State Rep. Pryor seeks to rename Minority Teacher Scholarship

INDIANAPOLIS — State Rep. Cherrish Pryor (D-Indianapolis) is leading a bipartisan effort to rename the Minority Teacher Scholarship in honor of the original author of the program, the late State Representative William A. Crawford from Indianapolis.

House Bill 1034, which was approved 95-0 today by House members, has two primary objectives.

First, it renames the scholarship which, since 1987, has provided financial assistance to Black or Hispanic students pursuing a course of study that would enable them to teach in an accredited school in Indiana.

“Representative Crawford created this scholarship program with the purpose of assisting hundreds of minority students in their journey to become teachers,” said Pryor. “Since its inception, this scholarship has been an enormous success and we owe that to Bill Crawford.

“By renaming the scholarship in his honor, we can ensure that his hard work and dedication is recognized,” continued Pryor.

The second portion of the bill streamlines the academic eligibility of the Minority Teaching Scholarship, the Student Teaching Stipends for Minorities and the Student Teaching for High-Need Fields.

To accomplish this, Pryor’s legislation would: 1) require that a student maintains his or her institutions’ required GPA to qualify, 2) unify the eligibility requirements, and 3) allow the Commission to reduce eligibility based on financial need.

The changes are projected to improve communication between the commission and students interested in a teaching scholarship. The eligibility requirements are also expected to help the commission ensure that the allotted funds are used to help those most in need.

The past success of the scholarship is undeniable with over 3,400 students receiving the scholarship since its inception.

“The scholarship has a significant impact on minority youths who aspire to become teachers,” said Pryor. “There is nothing more rewarding then helping them reach their goals.”

House Bill 1034, which gained strong bipartisan support in the House, now moves to the Senate for further discussion.