Lawmakers advance legislation aimed at reducing Tennessee’s teacher shortage

Stock photo of a teacher calling on a student (Photo by Katerina Holmes/Pexels)

Two years ago, the Tennessee General Assembly passed the Future Teacher Scholarship Act with the goal of helping cut into the state’s teacher shortage.

The $5,000 scholarship is only available to undergraduate students seeking a teaching license and it’s” last dollar,” meaning students only received the amount they needed after other scholarships and grants were factored in. Recipients must also commit to teaching in a Tennessee public school for at least four consecutive years in either a distressed or at-risk county or in a subject area, like math, where the state has a critical shortage.

Senator Dawn White (Photo by Tennessee General Assembly)

Senator Dawn White, R-Murfreesboro, says the end result hasn’t been what she’d hoped for and that’s why she’s sponsoring legislation to tweak the scholarship requirements.

“Unfortunately, this has not been widely as popular as we thought it was going to be.,” said White. “We are just kind of increasing the pool of applicants.”

If passed by lawmakers, White’s bill would make the $5,000 scholarship available to undergraduates and those with an existing degree that are seeking a teaching license, including the roughly 5 thousand Tennesseans who are teaching on a 3-year-permit.

White’s bill would also reduce the teaching commitment to two years in either a distressed or at-risk county or a subject with a critical shortage and it would make the full award available regardless of what other grants or scholarships the student has.

The legislation passed the House Higher Education Subcommittee unanimously Wednesday along with the Senate Education Committee, where Senator Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, was among its supporters.

“They are going to commit a significant amount of time to teach an underserved area. So, it’s not just about paying tuition but it’s also about getting those teachers to go to those areas where they’re not going is that correct,” asked Akbari and confirmed by White.

The lone vote against the bill came from Senator Mark Pody, R-Lebanon, who appeared to be concerned about changing the scholarship from its current “last-dollar” restriction.

“It’s $5 thousand whether they need it or not,” asked Pody. “If they have enough scholarships to cover the cost then they don’t pay this money back? It’s just like a bonus to them.”

The legislation will face a vote on the full House Education Committee next Tuesday.