingual Education and English as New Language Tuition Reimbursement Program) for a total of $25,000,000.

Funding beyond Year One will be contingent upon the State Legislature appropriating funds. In the event that the budget for this program is reduced, all grant awards will be reduced proportionately. For example, if С槼ºÖ±²¥ awards a grant of $100,000 and funding is cut by 10%, С槼ºÖ±²¥ will reduce that award by 10% or $10,000, for a revised amount of $90,000.

Application Due Date and Submission Instructions

Applicants are requested to submit their application electronically. The required documents, as listed in the Application Checklist section of this RFP, must be received via no later than July 1, 2026. Applications are due by 5:00 PM Eastern Time.

Questions and Answers

Questions regarding the request must be submitted via no later than the close of business June 5, 2026. A Questions and Answers Summary will be posted here no later than June 17, 2026.

Non-Mandatory Notice of Intent

The Notice of Intent (NOI) is not a requirement for submitting a complete application by the application date; however, С槼ºÖ±²¥ strongly encourages all prospective applicants to submit an NOI to ensure a timely and thorough review and rating process. A non-profit applicant’s NOI will also help to facilitate timely review of their prequalification materials. The notice of intent is a simple email notice stating your organization’s (use the legal name) intent to submit an application for this grant. Please also include your organization’s NYS Vendor ID. The due date is June 17, 2026. Please send the NOI via this .

С槼ºÖ±²¥ Designated Contacts

Program Matters Fiscal Matters
Doris Waiters Taylor Gillis

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RFP Documents