WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Susan Collins has introduced bipartisan legislation that aims to attract math, science and special education teachers to high-poverty school districts by offering the teachers substantial assistance with their student loan payments.

“Many Maine schools are experiencing acute shortages of qualified math, science, special education, and foreign language teachers, and the burden falls especially hard on our state’s high-poverty school systems,” said Collins. “Along with a bipartisan group of senators, I have crafted a proposal that would expand the current loan forgiveness program for math, science and special education teachers who are willing to teach in high-poverty areas. The president has included $45 million in his budget for a similar proposal, and I look forward to the swift approval of this legislation to help our children succeed in school.”

Under the Math, Science, and Special Education Teacher Recruitment Act, teachers who commit to teach for five consecutive years in a low-income, high-need area would be eligible for $17,500 in loan forgiveness instead of the current benefit of $5,000. To meet the pressing need for special educators, the proposal for the first time would make them eligible for the loan assistance.

In Maine, 30.2 percent of teachers are over age 50. With a large portion of the profession nearing retirement, Maine will continue to experience a shortage of qualified teachers. Eighty-nine percent of Maine high schools report a shortage of math teachers, and 87 percent report a shortage of science teachers.