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Eye On Boise

Teacher loan forgiveness bill sidetracked for unspecified amendments

Here’s an article from Idaho Education News:

By Clark Corbin

After a lengthy hearing Tuesday, a bill to forgive rural teachers’ student loan debt is headed to the House floor for amendments.

Pushed by Rep. Sally Toone, D-Gooding, House Bill 504 would provide $3,000 per year in student loan forgiveness for up to 500 qualified teachers working in rural districts.

Toone said the bill is designed to combat a familiar concern in education circles — that school districts, especially rural ones, struggle to recruit and retain quality teachers.

“The intent is to offer our teachers something (as an incentive) and make teachers feel like they are a priority,” Toone said.

The State Board of Education, State Department of Education and Rural Schools Association and several rural teachers came out in support of the bill during the hearing, while nobody opposed it.

Rep. Ryan Kerby, a New Plymouth Republican and the only former school superintendent serving on the House Education Committee, tried unsuccessfully to send the bill to the floor with a recommendation it pass.

“We have absolute crisis in our rural school districts in getting teachers,” Kerby said.

Several legislators pushed back, debating the bill vigorously for about an hour.

Reps. Ron Mendive, R-Coeur d’Alene, Dorothy Moon, R-Stanley, and Paul Amador, R-Coeur d’Alene, pointed out the bill does nothing for teachers who graduate college without student loan debt. Mendive said he would have preferred a bonus program that would not force the Legislature to pick and choose who was worthy.

Moon questioned how the state would know that quality educators were receiving loan forgiveness, noting the name of the bill is the “Quality Educator Loan Assistance Program,” and pointing out that some of the recipients would be first-year educators.

Ultimately, Rep. Gayann DeMordaunt, R-Eagle, led the effort to send the bill out for changes.

The amending process sidetracks the bill and may kill it. There does not appear to be consensus on any amendments. Legislators are working to wrap up their business for the year by March 23 and leadership is pushing a Monday deadline to transmit bills between the two legislative chambers.

Last year, Toone pushed for a similar loan forgiveness program, but the proposal never gained traction.



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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