Culver pushes math, science teaching center

By Whitney Woodward Journal Des Moines Bureau | Posted: Tuesday, March 11, 2008

DES MOINES -- As lawmakers look to nail down the state's annual spending plan, Gov. Chet Culver Monday urged the Legislature to approve a roughly $5 million teacher training center which he said would reap benefits for the work force and economy.

The proposed facility, to be located at the University of Northern Iowa, would prepare college students to become math and science teachers -- an area where Culver says the state is struggling.

"The bottom line is we must be prepared, and have a prepared work force in the future to meet our 21st century challenges in Iowa," Culver said.

The proposed Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics center -- dubbed STEM -- would mentor and train teaching students and offer them real-world learning opportunities in the private sector. STEM officials also would recruit students and attempt to steer them into the teaching field.

The Regents-backed STEM center proposal, which Culver pushed for in his January Condition of the State address, is another attempt to stave off a forecasted work force shortage.

Supporters say the center could increase the number of teachers, who in turn, would inspire students in math and science fields.

UNI President Ben Allen said the conditions which prompted the need for the program -- a teacher shortage, a growing math and science economy and declining student test scores -- are only bound to get worse.

"The pipeline of people coming into the profession of teaching math and science is not very large," Allen said.

There are about 100 physics teachers ready to retire across the state, but only 14 such teaching students who will graduate from Regents universities this year, Allen said.

Culver said the program could double the number of math and science teachers graduating from public universities.

While House Minority Leader Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City, agreed that the Legislature should address the teacher shortage, he said he wasn't sure the STEM center was the best way to do so.

Rants and Republicans have pushed unsuccessfully for alternative teacher licensure plans, to enable science and math professionals to easily leave the private sector for the school system. A previous attempt to give school districts money to boost the salaries of some subject's teachers was also squashed, Rants said.

"Right now if people have a strong interest in math and science, they're going more into the private sector than into education," Rants said. "We're going to have to be more competitive to get our salaries to match those fields."

But with lawmakers facing the task of assembling another tight budget, can the state afford to fund the center?

"I think the bigger question is, 'Can we afford not to?'" said Rep. Cindy Winckler, D-Davenport, the co-chair of the committee that oversees education spending.

Winckler said the program's funding isn't secured yet, but that she's pushing for it.

"We have known for a long time that science and math skills are important in so many jobs," Winckler said. "If we truly want to prepare our students to meet the needs of our global economy, we need to do it."

Whitney Woodward can be reached at (515) 243-0138 or whitney.woodward@lee.net.