Call to Action - Teacher Recruitment SF 2377 - March 31, 2022

Details of SF 2377, approved 49:0 in the Senate, now over in the House:

• Creates a new Teacher Intern Program
• Slightly increases eligibility for Teach Iowa Scholar Loan forgiveness from the top 25% to the top 30% of their class (HF 2083 completely eliminated that requirement). The bill also requires the grants be given half to teachers in districts above and half in districts below 1,500 enrollment.  
• Adds the ability to use Management Fund to pay for teacher recruitment. Prohibits a board’s recruitment plan use management fund to pay a recruitment incentive that annually exceeds 10% of the minimum teacher pay (annual incentive is limited to $3,350). Allows incentive pay to a teacher for no more than five years. Requires the board to adopt the program for either early retirement benefits or recruitment incentives, not both simultaneously. Requires the board to only change course every five years. Requires a public hearing before adopting either program.

Key Messages to the Iowa House. Teacher shortages are increasingly challenging. All schools need tools to hire new teachers and attract more people into teaching. Contact all Representatives and ask for the following changes:

• Teacher Intern Program: UEN supports.
• Teach Iowa Scholar Eligibility: UEN prefers the House’s language, HF 2083, which eliminated any requirement to graduate within the top 25% of the class to qualify for the loan forgiveness. The House’s language would broaden eligibility to help any new teacher with student loans.
• Teacher Recruitment Incentives: UEN prefers the Management Fund provisions in SF 2202 before the amendment. The original bill did not limit the incentives, which protects local control. The original bill allowed use of Management Fund for either early retirement or recruiting incentives in any two-year period (just not both policies in the same year). The Senate extended that to five years, which is too long. Retirement incentives cost more than recruitment incentives. School Boards have no interest in increasing property taxes any more than the Iowa legislature does. School Boards will balance the needs of students and taxpayers.

Find your Representatives here: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/house. To call and leave a message, the House switchboard operator number is 515.281-3221. You can ask if they are available, leave a message for them to call you back, or just leave a short message such as “Please amend SF 2377 to help schools address the teacher shortage.” (Legislators are typically at the Capitol from Monday midday through Thursday afternoon. Contact them at home over the weekend.)