Goal of Loan Program: Attract More Teachers

None by Eric Ray

(KCPW News) Democratic Representative Lynn Hemingway of Holladay thinks the way to fix Utah's teacher shortage is to make those teachers feel at home - in their own home - through a Teacher Loan Program.

"I know that we are very short of teachers, I think the number is around 400, and hopefully this will help bring some teachers into the fold," says Hemingway.

House Bill 85 creates a Teacher Loan Program giving teachers who have received their license in the last five years a $15,000 loan toward the purchase of a home. Interest only payments will be made on the loan. If a teacher is still in a Utah classroom after five years, $5,000 of the loan will be forgiven. The remaining $10,000 will be forgiven if a teacher works for an additional five years. The measure passed the House and moves to the Senate for consideration.

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