FEDERAL LOAN FORGIVENESS FOR TEACHERS IN SCHOOLS

WHEREAS, the Higher Education Authorization Act of 1965 was passed at a time when there was great activism in the country and governmental commitment to addressing shortages in some professions; and

WHEREAS, the Higher Education Authorization Act has helped many Americans attend college through the provision of student aid loans and grants; and

WHEREAS, the difficulty in recruiting, training and retention of qualified teachers for public schools is part of the crisis in public education; and

WHEREAS, the high cost of undergraduate and graduate education discourages entry into lower-paying public service positions like teaching; and

WHEREAS, the need to replace thousands of retiring public school teachers is paramount; and

WHEREAS, the shortage of teachers is particularly acute in economically distressed and/or low-performing public schools:

RESOLVED, that the AFT support and promote 100 percent loan forgiveness for graduates of colleges and universities who teach or work as nonsupervisory staff in an economically distressed area and/or low-performing public school for a minimum of five years after graduation.