Will the New York City’s schools chancellor’s offer of a $14,600 housing bonus be enough to entice math, science, and special education teachers to work at the city’s toughest schools?

Facing a national shortage of teachers in those fields, Joel Klein officially announced a new housing program yesterday that is expected to cost about $1.5 million. The goal is to attract 100 new teachers in time for classes in September.

While many education experts have lauded the new incentive pay as a step in the right direction, others questioned whether it would be enough to lure teachers to the city given the high cost of living and the grueling work conditions compared with the nearby suburban school districts.

“We don’t think the city’s incentive will impact our hiring,” a spokeswoman for the Mamaroneck Union Free School District, Joan Rosen, said. About 600 to 800 teachers apply to the suburban school district each year. “We’re often told that we’re attractive because of the working conditions and teacher resources,” she said.

Certified teachers with at least two years of experience are eligible to apply to the city’s new program. In exchange for the additional pay, teachers must commit to working in one of the city’s 500 most struggling schools for at least three years. Only teachers outside the school system are able to apply.

The city’s Department of Education is touting the bonus during its current nationwide hiring effort.

“It’s a laudable measure, but a better measure might be to simply go ahead and raise the basic wages,” Jewell Gould, the director of research for the American Federation of Teachers, the parent organization of the city’s teachers union, said.

About 10% of the city’s students are learning math and science from a teacher who is not certified in that area.