Keeping Our Edge As An Innovation Leader

By Vin Gopal

New Jersey’s reputation as an innovation leader is well-earned.

The Garden State’s history is rich with invention: from being the birthplace of the lightbulb, radar, and air conditioning, to commercial lasers, high definition television and the Pfizer vaccine. Even bubble wrap is a New Jersey first.

People and companies around the world recognize our state’s technological stature, which is why we are drawing so many high-tech startups and so much technology investment.

But our state is at risk of losing some of that momentum on the most basic level with a shortage of high school STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) teachers. In recent travels around my Senate District and visits with students in Asbury Park High School, Cedar Hill Prep, and the Monmouth County Career Center, students consistently express enthusiasm for STEM careers.

The reality is that some may not get to realize their dreams because of a shortage of teachers in STEM subjects to give them the foundation for success. Already scarce before the pandemic, finding STEM teachers “has become exponentially harder,” the executive director of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association said in a recent newspaper interview. At the same time, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts STEM occupations will grow more than twice as fast as other jobs, with projected growth of 8 percent by 2029, compared to 3.7 percent for all other occupations.

As a state, we need to address this shortage by making sure we keep the pipeline of STEM teachers and STEM graduates as strong as the demand for STEM workers. That’s the aim of several pieces of my sponsored legislation introduced this year.

One bill would establish the “Grow Your Own Teacher Loan Redemption Program” in the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. The purpose is to encourage students who graduated high school from a school district with a shortage of teachers to return to teach in that school district. The measure would provide redemption of a portion of the teacher’s eligible student loan expenses each year of full-time employment as a certified teacher in a school district with a teacher shortage.

Another of the bills would establish a matching grant program for school districts that receive federal “Supporting Effective Educator Development” (SEED) grants. The SEED program grants are used to increase the number of highly effective educators by supporting evidence-based practices that enhance educators’ skills. The bill, which has been referred to the Senate Education Committee, would appropriate $5 million to the Department of Education to match the federal SEED grants from the US Office of Secondary and Elementary Education.

By attacking the STEM teacher shortage at the high school level, we will ensure that students get the opportunity to realize their potential and to have a good-paying job with a successful future. All three of these measures would help feed the pipeline of STEM teachers that are in high demand but short supply. If we accomplish that, we will be taking a big step to ensure the innovation economy continues to grow and that New Jersey continues to realize its potential as a technology and innovation leader.

Stay safe.