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WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, D-Va., introduced a bill in the Senate on Tuesday which would address principal and teacher shortages, especially in rural communities.

Kaine introduced the bipartisan bill with U.S. Senator Susan Collins, R-ME. The bill is named the Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals Act and aims to help ensure there are enough teachers and principals to prepare students for the future.

"As schools across our nation continue to face growing class sizes, many are struggling with a shortage of qualified teachers," Kaine said in a news release. "Rural communities in particular are experiencing a dearth of teachers equipped to meet their growing needs. By creating high-quality teacher residency programs like Grow Your Own and increasing support for these programs at Minority Serving Institutions, this bill will help provide schools and districts with the teachers to prepare students for future success.”

The bill would expand the definition of high need districts to include schools experiencing teacher shortages in rural communities and in areas such as special education, English, science, technology, engineering, math and career and technical education.