Nebraska, neighboring states join first nationwide interstate teaching compact

For a number of careers requiring professional licensure, especially in the medical field, interstate compacts mean people’s licenses are recognized when they move from state to state. This can save time and money. Now the first nationwide interstate teaching compact has been “activated,” with Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas among the first ten states to join.

Adam Diersing, senior policy analyst with the Council of State Governments, said the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact was one of six compacts developed through an agreement between the CSG and the Department of Defense.

“The Department of Defense saw an issue with either unemployment or underemployment in the military spouse community, and found interstate compacts to be a useful tool for states to help address that for for military members in their states,” he explained.

Diersing stressed that states have already been accepting teaching licenses from other states, but the compact streamlines the process for both the teacher and the state licensing bureaus. The compact could go into effect as early as next spring, and several more states may join within the next few years, he said.

State Senator Carol Blood’s district abuts Offutt Air Force Base and has the most veterans of any Nebraska district. She agreed these compacts are invaluable to military spouses.

“These interstate compacts allow people to hit the ground running and get to work,” she said. “And that’s really important – not just for teachers, but for every area of the workforce that involves licensure.”

Blood added the way background checks are handled is another valuable feature of interstate compacts.

“They utilize a shared database between the compact members, and then that state doesn’t have to pay for a new background check, nor does that teacher,” she explained.

Diersing said although they do not see this as a solution to the nation’s teacher shortage, they believe some people will stay in the profession who might otherwise have left.

“Because a lot of those teachers want to teach but re-going through examination requirements and education requirements that you maybe completed 20-plus years ago — for many, that time cost and that physical cost is too much to remain in the profession,” Diersing said.

Nebraska participates in interstate compacts in eight licensure areas, six of which were introduced by Senator Blood.