[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 2058]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                 TEACHER RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 14, 2001

  Mr. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to support 
the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act. I am introducing this 
legislation today to address a pressing need in school districts across 
the country--the need for teachers at all levels.
  Local school districts all over the country are struggling with a 
teacher shortage that shows no signs of abating in the near future. 
Urban, rural and suburban districts are all struggling, to different 
degrees, with this problem caused by a combination of demographic 
trends and a low teacher retention rate.
  The children of the Baby Boomers, or the ``Baby Boom Echo,'' resulted 
in a 25% increase in our nation's birth rate that began in the mid-
1970s and reached its peak in 1990 with the birth of 4.1 million 
children. The children of the Baby Boom Echo are flooding our schools--
in the fall of 2000, 53 million young people entered our nation's 
public and private classrooms and, for the fourth year in a row, set a 
new national enrollment record for elementary and secondary education. 
The record 2000 enrollment reflects an increase of 6.5 million, or 14% 
since fall 1990.
  Furthermore, the U.S. is on the verge of a massive wave of 
retirements as the large cohort of experienced teachers who were hired 
in the late 1960s and 1970s begin to leave the profession. A total of 
2.2 million teachers are needed to meet enrollment increases in the 
next 10 years and to offset the large number of teachers who are 
preparing to retire. The nationwide shortage of teachers is already 
particularly pronounced in the disciplines of science, math, special 
education, and foreign languages.
  Unfortunately, young teachers are leaving the profession at an 
alarming rate. Local school administrators are working overtime to find 
the qualified teachers they need, but their toughest problem is keeping 
them once hired. Our recent booming economy, which has benefited 
Americans at all levels, has drawn quality teachers to higher-paying, 
lower-stress jobs in the private sector. Twenty-two percent of all new 
teachers leave the profession in the first three years. Studies show 
that teachers are much more likely to remain in the field of education 
throughout their career if we can help them through the first three 
years.
  Local school districts are already feeling the effects of this trend. 
Last year, I conducted a survey of school districts within the Third 
Congressional District in Kansas, and the principals reported to me 
that 92% of elementary schools, 95% of junior high/middle schools and 
75% of high schools reported they were able to fill all teaching 
positions with qualified teachers. Furthermore, the principals fully 
expect this problem to continue--75% of all schools reported they 
anticipate difficulty hiring qualified teachers in the future, 
including 90% of the middle school and junior high schools.
  It is time for the federal government to assist states and local 
school districts in attracting and keeping qualified teachers. It is 
also time to recognize that recruiting and retaining good teachers is a 
national priority worthy of federal investment.
  Mr. Speaker, today with several of my colleagues I am introducing the 
Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act. This bill would forgive 100% of 
federal student loans (up to $10,000) over five years for any newly 
qualified educator who: teaches in a low-income school, teaches special 
education, or teaches in a designated teacher shortage area (as defined 
by the state departments of education). The provisions of this bill 
would apply to all Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Direct Loans 
(DL).
  I encourage my colleagues to hear the requests of their school 
districts and join me in cosponsoring this important legislation.

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