During the next state board of education meeting, the need to address critical teacher shortages in certain teaching fields for the 2009-2010 school year will be discussed. This action item shows that “middle and high school level science” is one of those areas in trouble. That’s nothing new, though, since science has been identified in years past, too. Once all of these critical shortage areas are officially recognized, then some programs meant to help alleviate those shortages can kick in: Critical Teacher Shortage Tuition Reimbursement Program and the Critical Teacher Shortage Student Loan Forgiveness Program. Here’s a short description of both programs. It is nice to get financial aid, of course. But it’s definitely not like winning the lottery. Here’s a summary of the programs from years past:
The Critical Teacher Shortage Tuition Reimbursement Program provides financial support to qualified teachers by assisting them with the repayment of undergraduate and graduate education courses that will lead to certification in a critical teacher shortage subject area. Eligible applicants may receive payments for up to $78 per credit hour, for a maximum 9 hours per award year or $702. The maximum amount eligible applicants may receive is up to $2,808 for up to 36 credit hours. Awards are prorated based upon the number of submissions and the amount provided by the Legislature. The average amount awarded in 2006-07 was $117, which is an award of $16 per credit hour.
The Critical Teacher Shortage Student Loan Forgiveness Program provides financial assistance to eligible Florida teachers by assisting them in the repayment of undergraduate and graduate educational loans that led to certification in a critical teacher shortage subject area. Eligible applicants may receive an annual award of up to $2,500 to repay undergraduate loans and $5,000 for two years to repay graduate loans for support of postsecondary education study. Participants may receive up to a maximum of $10,000 for the duration of the program. As with the Tuition Reimbursement Program, awards are prorated each year. The maximum prorated award amounts were $1,012 for graduate loans and $506 for undergraduate loans in the 2006-07 award year.
Most of the science teachers receiving awards seek certification in middle grades science or biology, while fewer are in areas of the physical sciences–earth science, chemistry, or physics.
“Awards are prorated based upon the number of submissions and the amount provided by the Legislature.” In these tough financial times I don’t see that provided amount being very much.
