Dianne Feinstein: “I am pleased to co-sponsor this amendment with Senators Voinovich, Baucus, Cochran, Landrieu, Murray, and Corzine. Under…”

“I am pleased to co-sponsor this amendment with Senators Voinovich, Baucus, Cochran, Landrieu, Murray, and Corzine. Under current law, elementary and secondary teachers can receive up to $5,000 of their student loans forgiven in exchange for 5 years of teaching. Head Start teachers are not currently included in the federal loan forgiveness program. By offering Head Start teachers the same loan forgiveness benefit as that afforded to elementary and secondary school teachers, I believe, we will encourage more college graduates to enter the field. Many Head Start programs in California are losing qualified teachers to local school districts in part because the pay is better-- nationally, the average Head Start teacher made $20,700 in 2000 compared to $40,575 for an elementary and secondary school teacher. Head Start teachers are making half of what elementary and secondary teachers are paid on average. Low pay, combined with mounting student loan debt, is a real deterrent to getting college graduates to become Head Start teachers.”