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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 20, 2023 02:36 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz and Rep. Jose Giral |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Educator Certification and Employment for Immigrants in Pennsylvania |
| Pennsylvania is facing a steep decline in the number of qualified teaching candidates, especially in hard to staff areas like special education, English Language instruction, and STEM. The number of new teachers certified annually has declined from 20,000 in 2010 to less than 7,000 in 2021. Meanwhile, the number of educators who are teaching with emergency credentials – meaning they are not fully qualified to teach the grades or subjects for which they are hired – has risen by 300% to 5,958 since 2010. Additionally, in 2019-2020, the share of students of color in Pennsylvania was six times greater than the share of teachers of color, a disparity that is more than twice the national average. The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Teacher Information Management System (TIMS) prevents non-U.S. citizens from completing an application for certification unless they are applying for certificate to teach a foreign language or hold an immigrant visa (Green Card) and sign an affidavit of intent to become a U.S citizen. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) participants are unable to attain educator certification in Pennsylvania. Removal of this barrier could help the Commonwealth address its teacher shortage areas, including one of the worst shortages of racially diverse educators in the country. That is why I am introducing a bill to amend the qualifications of a teacher by adding that department certified or permitted teachers who hold a valid immigrant visa, work visa, or valid employment authorization document which allows them to work in the United States are eligible to teach in the public schools of the Commonwealth. It would also amend the state certificates language by allowing a person holding a valid immigrant visa, work visa, or valid employment authorization document which allows them to work in the United States to be eligible to receive a state certificate or permit. Similar legislation has been introduced in the Senate as Senate Bill 393. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation to eliminate barriers to educator certification and employment for those who are immigrants in Pennsylvania. |
Introduced as HB1067