THe problem: The average teacher with a Master's degree begins their teaching career wih $50,000 of student loan debt. The numbers are much higher for Black and Latiné educators. While 40 states have student loan forgiveness programs for teachers that build on the federal program, DC does not. 

THE SOLUTION:

DC should build and fund its own student loan forgiveness/ Credits program for DC educators that increases with years served and provided increased forgiveness for those teaching in schools with large percentages of students designated "at-Risk".

The Details: 
⇨ The right amount: There are many models across the country for helping educators repay student loans and erasing debt. Not all are effective. For example, Arkansas State Education Program offered $3,000 per year for teachers in low-paying districts and found this did not do enough to cover their own loans. Programs for Maine to California to Virginia offer as much as $10,000 per year of teaching in forgiveness (for a determined number of years).

⇨ At the right time: To be the most effective as a retention strategy, loan forgiveness can either be structured to kick in after a number of years of service or increase with years served, with particular increased space at time when we typically lose the most educators, for example after year five.

⇨ Targeted at our greatest needs: Many state educator loan forgiveness programs are targeted for educators serving at high-need schools or for educators serving in high demand positions from SPED to ELL, STEM and more. 

We believe DC should implement the most generous possible loan program that is targeted at our areas of greatest recruitment and retention needs, but provide some addition loan forgiveness for ALL DC educators. 

IMPORTANT: If students are not the holders of the loans, but rather parents, there should still be a process for reimbursement. Some states even provide the same amount of money as a bonus for educators who do not hold loans but meet the criteria.