Pair of Bills to Support Adjunct Faculty, Get More Teachers Into Classrooms Clear Committee

Legislation would help adjunct professors qualify for loan forgiveness and create apprenticeship programs to help address Colorado’s teacher shortage

DENVER, CO – The Senate Education Committee today signed off on a pair of bills to improve education and support teachers in Colorado.

SB23-084, sponsored by Senator Julie Gonzales, D-Denver, and Janice Marchman, D-Loveland, would improve support for adjunct faculty by increasing access to federal student loan debt relief programs.

The bill implements a multiplier on adjunct faculty members’ instruction hours to more accurately reflect their full-time work, allowing them to qualify for the federal Public Student Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. Adjuncts, who make up 37 percent of Colorado higher education faculty, are currently considered part-time employees because they are only paid for the time they spend inside the classroom. The bill requires that every hour of direct instruction is multiplied by 4.35.

“I am proud to represent the three higher education institutions that make up Auraria Campus, and I’ve seen firsthand how hard adjunct faculty members work, both inside and outside of the classroom to support their students,” said Gonzales. “By implementing a multiplier on their instruction hours, we’re ensuring adjuncts are able to access well-earned federal student loan forgiveness, just like other hardworking public employees.”

“Even though adjunct faculty members perform largely the same work as their full-time peers – grading, planning lessons, and meeting with students – right now they are only paid for the time they spend inside the classroom,” Marchman said. “Senate Bill 84 makes a simple change to make sure all of the hard work done by adjunct faculty members is accurately accounted for. I’m proud to champion this legislation to ease the burden on adjunct faculty and ensure they can qualify for the benefits they have earned.”

PSLF is a federal program that qualifies full-time public and nonprofit employees for federal loan forgiveness after ten years of making payments. To qualify, public workers need to work at least 30 hours per week for eight months out of the year to be full-time. 

The bill would also require higher education institutions to give employees enrolled in the PSLF program an annual notice of renewal and a copy of the employment certification form required by the Department of Education.

The Senate Education Committee also approved Marchman’s bipartisan SB23-087, which aims to get more teachers into classrooms by creating a teacher apprenticeship program.

Cosponsored by Sen. Mark Baisley, R-Woodland Park, the bill would allow the Department of Education (DOE) to create an apprenticeship program that builds on elements of existing alternative teacher licensure programs and would include a bachelor's degree requirement, training programs approved by DOE, and structured on-the-job training.

“As a middle school math teacher, I know how critical a quality education is for our kids – but right now there aren’t enough teachers to meet demand, and students and families are suffering as a result,” Marchman said. “This bill will help address those shortages and will provide hardworking Colorado school staff the hands-on training and experience they need to step into teaching jobs and provide our kids with the quality public education they deserve.”

According to the Colorado Education Association, teacher and staff shortages remain a huge problem in Colorado’s schools, with 85 percent of educators saying that the teacher shortage is significantly or somewhat worse than previous school years.

SB23-084 now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee and SB23-087 will move to the Senate floor for further consideration. You can follow their progress HERE and HERE, respectively.