Much of a comfortable life experience in a stable society is to take certain things for granted.
We can’t help it.
When that thought comes up, most probably think of air, food and water. So common, in abundance and easy to replenish. Go without them for even a portion of the day when you want them badly and life can feel like a crisis.
We won’t even get into the conversation about love.
Teachers in the United States at times seems to be taken for granted. We just assume they will always be there in abundance to teach our children but the news for teachers is not good.
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As reported at finance.yahoo.com, “Teachers across America have gotten so frustrated with low pay and a broken federal loan forgiveness system — which supposedly forgives loans for people working in qualifying public service jobs after a decade of payments — that they’ve decided to sue the Department of Education (DOE).
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the second-largest teachers union in the U.S., alleges that the government's loan forgiveness program for public service workers does not function properly, and calls for a fix.”
Over the past few years student debt continues to soar, hitting more than $1.5 trillion in loans outstanding.
For teachers this problem is compounded because they often have to take on post-graduate degrees to qualify for teaching positions, driving up their own education costs.
Having a student loan monthly payment of $400-$600 a month is not uncommon. That is more than many motorist’s car payment which will often end in 6 years or less. Student loans can go on for almost a lifetime.
On July 11, 2019, National Public Radio adds, “The suit alleges the loan forgiveness program for millions of public service workers is in such a shambles that it violates federal law and the Constitution.
The American Federation of Teachers filed the lawsuit Thursday in federal court. In the complaint obtained by NPR, the union is asking the court to order the department to fix the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program so that it meets legal standards. It's also asking the department to come up with an appeals process for people who believe they have been treated unfairly.”
Congress created the program more than 10 years ago.
In an ideal world if you make loan payments for 10 years and you work in a qualifying job for the government or a nonprofit, the program promises to forgive the remainder of your federal student loan debt.
Sounds great on paper but it is not working out that way in reality.
Part of the problem has been that a teacher who graduated from college, works in a public service organization like a school, begins paying on their loan with the expectation that in ten years, the rest of the loan will be forgiven, only to find out later that had they switched loans to a certain qualifying type at the beginning, they would have qualified but the one they have been paying on doesn’t qualify.
Why weren’t they told that at the beginning?
That nightmare is occurring too often to appear to be accidental.
According to the Department of Education only 1% of the people who think they've made their 10 years of payments and apply for loan forgiveness are getting approved.
The lawsuit hopes to rectify that.
San Francisco has an added problem.
Even without a student loan payment, for the average teacher they cannot afford to pay the city by the bay’s housing prices.
The news team at cnbc.com educate, “Essential costs there, such as housing, are among the most extreme in the country. In San Francisco, the median home value is more than $1.3 million, according to real-estate website Zillow, and the median monthly rent is about $4,500.”
San Francisco Mayor London Breed is trying to do something about that. At least make a dent in the problem by offering certain teachers stipends.
Here is her idea to help with the teacher crisis.
Mayor London Breed Announces $10 Million in Stipends for San Francisco Educators
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Monday, August 19, 2019
The City budget for Fiscal Years 2019-20 and 2020-21 includes funding to support and retain educators at high-potential schools
San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed, in partnership with the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), today announced a $10 million stipend pilot program to support and retain educators who work at the City’s high-potential schools. These stipends will provide additional financial support to educators who work in SFUSD schools that serve underserved communities and experience significant teacher turnover. Nearly all of San Francisco’s high-potential schools are in the Bayview, Mission and southeastern neighborhoods.
Education research has consistently demonstrated that successful student achievement is determined by teaching quality. However, many urban schools serving low-income and students of color find it difficult to recruit and retain experienced educators. At high-potential schools, one-third of teachers are first or second year teachers, and educator turnover is 27%, compared to district-wide turnover of 21%. This pilot program seeks to improve student outcomes by addressing the recruitment and retention issue that currently exists at high-potential schools.
“Students in San Francisco deserve a high-quality education, regardless of where they live or go to school. These stipends are one way to help make sure that qualified educators can keep working in our City and that our students are well-served,” said Mayor Breed. “San Francisco is an expensive place to live and we hope that these stipends will help our educators afford the cost of living so that they can be part of the community in which they work.”
The City budget for Fiscal Years 2019-20 and 2020-21 includes $10 million over two years to provide stipends to over 1,000 educators at high-potential schools and is in addition to an existing SFUSD stipend program. Teachers at high-potential schools currently receive $2,000 on top of their base salary. Starting this year, educators will receive $3,000 per year for a total stipend of $5,000. In FY 2020-21, educators will receive an additional $2,500, bringing the total stipend amount to $7,500 per year.
“We appreciate the Mayor and City partnering with SFUSD to support our mission of each and every student thriving in the 21st century,” said Superintendent Vincent Matthews. “Recruiting, retaining and supporting teachers in our high potential schools is a top priority.”
In 2008, San Francisco voters passed a bond measure, known as Quality Teacher and Education Act (QTEA), to fund increased teacher compensation along with professional development and accountability programs. Since then, SFUSD has offered a $2,000 annual stipend to teachers at high-potential schools through the QTEA Initiative.
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http://sfmayor.org/article/mayor-london-breed-announces-10-million-stipends-san-francisco-educators
