NSBA's Letter in Support of TEACH Grants in HR 2669 Conference Report: September 5, 2007
September 5, 2007
Member
Conference Committee on H.R. 2669
United States Congress
Washington, DC 20510
Re: Support for Inclusion of TEACH Grants in H.R. 2669 Conference Report
Dear Member:
On behalf of the 95,000 school board members who serve the nation’s 50 million students in our local public school districts, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) thanks you for your leadership as the conference committee works to reconcile differences between H.R. 2669, the “College Cost Reduction Act of 2007,” and the Senate’s “Higher Education Access Act.” We respectfully urge you to support the inclusion of the TEACH Grants in the final conference report and in final passage of H.R. 2669. These grants represent one step forward in assisting local school districts in their efforts to recruit and retain qualified teachers of high-need subjects in high-need schools.
As you know, the House-passed version of H.R. 2669 contains the TEACH Grants, which include tuition aid of up to $16,000 over 4 years for high-achieving undergraduate students who commit to teaching a high-need subject, such as math, science, or a foreign language, or teach students with disabilities or English Language Learners (ELL), in a high-need school for at least 4 school years, and include up to $8,000 over 4 years for graduate students who make the same commitment. We are pleased that the legislation specifically requires applicants to be among the highest achieving students while working toward their teaching certificate, and that it encourages mid-career professionals with subject matter expertise to pursue a graduate degree in conjunction with a teaching certificate. These provisions are one promising strategy for assisting our highest-need schools and districts to have increased access to the best and brightest teachers.
While hiring decisions remain the responsibility of local school districts, it is an appropriate role for Congress to assist the neediest schools in their recruitment and retention efforts by offering meaningful incentives, such as the TEACH Grants, to prospective teachers. If you have any questions or wish to discuss this issue further please feel free to contact Marcus Egan, Director of Federal Affairs, at (703) 838-6707 or megan@nsba.org.
Sincerely,
Michael A. Resnick
Associate Executive Director