Dems Introduce Plan For Attracting, Retaining Teachers

LANSING – Senate Democrats said Thursday the state needs to stem the tide in what they called a decline in the number of qualified, well-paid teachers wanting to enter and remain in the classroom.

Legislation introduced by Democrats would, among other things, provide incentives for teachers to work in economically disadvantaged schools, for teachers willing to mentor young teachers entering the classroom and provide scholarship opportunities as well as tuition reimbursement.

“There’s a tremendous cost in not doing something,” Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D-Taylor) told reporters of not finding incentives to help attract and retain quality teachers.

Hopgood said wages are stagnating for Michigan teachers and the state has been dropping in national rankings in terms of overall education. He said the state used to be a national leader in education and now is lagging, with one result being fewer people going into the profession and staying in the state.

“We’re going to have a reckoning,” Hopgood said, adding he believes it may already have arrived.

Hopgood did not have an estimate on how much the legislation, if passed, would cost.

Incentives under the proposed legislation include:

Annual bonuses between $500 and $2,000 per year to experienced teachers who mentor new teachers for their first three years of teaching;

Provide scholarships of $1,000 per semester to full-time teachers attending master-level teaching programs while working in economically disadvantaged schools and are willing to work in such a district for four years after graduation;

Allowing up to 10 years of student loan debt forgiveness to teachers who are in their first three years of teaching who choose to work in economically disadvantaged schools;

One-time bonuses of $3,000 to $5,000 for newly hired teachers or a one-time relocation bonus, for working in an economically disadvantaged schools, and

Annual bonuses of $1,800 for math, science and special education teachers in economically disadvantaged schools.

One of the bills Mr. Hopgood introduced, SB 782, would create a Michigan Teacher Council that would be tasked with advising the Legislature and the superintendent of public instruction on initiatives considered critical to attracting, preparing and retaining teachers.

Hopgood said the legislation could create a positive difference in classrooms immediately and in time have a positive effect on thousands of Michigan teachers.

The bills were referred to the Senate Education Committee. The committee’s chair, Sen. Phil Pavlov (R-Saint Joseph), did not return a phone message for comment on the bills.

The bills introduced Thursday were SB 764, SB 765, SB 766, SB 767, SB 768, SB 769, SB 770, SB 771, SB 772, SB 773, SB 774, SB 775, SB 776, SB 777, SB 778, SB 779, SB 780, SB 781 and SB 782.