ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) – Congressman Josh Riley wants to funnel high-quality educators to remote school districts.
On December 2, Riley introduced the Boosting the Rural STEM Pipeline Act.
It strengthens the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Foundation, which provides National Science Foundation grants to colleges to train STEM majors for work in high-need school districts. The bill, co-sponsored by Republican Congressman Mike Kennedy of Utah, eliminates a financial requirement that effectively shut out rural colleges from the program in the past.
Before the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act temporarily removed the requirement, colleges applying for the grant were required to match funds. Once that barrier was lifted, rural colleges began applying for the grants. Several local schools received funding in the most recent round of grant awards.
- Ithaca College – $671,201
- Binghamton University – $700,033
- SUNY Oneonta – $1,199,744
“For too long, rural schools have been told to make do with less,” said Riley. “Not anymore. Students in our small towns have talent, drive, and big dreams, and they deserve the same opportunities as everyone else, but too many rural schools are struggling to recruit and retain enough STEM teachers. Our bill fixes that problem by supporting STEM teachers who work in the rural communities that politicians have overlooked for too long. Our kids deserve a fair shot and our teachers deserve a helping hand – and I’ll be in their corner every day to make sure they have both.”
You can learn more about the bill here.
