Representative Dustin Hite held a press conference at the Iowa Statehouse Monday to unveil his bill that would create an easier pathway for professionals in the private sector to become teachers.

Hite, who chairs the Iowa House Education Committee, first told KRLS News in December during a 2022 session preview about legislation he was working on that would streamline the Regents Alternative Pathway to Iowa Licensure (RAPIL) program, which is currently a two-year path for working professionals to earn their teaching license.

The proposal revealed Monday would allow individuals with three years of work experience earn a teaching license within a year, through an internship in a classroom and 15 additional hours of college credit. Those who complete the program could teach middle school and high school-level courses.

He says there are several qualified individuals who could bolster teaching rosters across the state, and while he appreciates the high standards needed to be in classroom, Hite feels it’s too difficult for those residents to have to put their own careers potentially on hold for two years and to spend close to $14,000 to join the profession.