James Davis: “I have talked to men and women who have said to me, I want to make the transition; but before I start my job and earn a…”

“I have talked to men and women who have said to me, I want to make the transition; but before I start my job and earn a salary, I need a little help paying my tuition. That is one of the purposes of the bill, to provide up to a $5,000 grant. And in return, and this is important to taxpayers, in return for receiving this grant, that teacher will have to spend at least 3 years teaching in a school that has a high need for teachers. Many of these are our most challenging schools. Many of the teacher positions that go unfilled are in math and science and special education, and there are people who have excelled in math and science who want to give something back who will make terrific teachers. There is no reason we should not get this done. We have a perfect opportunity to be a part of the solution. The President has proposed $25 million to fund this. Senator Mike DeWine in the Senate is a strong supporter of this proposition. We need to get it done in this session of Congress, and we need to be part of the solution in dealing with the increasing shortage of teachers.”