Pete Stark: “each one of us has had a special teacher that touched our lives as children--a teacher who managed to capture our minds…”

“each one of us has had a special teacher that touched our lives as children--a teacher who managed to capture our minds and create in us a hunger for more information. Mr. Speaker, I rise here today in support of H.R. 438, the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act of 2003, which will create incentives for our nation's best and brightest teachers to educate students in our poorest and most disadvantaged school districts. It will also ensure that our children with special needs are taught by educators who are trained to work with their unique disabilities, so that they can succeed along with their peers in the classroom. This legislation more than triples the maximum amount of Federal student loan forgiveness available for math, science and special education teachers who commit to teaching math, science, and special education in a low-income community school for 5 years. This dramatic increase in loan forgiveness--from $5,000 in current law to $17,500--will provide schools with an effective tool to recruit and retain high quality teachers in areas of critical need. Student loan forgiveness for high-need teachers, such as math, science, and special education, provides an effective incentive and can be a critical link in increasing the supply of these essential educators.”