Funding Future Teachers

The University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development has announced a $5 million gift from Jane P. Batten to expand access to teacher education through the school’s Tomorrow’s Teachers Fund. With University matching funds, the total impact reaches $7.5 million.

The gift will create the new Batten Family Tomorrow’s Teachers Fund, which will provide tuition assistance for full- or part-time students pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in teacher education.

Launched in 2023, the fund enables the school to attract prospective students and develop top educators. It also addresses rising costs that can prevent talented candidates from entering the teaching profession by offering up to $30,000 in tuition assistance.

“I was working after college, and so it was a big decision for me to give up a year of income to go back to school,” Kerry Baumann, who earned a Master of Teaching degree in 2025, said. “Ultimately, it came down to financial aid, and the Tomorrow’s Teacher Fund really is what made it possible for me to come to UVA.”

The Tomorrow’s Teachers Fund goals include:

• Increasing access to high-quality teacher preparation at one of the nation’s leading, comprehensive teaching programs.

• Reducing the cost of becoming a teacher. Students in the program receive a degree from UVA at a cost that is lower than the cost of training at most other flagship universities.
• Improving teacher quality as graduates leave the program with a professional teaching license, which verifies they have met all competencies for licensure before entering the classroom.
• Increasing compensation for teachers. For example, in Virginia, all divisions offer increased pay to teachers who complete education beyond a bachelor’s degree.

“This extraordinary gift by Jane Batten to the Tomorrow’s Teacher Fund empowers the next generation of educators to step into classrooms ready to lead and inspire,” Stephanie Rowley, dean of the UVA School of Education and Human Development, said. “This investment ensures that students committed to teaching can pursue their calling without the heavy burden of financial stress, ultimately benefiting the children and families they will serve.”

The Tomorrow’s Teachers Fund launched with support from members of the School of Education and Human Development Foundation board and school alumni, with an early boost from a $500,000 grant from the UVA Parents Fund, doubling the funds raised in the first year. The first group of recipients began their studies in the summer of 2024. The fund will support an additional 300 teacher education students in the next three years.

Batten is the widow of the late Frank Batten Sr. (Col ’50), who established the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at UVA. Jane Batten, who served as a founding member of the Batten School’s board, is president of the Virginia-based Batten Foundation.

An alumna of Hollins University, she has long championed education, including early childhood initiatives. In 2019, she made a $10 million gift to the School of Education and Human Development to support professorships and fellowships in early childhood education. The gift qualified for a match through UVA’s Bicentennial Professors Fund, resulting in a total impact of $16.3 million.

“It is an honor to partner with Dean Rowley and her team and support an endeavor that will change the lives of students and address the financial burden many future teachers will face as they begin their careers,” Batten said.