To help California meet its need for 300,000 new teachers over the next decade, Assembly Member Charlene Zettel (R-Poway) has introduced a measure that would provide an incentive for college students to enter the teaching profession.
AB 2563, which is sponsored by CTA, would grant students up to $40,000 in college loans that would not have to be repaid if the recipients teach in a public school in California upon graduation.
The measure is pending in the Assembly. It would forgive $8,000 annually for every year spent teaching, up to the $40,000 maximum for five years of college.
The measure is designed to help increase the diversity of the teacher workforce. A major focus of the loan program will be to recruit college students from low-income/economically disadvantaged backgrounds, based on criteria used by the California Student Aid Commission.
In order to qualify for the program, students would have to be California residents enrolled in accredited higher education institutions within the state.