Troops to Teachers Improvement Act of 2006

TROOPS TO TEACHERS IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2006 -- (Extensions of Remarks - November 15, 2006)

* Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, today, my colleague, Mr. Petri, and I introduced the Troops to Teachers Improvement Act of 2006. I am proud to bring this bipartisan effort before the House. I first learned about the Troops to Teachers program at a California Purple Heart Veterans Day event in my district. Two different veterans who are participating in the Troops to Teachers program spoke with me about the program and how it had offered them the chance to continue to contribute to our country. After serving their country in the Armed Forces, they were now able to teach in high-need school districts.

* With a slogan like, ``Proud To Serve Again,'' Troops to Teachers is a unique program that provides stipends to military retirees to obtain the necessary certification for a second career in teaching. Equally important, the program places much needed math, science and special education teachers in the classroom. In fact, over 46 percent of Troops to Teachers participants teach science, a significant improvement over the national average of 18 percent. Additionally, veterans who participate in the Troops to Teachers program fill another void for male and ethnic minority teachers. Right now, our country is seeing 7 percent of the Nation's teaching force leave every year, and we have a need for highly qualified science and math teachers. Simply put, the Troops to Teachers program has never been more important.

* First authorized in 1993, the program was designed to help members of the military obtain teaching credentials to teach in large districts with low-income schools. A variety of retired, separated, active duty and transitioning military members and veterans--including disabled veterans--are eligible to participate. Those who are interested are required to have a bachelor's or advanced degree, or if applying for a vocational or technical teaching position, are required to have at least 6 years of experience in the field. The program has successfully recruited and placed almost 10,000 veterans in school districts since then. In my home State of California, 571 veterans are currently participating in the program.

* Unfortunately, a small change under the No Child Left Behind Act, NCLB, of 2001 greatly affected where veterans could teach to fulfill their stipend. In some areas of the country, retiring military and veterans interested in the program now have to drive 50 to 100 miles to find an eligible school. This has resulted in a 20-30 percent drop-off in veteran participation, which has seriously hindered this productive and necessary program.

* The bill that my esteemed colleague Mr. Petri and I are introducing today would fix this error. The bill would allow participants to fulfill their teaching obligation at any school that receives title I funding, and is therefore, considered a high-need school. Prior to the NCLB change, participants were able to fulfill their teaching obligation in any school within my district in Sacramento, as they all receive title I funding. However, under the more restrictive rule, only 211 of the 350 schools in my district are eligible. Currently, 61 percent of the high schools in my district are not eligible.

* I believe in this program and want to see disabled and retiring military have a second chance at serving our country. Recently, the Disabled American Veterans magazine published a story about William Mimigia, a retired Marine Corps major who proudly served in our military for 31 years. Now a middle school special education teacher, Mr. Mimigia was recently named the 2006 Middle School Teacher of the Year by the California Troops to Teachers program. In the article, he is quoted as saying, ``I served with good people who sacrificed so much for our country. I promised myself I would find a way to help them some day. What better way than to help their kids and the kids some of them would never have a chance to have? Teaching lets me do that.''

* Mr. Mimigia's dedication to serving our country and contributing to future generations is honorable. This program offers our returning veterans an opportunity for them to feel the same sense of fulfillment that Mr. Mimigia expressed. Troops to Teachers brings important math, science, and foreign language expertise to our classroom and fills a critical need among our educators. These characteristics make Troops to Teachers an excellent source of highly qualified educators and my colleague and I bring this bill before the House today to ensure that others can continue to serve our country--whether in the military or in the classroom. I hope that we can work swiftly on this bipartisan bill to do just that, and will continue to support the ideals behind the Troops to Teachers program in the 110th Congress.

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