Education - As introduced, enacts the "Tennessee Teacher Residency Program Act." - Amends TCA Title 49.

HB 1977 establishes the "Tennessee Teacher Residency Program Act," creating a state-funded initiative to support new teacher training through residency programs. The bill provides grants of up to $44,500 per teacher resident annually (for up to 100 residents) to cover program costs, resident stipends, and mentor teacher stipends. Residency programs must include a full academic year of coursework combined with a full year of supervised classroom apprenticeship under a mentor teacher, and require participants to commit to teaching for three consecutive years in a public school or charter school after program completion. Failure to meet this teaching commitment requires reimbursement of stipends, and programs must report annual data on outcomes to the Department of Education.