[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4126]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       INTRODUCING THE TEACHER RECRUITMENT ACT OF 2003--H.R. 5133

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                       HON. DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN

                         of the virgin islands

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 13, 2003

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to re-introduce H.R. 
5133, the ``Teacher Recruitment Act of 2003'' to expand the eligibility 
of individuals to qualify for loan forgiveness for teachers in order to 
provide additional incentives for teachers currently employed or 
seeking employment in economically depressed rural areas, Territories, 
and Indian Reservations.
  Rural and small town schools educate a significant number of 
America's students. Nearly forty percent of America's school-age 
children attend public schools in rural areas or small towns with 
populations of less than 25,000. Forty-nine percent of the nation's 
public schools are located in rural areas and small towns and 41 
percent of public school educators teach in rural community schools. 
Rural school districts are often the largest single employer in their 
area and rural schools serve as the social, recreational, and cultural 
foundation of their communities.
  Although rural and small schools educate nearly 40 percent of 
America's students, they receive less than 25 percent of the total 
federal, state, and local spending on public education. Rural and small 
schools tend to be located in areas with low property values and few 
industries, making it more difficult to raise additional revenues. 
Additionally, because federal grants are awarded based upon student 
population, rural districts often receive insufficient grant funds to 
accomplish the stated purpose.
  Rural schools face formidable challenges in recruiting and retaining 
quality teachers. Compared with teachers in central city schools and 
urban schools, rural teachers tend to be less educated, slightly less 
experienced, younger, and less likely to belong to a minority group. 
Chronically low salaries and benefits exacerbate the difficulty in 
attracting quality teachers to rural and small town schools. For 
example, in the district that I represent, the U.S. Virgin Islands, 
teachers have not received a substantial raise in over seven years to 
offset the rising cost of living. There has been no state subsidized 
programs towards teacher certification, advance education, or teacher 
training. Adding to the need to expand the Teacher Loan Forgiveness 
program is the lack of substantive incentives on the local level to 
incite teacher recruitment and retention within and outside of the 
rural communities. Similarly, there are many challenges associated with 
preparing teachers to work with Native American children and parents, 
and often teachers have not been properly prepared to address these 
challenges. Consequently, teachers who are less than qualified are 
working on American Indian reservations, and the retention of qualified 
teachers remains a challenge.
  If ``The Leave No Child Behind Act'' is truly meant to reform our 
nation's education, we need to pass legislation that adequately 
addresses the deficiencies in our educational system. To effectively 
implement the provisions of ``The Leave No Child Behind Act,'' we must 
attract and keep quality teachers. The American Federation, which 
represents 1.2 million members, has urged the support and passage of 
amendments to expand eligibility for loan forgiveness to those who are 
teaching in schools in need of improvement, as defined in ``The No 
Child Left Behind Act.'' The ``Teacher Recruitment Act of 2003'' would 
expand the eligibility of individuals to qualify for loan forgiveness 
for teachers beyond that available under section 428J of the Higher 
Education Act by providing additional incentives for such individuals 
to teach in economically disadvantaged or depressed and underserved 
rural areas. Under this bill, teachers may qualify for up to 100 
percent student loan forgiveness. The ``Teacher Recruitment Act of 
2003'' is a good step toward the continuing challenge of recruiting and 
retaining teachers in rural areas and I urge its passage.

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