Luján, Leger Fernández, Hayes Reintroduce Legislation to Address Educator Shortages and Expand Federal Loan Forgiveness for Educators

Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), U.S. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), and U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) reintroduced the Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act, legislation that would expand and modernize the federal loan forgiveness program for educators. This legislation would help address educator shortages and increase children's access to a diverse and well-prepared educator workforce by strengthening the federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness (TLF) Program.

High college costs and student loan debt impact recruitment, retention, and diversity within the educator workforce. Yet, our country's loan forgiveness program, specifically designed for educators - the TLF Program - has not been significantly updated since 2004, causing outstanding student loan debt to increase by over $1.3 trillion - two-thirds of those who go into education take on debt.

The Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act reforms the TLF program by having the federal government make monthly federal student loan payments for educators serving in early childhood education programs and high-need public schools and completely forgive any outstanding debt after five years of service. It would also allow service under this program to concurrently count toward the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. These changes will help recruit and retain more educators and ensure that more diverse candidates can afford comprehensive educator preparation programs, a key strategy for decreasing shortages and increasing educator diversity in early childhood and K-12 education.

"In New Mexico and nationwide, our educators work tirelessly to prepare our students and equip them with the tools for success," said Senator Luján. "Right now, educators are being crushed by the high costs of education, creating barriers that are driving the workforce shortages we've seen across the country. To support our educators and students, it's critical that we strengthen and expand the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program to make becoming an educator more accessible and affordable. My legislation will help increase educator recruitment and retention and empower a more prepared and diverse workforce to educate our students."

"My mother was a teacher, and she marveled at the miracle that happens when a child learns to read. She knew teachers were overworked and underpaid, but she loved her calling to teach. I am reintroducing the Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act to invest in teachers and our children's future," said Rep. Leger Fernández. "This bill will ease the financial burden of hard-working educators by forgiving student loan debt after 5 years of teaching. Serving our students shouldn't require educators to take on excessive debt compared to their pay. Let's show educators the respect they have earned and incentivize them to stay in their profession and create lots of little miracles."

"Federal policy should incentivize teacher recruitment and retention - not create unnecessary barriers that keep educators out of the profession. New graduates often leave school with unimaginable debt, receive low pay, and are forced to take on a second, even third job in order to make ends meet and pay off student debt," said Rep. Hayes. "The Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act eases these financial burdens for the public servants who invest in students each day."

The Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and U.S. Representatives Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Jesús "Chuy" García (D-Ill.), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), Scott Peters (D-Calif.), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), and Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.).

The Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act is supported by the AACTE (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education), AASA, The School Superintendents Association, ACTFL, Advance CTE, AFT New Mexico, AFT: Education, Healthcare, Public Services, All4Ed, American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), American Federation of School Administrators, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC, Association for Career and Technical Education, Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents, Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO), Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP), Chiefs for Change, Council for Exceptional Children, Council for Opportunity in Education, Council of Administrators of Special Education, Early Care & Education Consortium, Early Edge California, EdTrust, Educators for Excellence, First Focus Campaign for Children, Growing Up New Mexico, Institute for Educational Leadership, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund), NAACP, Nafme, National Art Education Association, National Association for Family Child Care, National Association for Media Arts Education, Association for Music Education, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), National Association of Secondary School Principals, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, National Center for Learning Disabilities, National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR), National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), National Council on Teacher Quality, National Dance Education Organization, National Education Association, National Indian Education Association, National Rural Education Association, National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), Navajo Preparatory School, Inc., New Mexico Association for the education of young children, Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK), Public Advocates, Southern Education Foundation, Teach Plus, The Teacher Salary Project, Today's Students Coalition, Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, UnidosUS, ZERO TO THREE, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Women's Law Center, and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).

A summary of the bill can be found HERE. Full text of the bill is available HERE.

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