Following the election of President Joe Biden, the student debt crisis has become a growing concern among legislators across the country. Here in South Carolina, a bill currently sits in the House Ways and Means Committee that would provide student loan forgiveness for eligible teachers in the Palmetto State.
H.3459, sponsored by Representatives Leola Robinson (D-Greenville), Thomas Pope (R-York), and Dr. Jermaine Johnson (D-Richland), would grant student loan forgiveness for teachers who graduated from a South Carolina college or university and have worked at a school district in South Carolina for five consecutive years.
In a state with a teacher shortage and at a time in which the impacts of the student loan debt crisis has become abundantly clear, this bill directly tackles both issues and benefits educators and South Carolina as a whole. Because of poor conditions in many rural districts and inadequate teacher pay, many teachers in South Carolina are leaving the profession or moving out of state for their careers. In addition, school districts have struggled to recruit new teachers as interest in the profession has dropped in recent years.
By alleviating some of the financial burden placed upon South Carolina teachers, this bill would improve our state’s ability to recruit and retain qualified educators and could serve as the General Assembly’s first step toward reforming our state’s minimally adequate education system.