[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 28, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1679-S1680]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Mr. Reid):
  S. 227. A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to extend 
loan forgiveness for certain loans to certified or licensed teachers, 
to provide for grants that promote teacher certification and licensing, 
and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
and Pensions.

[[Page S1680]]

  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce this bill 
with Senator Harry Reid to increase the maximum loan cancellation 
amount available to credentialed teachers from $5,000 to $10,000.
  Educational research is clear: the single most important contributor 
to raising student achievement is having well-trained, high-caliber 
teachers in the classroom. And yet, far too many of our Nations' 
students are being taught by teachers who are not fully credentialed.
  This is especially true in low-income communities, where 22 percent 
of the teachers do not have credentials, more than 10 times the rate in 
wealthy communities.
  Because good teachers can make such a positive difference in the 
classroom, the ``No Child Left Behind Act,'' signed by President Bush 
last year, requires States to ensure that all teachers in our public 
schools are ``highly qualified'' by the 2005-2006 school year. This 
benchmark, which I believe was long overdue, is one that I applaud and 
was pleased to support last Congress.
  And while we have taken a bold first step by committing that our 
children will receive quality education from a licensed teacher, our 
work is far from over.
  We must now strengthen our commitment by helping States look for new 
ways to reach prospective teachers and build quality into their teacher 
preparation and development programs.
  Nationwide, it is estimated that approximately 2 million new teachers 
will need to be hired by 2009.
  This statistic, combined with the reality that roughly 200,000 
veteran teachers will need to get their teaching certificate by the 
2005 school year or lose their ability to teach, makes it clear that 
States have an ambitious requirement to fulfill in a short amount of 
time.
  But many States and school districts argue that they lack the 
resources necessary to fulfill these mandates on their own.
  The gravity of this problem is vividly depicted in California, where 
at least 300,000 new teachers will need to be hired and credentialed by 
2008 to replace retirees and to accommodate the projected population 
growth at a time when the State is experiencing a drastic budget 
shortfall. All of this must happen during a time when the State is 
experiencing drastic budget shortfalls. The California State Board of 
Education projects that all of these changes will cost $6 billion.
  The $6 billion price tag does not include the costs associated with 
credentialing 32,000 emergency credentialed teachers, which is 11 
percent of California's entire workforce, by the 2005 school year. This 
task alone would cost California $365 million.
  And none of these cost-estimates take into account the cost of 
credentialing teachers in other States with high percentages of the 
teaching work force not fully credentialed.
  While I strongly believe that States need to be held accountable for 
ensuring that all teachers are fully credentialed. But I also recognize 
that in order for States to meet this Federal mandate on time, many may 
need guidance and support from the Federal Government.
  This is not just a matter of holding those in the local school 
district or the local schoolhouse accountable; it is also a question of 
holding those in positions of public trust from the schoolhouse up to 
the statehouse, and to the U.S. Capitol, too, accountable for making 
sure that the job gets done.
  I believe that this bill takes a good first step in doing just that 
by creating a balance between State and Federal accountability and 
addressing two obstacles confronting school districts as they prepare 
for the 2005 academic year: lack of incentives to lure teachers into 
teacher credentialing programs early and lack of resources available to 
teaching institutions to improve and build upon their credentialing 
curriculum.
  I believe that the Federal Government should recognize the value of 
having a qualified teacher in a low income classroom by enhancing the 
loan cancellation benefits of credentialed teachers.
  Current law allows teachers to receive up to $5,000 of their student 
loans to be forgiven in exchange for 5 years of teaching in a low-
income school. Unfortunately, few teachers have taken advantage of this 
program because of the low loan cancellation amount available to them 
in comparison to the length of service required for eligibility.
  To encourage recent graduates of teacher licensure programs to enter 
and remain in the teaching field, this bill doubles the maximum loan 
cancellation amount to $10,000 for credentialed teachers teaching for 
five years in a low income school.
  And while uncredentialed teachers would continue to be eligible for 
loan forgiveness available to all teachers under the current law, the 
enhanced benefits for uncredentialed teachers will expire on December 
31, 2005, just in time for the mandated deadline set for all teachers 
to be fully licensed.
  The second element of my bill authorizes grants to institutions of 
higher education to create and expand credentialing programs. Funds 
would be made available to colleges and universities to develop and 
implement teacher preparation programs including curriculum development 
that focuses on credentialing teachers.
  I strongly believe that teachers desiring to become credentialed 
should have every resource available to them to do so. These components 
are meant to complement State programs already available to 
credentialed teachers, which aim to improve teacher quality and tenure.
  To California's credit, since the 1999-2000 school year, 5,000 
emergency credentialed teachers have been successfully placed in State-
backed teacher preparation programs. And the State is working to create 
and improve teacher preparation programs that include relevant course 
work, classroom training, and mentoring by a veteran teacher, with a 
goal of full credentialing.
  But this is not happening in every school district nationwide and it 
must, States and local school districts should work together to 
prioritize available funds to set up programs to ensure that every 
teacher within their district is adequately trained.
  States must continue to look for innovative ways to keep qualified 
teachers in the classroom, especially in low performing school 
districts, and funnel available Federal funds to local initiatives to 
get emergency certified teachers into credentialing programs.
  We as a Nation must continue to make providing quality education to 
our children a top priority. Passing legislation is just the first 
step. With the expected population growth and the need to replace 
teachers approaching retirement, States must act swiftly and 
aggressively to ensure that neither children nor teachers are left 
behind.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring this important piece 
of legislation that would give States and teachers the necessary 
resources to ensure that every teacher is a ``highly qualified'' 
teacher. Our Nation's students deserve nothing less.
                                 ______