On June 4, the House Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness approved, by voice vote, a bill (H.R. 438) that would increase student loan forgiveness for math, science, and special education teachers. Subcommittee Chair Buck McKeon said that the bill “would go a long way in helping recruit and retain qualified teachers to teach in areas of need,” while Democrats argued that the bill should be broader in scope and include other types of teachers.
Sponsored by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act would increase the maximum amount of student loan forgiveness for elementary and secondary math, science, and special education teachers from the current $5,000 to $17,500. In order to qualify for the loan forgiveness program, teachers must agree to teach for five consecutive years at a Title I school.
The subcommittee turned back several Democratic attempts to broaden the scope of the bill. Rep. John Tierney (D-MA) offered an amendment that would have applied the loan forgiveness to Head Start and Early Head Start teachers, but it was defeated, 12-15. Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ) offered an amendment that would have applied the loan forgiveness to all teachers in high-poverty schools, but it also was defeated, 12-16.
