Bill to expand financial assistance for Colorado educators moves to Senate floor

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Monday, the Senate Education Committee moved a proposed bill forward that would expand the pool of student educators who qualify for loan forgiveness and stipend programs.

Two of the prime sponsors of HB23-1001, Barbara McLachlan (D) and Cathy Kipp (D), of HB23-1001 told KRDO it's a "clean-up" bill that expands on HB22-1220, which was put into law last year.

The 2022 bill used ARPA funding to help cover stipends for those teachers just to help them cover their living expenses to get through college.

This newly proposed bill would broaden current laws.

Currently, a student eligible for the student educator stipend program would have been placed as a student educator in a school or community-based setting in Colorado. The bill allows a student to be placed as a student educator in a school or community-based setting in Colorado or within 100 miles of the Colorado state border.

The proposed bill also broadens the requirements for the current forgiveness program. The amount of money that is forgiven is capped at $5,000.

HB23-1001 also removes the forgiveness program requirement that the commission approves applicants who have contracted for a qualified position in a rural school or a rural school district or in a content shortage area whose percentage of at-risk pupils exceeded 60% in the 2021-22 budget year.

This means more student teachers all across Colorado can apply for loan forgiveness.

You can follow the bill’s progress here.