A law aimed at fixing a financial burden on the nation’s teachers has been signed into law in Washington. U.S. Senator Mike Braun of Jasper was one of the lawmakers who introduced the bipartisan bill.
In 2007, teachers who had served four years in a high-need, underserved community were promised financial assistance from something called the TEACH grant program. But for more than a decade, administrative mistakes effectively turned the grants into loans – meaning the teachers must pay back the money with interest.
In a release from U-S senator Mike Braun, he states the Consider Teachers Act, a bill supported by Republicans and Democrats, will fix that problem.
According to Senator Braun, the conversion of grants into loans was the result of clerical errors that went unaddressed for twelve years. The program was meant to incentivize teachers to serve but it turned into a financial burden.
The Consider Teachers Act will also allow broaden requirements for teachers to qualify for the grants.
Braun introduced the bill alongside Democratic Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and Arizona Democratic Senator Krysten Sinema.