NEW SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABLE FOR ASPIRING TEACHERS – Straight From The Senate

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education recently announced the official launch of the Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship for high-achieving students pursuing a career in education.

This scholarship program was established by House Enrolled Act 1002, which passed with my support during the General Assembly’s 2016 legislative session.

The program makes 200 scholarships available for candidates who commit to teaching in Indiana for five years after earning their degrees.

These $7,500-per-year scholarships will be available to high school students who either graduate in the top 20 percent of their class or earn a score in the top 20th percentile on the SAT or ACT. Participating students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA and complete at least 15 credit hours per semester to continue earning the scholarship throughout their college careers.

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The application opens on November 1, and the deadline to apply is December 31. For more information on the Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship and how to apply, visit www.LearnMoreIndiana.org/NextTeacher.

Lawmakers overwhelmingly voted in favor of creating this scholarship opportunity because we understand the critical role teachers play in our communities. We all know of teachers in our own lives and in the lives of our friends and family who have played a key role in charting a path to success.

When we encourage our best and brightest students to pursue a career in education the entire state benefits. Attracting and keeping the best teachers in the state is a priority, and I believe this scholarship program will help further that objective.

This program builds on other actions taken by the General Assembly in recent years to support our teachers and schools.

In addition to creating this scholarship program, the General Assembly increased K-12 funding by $474 million statewide in the most recent state budget and set aside $70 million for teacher performance grants to increase pay for Indiana teachers. Indiana spends more than 50 cents of every general fund dollar on K-12 education, making us second in the nation for the percentage of our budget devoted to education, according to the Census Bureau.

Legislators understand how important a quality education is to Hoosier children and the critical role it plays in building our state’s future workforce. As your state senator, I will continue to advocate for policies that support the needs of our teachers and students.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and ideas concerning these and other topics. My office can be reached at 800-382-9467 or by email at Senator.Long@iga.in.gov.