‘We need to make sure we have the teachers’
Published 9:49 am Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Teacher Amber Jensen works with students Tuesday in her classroom at Sibley Elementary School. The students were playing “Product Pileup,” a game that focuses on combining the products of multi-digit multiplication problems. – Colleen Harrison/Albert Lea Tribune
Bill calls for provision aimed at addressing teacher shortage
District 27A Rep. Peggy Bennett proposed legislation this week to address teacher shortages across the state.
Bennett, a former first-grade teacher at Sibley Elementary School, said she has talked with various superintendents across the district, along with others across the state, and has found that several of them are facing shortages in key subject areas. The Albert Lea School District this year, for example, has had a challenge finding a high school English teacher, she said.
“It’s not just a rural Minnesota thing, even the metro has it,” she said.
Jensen teaches fourth grade at Sibley Elementary School in Albert Lea. – Colleen Harrison/Albert Lea Tribune
Under the proposal, teachers who teach in areas identified as “teacher shortage areas” each year by the commissioner of education would be eligible to apply for a certain amount of loan forgiveness for up to five years.
“It’s a shame that students in some schools are lacking educational opportunity because of the lack of qualified, licensed teachers in their communities,” said Bennett, R-Albert Lea. “This bill will help bring the qualified teachers we need to the schools that need it most, and help out students, teachers and schools in Greater Minnesota as well as the metro.”
Bennett said areas where it is a struggle to fill jobs across the state include special education, math and science.
“Students should receive a well-rounded education no matter what part of the state they live in,” she said. “To make that goal a reality, we need to make sure we have the teachers necessary to teach students in every subject matter. This loan forgiveness program is a small piece of the puzzle, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to find more ways to address the problem.”
The bill was referred to the Education Innovation Policy Committee, where it awaits its first hearing.
The bill is co-authored by Education Finance Chairwoman Jen Loon, R-Eden Prairie, and DFL Rep. Carlos Mariani, DFL-St. Paul, the DFL-lead on the Education Innovation Policy Committee.
