Wauwatosa, Wis. In two motions that passed the Wisconsin Legislatures Joint Finance Committee earlier this week, undergraduate students who want to teach in Milwaukee’s independent public charter schools will now be eligible for two new loan forgiveness programs.
Under the first motion, a new teacher loan program will provide loans up to $10,000 annually for up to three years toward higher education. Teachers under this program will also have the principal and interest of their loan forgiven at a rate of 25 percent per year for each year that they are employed full time in a public or private elementary or secondary school in Milwaukee and receive a proficient or distinguished rating on the educator effectiveness system. The second motion created a similar program targeted to minority undergraduate students.
“These motions create two new pipelines for teachers into public charter schools,” said Kristy Casey, director of the Wisconsin Coalition for Public Charter Schools. “We are very grateful to Sen. Alberta Darling and Rep. Dale Kooyenga for ensuring that public charter schools are now included in these important programs. By creating financial incentives to work in independent charter schools, these programs will help charter schools attract high-quality teachers.”
The Wisconsin Coalition for Public Charter Schools is a collaboration of organizations that support the growth of high-quality public charter schools in Wisconsin.
