New York has selected 188 STEM teachers and 24 school counselors for its master educator programs, offering each participant a $15,000 annual stipend during a four-year term.
The new cohort represents 138 school districts, and applications for the next round are open through April 8, 2027, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office announced.
The Master Teacher and Master Counselor programs combine professional development with mentoring and collaboration. Participants deepen their knowledge, attend regional meetings and share practices with colleagues.
The latest selections bring the network to more than 1,900 educators, according to the state. The new group includes educators from 35 high-needs districts, with 50 individual members working in high-needs districts.
The STEM teachers work across kindergarten through 12th grade in subjects including science, computing, robotics, coding, engineering, mathematics and agriculture. Some teach integrated courses that cross traditional subject boundaries.
More than 60% of the newly selected teachers have over 10 years of classroom experience, and about one-third have at least 18 years. Elementary teachers account for 31% of the teacher cohort.
Sixty-five teachers hold multiple teaching certifications. The group includes 26 certified to teach students with disabilities, seven with certification in teaching English to speakers of other languages or bilingual education, and eight in career and technical education.
More than half of the selected counselors have over 12 years of experience. Seven work in elementary schools, and two hold work-based learning certification.
Forty new members have received grants supporting their work, the state said.
The regional structure connects educators with SUNY campuses. SUNY Geneseo hosts the Finger Lakes network, Binghamton University hosts the Southern Tier, and SUNY Cortland hosts Central New York.
The state's cumulative regional figures list 346 master teachers and nine master counselors in the Finger Lakes, 316 teachers and 11 counselors in the Southern Tier, and 301 teachers and six counselors in Central New York. Those are regional program totals, not the number newly selected this year.
Other host campuses include the University at Albany, Stony Brook University, Buffalo State University, SUNY New Paltz, SUNY Oneonta and SUNY Plattsburgh. New York City's program operates with Math for America.
Interested K-12 STEM teachers and school counselors can review eligibility requirements and application details and attend an information session with program staff before the April deadline.
The state announcement describes the new cohort and the four-year commitments.
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