Relates to providing loan forgiveness for agriculture educators

BILL NUMBER:S4963

Title of bill

An act to amend the education law, in relation to providing loan forgiveness for agriculture educators

Purpose

To provide loan forgiveness for agriculture educators and promote the teaching and study of agricultural education

Summary of provisions

Section 1 amends the education law by adding a new section 679-h to provide the New York State Agriculture Educators Loan Forgiveness Incentive Program. This section defines agricultural educator and provides the purpose, eligibility, and awards associated with the program.

Section 2 provides the effective date.

Justification

Agricultural education is a systematic program of instruction available to students desiring to learn about the science, business, and technology of plant and animal production, and about the environmental and natural resources systems. Agricultural education first became a part of the public education system in 1917 when the U.S. Congress passed the Smith-Hughes Act.

There are approximately 1,000,000 agricultural education students in the nation who are taught by nearly 12,000 secondary and two-year postsecondary teachers. It is estimated that the contact hours of in-school instruction in and about agriculture exceed 10 million annually. School-based agricultural education in the United States consists of three closely related components, including: (1) classroom/laboratory instruction (2) experiential learning/education (3) leadership development. The interaction of these three components helps to ensure students' career success or continuation with higher education related to agriscience and/or agribusiness following high school graduation.

Organized instruction is the classroom and laboratory component of agricultural education. This instruction may be carried out in a classroom, laboratory, greenhouse, or outdoor setting. Classroom and laboratory instruction include units based on natural and social sciences such as environmental science, agribusiness, natural resources, aquaculture, food science and safety, animal and plant sciences, entrepreneurship, and many other areas. However students enrolled in these courses have the unique opportunity to apply their core content concepts in an agriculturally related context. For example, when using the STEM model, a student learning about hydrogen and covalent bonding in chemistry is able to apply these concepts when examining the chemistry of food processing. By enhancing their core content knowledge base with agriculture, students gain the real-world experiences that enhance college and career readiness.

Agricultural education prepares students for successful careers and a lifetime of informed choices in the global agriculture, food, fiber, and natural resources systems. However, The National Association of Agricultural Educators believes that there are not enough agriculture teachers to meet the current demand. By providing loan forgiveness to agriculture educators New York can help to combat this deficiency.

Legislative history

New bill.

Fiscal implications

To be determined.

Effective date

This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have become a law.