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(March 6) – The House just approved Rep. Barbara McLachlan’s bipartisan bill to help retain and assist rural educators.
“This bill is about investing in our students and investing in our teachers. We need to make sure 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, 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.
The bill was approved on a vote of 64-1 and now goes to the Governor.
Rep. Jim Wilson, R-Salida is the House co-prime sponsor of the bill.