(Mar. 25) – Gov. Jared Polis signed Rep. Barbara McLachlan’s bipartisan bill to help retain and assist rural educators today.
“This bipartisan bill will help invest in our students and in our teachers. We must ensure teachers stay in our rural communities, in our state and in our classrooms,” said Rep. McLachlan, D-Durango. “I’m proud to stand up for our rural teachers and our students.”
Rep. McLachlan is the chair of the House Education Committee and is a former public school teacher in Durango.
SB19-009 sponsored in the House by Rep. McLachlan and Rep. Jim Wilson, R-Salida, provides financial incentives for educators to work in rural areas, where the teacher shortage is most severe. Under existing law, the department of higher education annually awards up to 40 stipends of not more than $2,800 to students enrolled in teacher preparation programs who agree to teach in a rural school or rural school district. The bill removes the limit on the number of stipends and increases the amount to $4,000.