State Rep. Ed Hanes has sponsored a bill that would take $38.5 million in proceeds from the North Carolina Education Lottery to establish a fund to help N.C. teachers pay off their student loan debt:
Hanes, D-Forsyth and one of the primary sponsors of the bill, said the fund would be one way to help recruit and retain teachers, something the state has struggled with over the last several years. Hanes said it could help encourage teachers to come to or stay in North Carolina instead of moving to other states that might not offer the same benefit.
“Our public school teachers are being financially squeezed at every turn,” Hanes said. “While we are working on raises, they simply aren’t coming fast enough. Our teachers and their families need relief.”
As the Winston-Salem Journal reports, the bill’s original language called for all teachers who participated in the program to receive $10,000, but changes were added to make the program graduated—teachers who work in more economically distressed counties would receive more.
My question what responsibility do colleges and universities have to ensure that teachers do not graduate with a student debt burden?
