On October 7, the House approved, 414-0, a bill (H.R. 5186) that would increase the amount of loan forgiveness for math, science, and special education teachers who teach for five years or more at schools in low-income areas. At press time, the Senate was expected to approve the measure before adjourning for the Columbus Day holiday.
Under the bill, the maximum amount of student loans that could be forgiven would increase from $5,000 under current law to $17,500.
Stating that the bill would help to ensure “that every child is given a chance to succeed to the best of his or her ability,” Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) explained that schools in low-income areas “are struggling to find highly qualified math, science, and special education teachers. This bill would more than triple loan forgiveness for teachers of these key subjects who agree to teach in title I schools for at least 5 years. The expanded loan relief for math, science, and special education teachers will help States and schools recruit and retain the teachers they desperately need. This bill will help schools place a highly qualified teacher in every public school classroom, as called for by the bipartisan No Child Left Behind [Act].”
Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) agreed that there is “a tremendous need to provide loan forgiveness for math, science and special education teachers. But there is also a tremendous need to recruit teachers for disadvantaged communities where it is very difficult to get specialized teachers to come. There is also a tremendous need to recruit male teachers for early childhood in elementary education. Many, many schoolboys do not see a male teacher until they reach eighth grade. So many of them grow up with the idea that education is not for them; that it is a girl-female thing…I support this legislation, but, of course, it falls short of the mark, and I look forward to the day when we will have a real loan forgiveness program that provides us with the teachers we need for America’s children.”
