Rep. Tom Petri joins bi-partisan effort to improve Troops to Teachers program

October 28, 10:01 PMMadison Political Buzz ExaminerPeggy Williams

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Rep. Tom Petri, WI (Official Congressional Photo)

Wisconsin’s U.S. Representative Tom Petri this week joined a bi-partisan group of Representatives and Senators to introduce the Post 9/11 Troops to Teachers Enhancement Act of 2009.

The Troops to Teachers program is a joint effort of the U.S. Defense Department and the Department of Education. The program assists veterans with a qualifying number of active duty years in transitioning to new careers as certified public school teachers.

The Troops to Teachers program provides eligible veterans with a $5,000 stipend to help cover the cost of certification in exchange for three years of service in qualifying schools. Since its authorization in 1993, nearly 11,000 troops nationwide have participated in the program, bringing math, science and foreign language expertise to the classroom.

Troops to Teachers program underfunded

The proposed expansion of the program reportedly has wide bi-partisan support, although current funding has been cut considerably since the program first began. The new legislation would increase funding for the program from the current $30 million a year to $50 million.

The bill would also increase the number of schools. Currently only schools in “high need” districts qualify; the bill would amend that to include any district that receives Title 1 funds. Another reform included in the proposed bill would reduce the number of years of active-duty service needed to be eligible from six to four years, effectively increasing the pool of potential vets that are qualified to participate.

Wisconsin shorted in current Troops to Teachers program

In Wisconsin the program has placed veterans as art, science, social studies, and special education teachers in schools in De Pere, Racine, Hayward, Oconto Falls, and Burlington as well as several other districts. However, the number of districts eligible to access the program was cut in 2002.

"We intended the program to increase the pool of available teachers to schools across the country and to attract veterans with advanced skills and training to the teaching profession," Rep. Petri said via an October 27th press release. "Unfortunately, a simple drafting error in the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act resulted in an Education Department ruling restricting the number of school districts in which veterans can fulfill their teaching requirement."

In Wisconsin, the number of schools at which veterans in the Troops to Teachers program would be eligible to teach was drastically reduced by the No Child Left Behind snafu from approximately 395 to 11, according to Petri.

"The Department's new interpretation locks out schools in many rural areas and small communities. This is a shame, especially given the success of this program and its ability to meet some of our nation's greatest teaching needs," the state’s Representative to Congress said.

The updated legislation is designed to correct that problem as well as expand the number of eligible veterans. Other sponsors of the bill include Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT), Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA), Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Michael Bennett (D-CO). Petri is a Republican.

For more info:  Check the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) Troops to Teachers website.