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Committee adopts amendment to expand Future Teacher Scholarship to Western Governors University students, advances bill 5-0
Summary
The subcommittee approved an amendment to House Bill 504 to include Western Governors University initial-licensure students in the state’s Future Teacher Scholarship and advanced the bill to the full Education Committee by a 5-0 vote.
The Higher Education Subcommittee voted 5-0 to put House Bill 504, as amended, on the House Education Committee calendar after approving an amendment to extend scholarship eligibility to Western Governors University students seeking initial teaching licensure.
Representative Stevens proposed Amendment 37-10 to include "all the initial licensure students at Western Governors University" who are Tennesseans and enrolled in critical-shortage subject areas. Stevens said about 1,042 Tennesseans at Western Governors University are enrolled in those fields, with 338 residing in distressed or at-risk counties. "This amendment allows for all the initial licensure students at Western Governors University to ... there's about 1,042 Tennesseans that are enrolled in critical shortage subject areas identified for the 2024-25 school year," Stevens said.
Chairman White described the bill as an expansion of the Future Teacher Scholarship, a program the committee enacted in 2022–23 to encourage teacher preparation. He said the scholarship is $5,000 per year and is available to juniors and seniors or to teachers working on a permit who need initial endorsement. "The amount is $5,000 per year, for the scholarship and also applies to those who are undergraduate for the two years, junior and senior year," White said. He said the change aims to move more teachers off time-limited permits and into endorsed positions.
The committee adopted Amendment 37-10 by voice vote; members then voted 5-0 to send the amended bill to full Education. The clerk recorded 5 ayes and 0 nays.
