U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) recently introduced bipartisan legislation that would provide federal student loan relief for teachers who work in a military impacted community, which are those where not less than 20 percent of the students in average daily attendance in all schools served by a school district during the preceding school year were military dependent students.
“Military service is family service, and our teachers are an integral part in helping the children of our service members adjust to a new learning environment each time they move,” Sen. Moran said on July 30. “This legislation will help lessen the financial burden of student loans on our teachers and bring high-quality teachers to serve in schools on or near our military bases.”
Specifically, Sen. Moran on July 20 joined bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) to introduce the bipartisan Defense Community Teacher Support Act, S. 2399, to make teachers from military impacted school districts eligible for the Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program, which allows highly qualified STEM teachers who teach in low-income areas to receive $17,500 in loan forgiveness after five years of teaching, according to information provided by Sen. Moran’s office.
The bill has been referred to the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee for consideration.