There’ll be an effort in the 2006 legislative session to provide a bonus to teachers who sign up to teach math or science in an Iowa high school. Senate Co-President Jeff Lamberti, a Republican from Ankeny, says it’s a competitiveness issue. “We hear a lot the need to compete with the world and our need to improve on math and science,” Lamberti says. “We’re also having trouble attracting teachers in those areas.” Lamberti doesn’t have a dollar figure yet as to how big the salary bonus might be, and he suggests lawmakers might decide to target the money in “shortage areas” like medium to smaller-sized school districts. Lamberti says math and science instruction is a “critical” component of a student’s classwork and ability to compete in the work world.
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