NJ tackles teacher shortage by offering student loan relief
The Murphy administration is offering student loan relief of up to $5,000 annually for four years to public school teachers working in high-need subject areas in some of the state's low-performing school districts.
Accepted applicants could get total relief of $20,000 in outstanding loan balances if they qualify for each of the four years. The New Jersey Teacher Loan Redemption Program is in its second year as a way to bolster teacher pipelines in districts where student performance is below the state average.
Applications opened May 15, and remain open until June 15 on the website of the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority for teachers employed at a number of schools eligible for the program.To qualify, teachers at these schools must be teaching mathematics, science, special education, English as a second language, world languages, or career and technical education.
Last year the program only included teachers hired after 2022. The state expanded the program this year to include teachers with a hiring date back to Jan. 1, 2009. The state budget allocates $5 million for the program, with $1 million of that for teachers hired on or after Jan. 1, 2024.
In addition to the subject areas targeted by the loan redemption program, there are teacher shortages in technology, engineering and English language learning for non-native speakers, according to a 2024 report from Rutgers University's Heldrich Center for Workforce Development.
While the percentage of teachers in the state has remained relatively steady for the past decade or so, they now tend to leave the profession early, the report said, due to "insufficient compensation, lack of professional respect, and being overburdened with additional job responsibilities for which they did not receive adequate training or institutional supports to perform."
Many of the state's districts reporting teacher shortages had large populations of students from low-income families, according to a 2017 report from the U.S. Department of Education.
The state program is designed to "strengthen both recruitment and retention of educators who teach high-need subjects in eligible New Jersey schools," said Margo Chaly, executive director of the state Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. It reduces "teacher student loan burdens while helping school districts fill critical vacancies."
Initiatives like these help "maintain our standing as one of the best states in the nation for K-12 education,' Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement.
More: 55,000 public employees to benefit from last round of Biden student loan forgiveness
Applicants must reside in New Jersey, hold a current teaching certification from the New Jersey Department of Education, and be employed to teach in a high-need subject at the time of hire.
Each annual payment will cover 25% of the principal and interest on eligible expenses from student loans.
HESAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the status of a report due to Murphy and the legislature by July 1 on the program's performance in 2024 or the number of applicants served by it.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ tackles teacher shortage by offering student loan relief
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