Alabama 2025 Regular Session

Alabama House Bill HB272 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	HB272INTRODUCED
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3	3	HB272
4	4	V8QTPLV-1
5	5	By Representative Collins
6	6	RFD: Ways and Means Education
7	7	First Read: 13-Feb-25
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12	12	5 V8QTPLV-1 02/07/2025 KMS (L) 2025-395
13	13	Page 1
14	14	First Read: 13-Feb-25
15	15	SYNOPSIS:
16	16	Under existing law, the Alabama Commission on
17	17	Higher Education administers the Alabama Math and
18	18	Science Teacher Education Program (AMSTEP), which
19	19	provides a loan repayment award to eligible public K-12
20	20	math, science, and computer science teachers and an
21	21	additional loan repayment award to the eligible
22	22	applicants who are employed in underserved locations in
23	23	the state.
24	24	This bill would change the name of the program
25	25	to the Loan Assistance in Support of Educators in
26	26	Alabama (LASEA) Program and would expand program
27	27	eligibility to address additional educator shortages by
28	28	extending eligibility for loan assistance to educators
29	29	with certification in acute educator shortage programs
30	30	and providing additional loan assistance if those
31	31	educators are employed by public K-12 schools or school
32	32	systems recognized as acute educator shortage
33	33	locations.
34	34	This bill would specify that the Alabama
35	35	Commission on Higher Education, in consultation with
36	36	the State Department of Education, would determine
37	37	which programs, schools, and school systems have acute
38	38	educator shortages.
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68	68	A BILL
69	69	TO BE ENTITLED
70	70	AN ACT
71	71	Relating to the Alabama Math and Science Teacher
72	72	Education Program (AMSTEP); to change the name of the program
73	73	to the Loan Assistance in Support of Educators in Alabama
74	74	(LASEA) Program; to amend Sections 16-5-50, 16-5-51, 16-5-52,
75	75	16-5-53, 16-5-54, 16-5-54.1, 16-5-55, and 16-5-56, Code of
76	76	Alabama 1975; to allow educators who complete a program
77	77	identified as having a shortage of certified educators and who
78	78	obtain certification in those identified programs to qualify
79	79	for the loan assistance program; to offer a supplemental
80	80	payment from the loan assistance program to eligible
81	81	applicants who are also employed in public K-12 schools or
82	82	school systems with a shortage of certified educators as
83	83	determined by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education in
84	84	consultation with the State Department of Education; and to
85	85	repeal Section 16-5-54.2, Code of Alabama 1975, which provides
86	86	providing for the reimbursement of individuals who have
87	87	completed certain alternative certification programs.
88	88	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
89	89	Section 1. Sections 16-5-50, 16-5-51, 16-5-52, 16-5-53,
90	90	16-5-54, 16-5-54.1, 16-5-55, and 16-5-56 of the Code of
91	91	Alabama 1975, are amended to read as follows:
92	92	"§16-5-50
93	93	The Alabama Math and Science Teacher Education Program
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123	123	The Alabama Math and Science Teacher Education Program
124	124	is created pursuant to this article is renamed the Loan
125	125	Assistance in Support of Educators in Alabama (LASEA)
126	126	Program."
127	127	"§16-5-51
128	128	The purpose of the Alabama Math and Science Teacher
129	129	Education Program Loan Assistance in Support of Educators in
130	130	Alabama Program is twofold as follows:
131	131	(1) To encourage individuals to enroll in and complete
132	132	educator programs leading to identified as having acute
133	133	educator shortages and obtain Alabama certification in
134	134	mathematics, science, or computer science those programs.
135	135	(2) To improve the educational system in Alabama by
136	136	encouraging those who complete the program and obtain
137	137	certification in acute educator shortage programs to accept
138	138	math, science, or computer science teaching educator positions
139	139	in Alabama public K-12 schools, preferably in public or school
140	140	systems, including charter schools , where the shortage of
141	141	math, science, or computer science teachers, or any
142	142	combination of the three, is most acute, or in a school that
143	143	has been designated as a failing school, or any other term
144	144	adopted to identify an underperforming school, by the State
145	145	Board of Education or the Legislature that have been
146	146	identified as acute educator shortage locations . "
147	147	"§16-5-52
148	148	For the purposes of this article, the following terms
149	149	shall have the following meanings:
150	150	(1) ACUTE EDUCATOR SHORTAGE. A shortage of certified
151	151	educators in identified educator programs as determined by the
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181	181	educators in identified educator programs as determined by the
182	182	Alabama Commission on Higher Education in consultation with
183	183	the State Department of Education.
184	184	(2) ACUTE EDUCATOR SHORTAGE LOCATION. A public K-12
185	185	school or school system that has been identified as having an
186	186	acute educator shortage.
187	187	(1)(3) APPROVED INSTITUTION. A state-supported
188	188	institution of higher education or a private nonprofit
189	189	institution of higher education that satisfies all of the
190	190	following:
191	191	a. Is accredited by the Southern Association of
192	192	Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
193	193	b. Is approved by the State Board of Education to
194	194	prepare teachers of middle level or secondary math, science,
195	195	or computer science educators in programs identified as having
196	196	an acute educator shortage .
197	197	c. Is eligible to receive Title IV federal student aid
198	198	program funds.
199	199	d. Maintains its primary headquarters in Alabama.
200	200	(4) BASE SUPPORT. Loan assistance in support of
201	201	educators who are certified in a program identified as having
202	202	an acute educator shortage pursuant to Section 16-5-54.
203	203	(2)(5) CHARTER SCHOOL. A form of public K-12 school. A
204	204	teacher established pursuant to Chapter 6F. An educator
205	205	employed by a charter school accredited by the Southern
206	206	Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges is
207	207	eligible to participate in the program. A teacher for the base
208	208	support provided in this article. An educator employed by a
209	209	charter school is not eligible for the acute shortage area
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239	239	charter school is not eligible for the acute shortage area
240	240	supplement supplemental support provided in this article.
241	241	(3)(6) COMMISSION. The Alabama Commission on Higher
242	242	Education.
243	243	(7) EDUCATOR. A full-time employee of a public K-12
244	244	school or school system whose function is to work with
245	245	students in support of their efforts to learn and obtain an
246	246	education.
247	247	(4)(8) ELIGIBLE APPLICANT. A person An individual who
248	248	satisfies the criteria set out in this article and is eligible
249	249	under rules adopted by the commission.
250	250	(5)(9) PROGRAM. The Alabama Math and Science Teacher
251	251	Education Program Loan Assistance in Support of Educators in
252	252	Alabama Program created by this article and administered by
253	253	the commission that provides loan repayments assistance to a
254	254	teacher an educator with a valid Alabama professional educator
255	255	certificate who is endorsed in math, science, or computer
256	256	science who teaches math, science, or computer science courses
257	257	for which the teacher is properly certified for three-fourths
258	258	of the full-time teaching load in the Alabama public school
259	259	system a program identified as having an acute educator
260	260	shortage.
261	261	(6) SCIENCE. Biology, chemistry, physics, and general
262	262	science.
263	263	(10) SUPPLEMENTAL SUPPORT. Loan assistance in support
264	264	of educators who qualify for base support pursuant to Section
265	265	16-5-54 and are employed in an acute educator shortage
266	266	location.
267	267	(7)(11) YEAR. A school year that shall be divided into
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297	297	(7)(11) YEAR. A school year that shall be divided into
298	298	The fall and spring semesters . The term does not mean
299	299	calendar, fiscal, or scholastic year of an academic year of a
300	300	public K-12 school or school system ."
301	301	"§16-5-53
302	302	(a) The Alabama Math and Science Teacher Education
303	303	Program program shall be administered by the commission, which
304	304	may adopt any rules necessary for the administration of the
305	305	program.
306	306	(b) A percentage of any appropriations received by the
307	307	program may be expended for its operation and maintenance. Any
308	308	funds appropriated to the program shall be non-reverting at
309	309	the end of each fiscal year. "
310	310	"§16-5-54
311	311	(a) The program shall provide two levels of payment for
312	312	loan assistance: base support and supplemental support.
313	313	Depending on eligibility, an eligible applicant may receive
314	314	the base support or both the base support and supplemental
315	315	support.
316	316	(b) To be eligible for the base program of three
317	317	thousand seven hundred fifty dollars ($3,750) per semester for
318	318	math and science teachers and one thousand five hundred
319	319	dollars ($1,500) per semester for computer science teachers,
320	320	an support of seven thousand five hundred dollars ($7,500) per
321	321	year worked or three thousand seven hundred fifty dollars
322	322	($3,750) per semester, for a maximum of four consecutive
323	323	years, an eligible applicant shall satisfy all of the
324	324	following:
325	325	(1) Is a citizen or a lawful permanent resident of the
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355	355	(1) Is a citizen or a lawful permanent resident of the
356	356	United States.
357	357	(2) Is a resident of Alabama. The commission shall
358	358	accept any one of the following as proof of residency:
359	359	a. A current valid Alabama driver license.
360	360	b. A current valid Alabama vehicle registration.
361	361	c. A current valid Alabama voter registration card.
362	362	(1) Be(3) Is a graduate of a State Board of Education
363	363	an approved program in math, science, or computer science, at
364	364	the baccalaureate or master's level after the 2018 spring
365	365	semester term from an approved Alabama institution and hold an
366	366	initial middle level or secondary professional educator
367	367	certificate endorsed in math, science, or computer science
368	368	that was has been issued an Alabama educator certificate based
369	369	upon completion of the approved program in math, science, or
370	370	computer science. A teacher identified as having an acute
371	371	educator shortage. An educator who only earns a passing score
372	372	on the Praxis test in math, science, or computer science to
373	373	add a certificate endorsement for math, science, or computer
374	374	science, an approved program and who has not completed an
375	375	entire the approved program , does not satisfy this
376	376	requirement.
377	377	(2) Holds a valid Alabama professional educator
378	378	certificate endorsed in middle level or secondary math,
379	379	science, or computer science, or any combination of the three.
380	380	(3) Teaches
381	381	(4) Is employed by a public K-12 school or school
382	382	system.
383	383	(5) Maintains a schedule in which at least
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413	413	(5) Maintains a schedule in which at least
414	414	three-fourths of the full-time teaching load is comprised of
415	415	math, science, or computer science in an Alabama public school
416	416	system workload addresses an acute educator shortage .
417	417	(4) Is a citizen or a lawful permanent resident of the
418	418	United States.
419	419	(5) Is a resident of Alabama and provides documentation
420	420	proving a permanent connection to the State of Alabama. The
421	421	commission shall accept any one of the following as proof of
422	422	residency:
423	423	a. A current valid Alabama driver license.
424	424	b. A current valid Alabama vehicle registration.
425	425	c. A current valid Alabama voter registration card.
426	426	(6) Has outstanding federal student loans, subsidized
427	427	or unsubsidized.
428	428	(7) Satisfies additional continuing eligibility
429	429	criteria established by the commission.
430	430	(b) In order to receive an additional supplement
431	431	pursuant to this article, in addition to the criteria listed
432	432	in subsection (a), a recipient shall also teach math, science,
433	433	or computer science, or any combination of the three, in a
434	434	public school system within the state with an acute teacher
435	435	shortage in math, science, or computer science, or any
436	436	combination of the three, for which the teacher is properly
437	437	certified, as identified by the commission in consultation
438	438	with the Alabama State Department of Education or in a school
439	439	that has been designated as a failing school, or any other
440	440	term adopted to identify an underperforming school, by the
441	441	Alabama State Board of Education or the Legislature. (c) To be
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471	471	Alabama State Board of Education or the Legislature. (c) To be
472	472	eligible for the supplemental support of three thousand
473	473	dollars ($3,000) per year worked or one thousand five hundred
474	474	dollars ($1,500) per semester worked, for a maximum of four
475	475	consecutive years, an eligible applicant must meet the
476	476	criteria listed in subsection (b) and also be employed in an
477	477	acute educator shortage location. "
478	478	"§16-5-54.1
479	479	(a) Beginning in the fall semester of 2021, the
480	480	benefits outlined in subsection (a) of Section 16-5-54 (a) and
481	481	the criteria outlined in Section 16-5-54(b) and (c) shall also
482	482	apply to the following eligible individuals , pending
483	483	authorization to teach who are authorized to be educators in
484	484	Alabama and subsequent employment are subsequently employed in
485	485	an Alabama public K-12 school: or school system, who graduated
486	486	from a regionally accredited college or university in another
487	487	state at the baccalaureate or master's level after the 2021
488	488	spring semester term, and who may or may not reside within
489	489	Alabama, exempting Section 16-5-54(b)(2)a. through c.
490	490	(1) An individual who graduated from a regionally
491	491	accredited college or university in Alabama or in another
492	492	state who is certified to teach math, science, or computer
493	493	science in another state, and who may or may not reside within
494	494	Alabama.
495	495	(2) An individual who resides in another state and is a
496	496	graduate of a State Board of Education approved program in
497	497	math, science, or computer science, at the baccalaureate or
498	498	master's level after the 2021 spring semester term from an
499	499	approved Alabama institution and who holds an initial
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529	529	approved Alabama institution and who holds an initial
530	530	middle-level or secondary professional educator certificate
531	531	endorsed in math, science, or computer science that was issued
532	532	based upon completion of the approved program in math,
533	533	science, or computer science. A teacher who only earns a
534	534	passing score on the Praxis test in math, science, or computer
535	535	science to add a certificate endorsement for math, science, or
536	536	computer science and who has not completed an entire approved
537	537	program, does not satisfy this requirement.
538	538	(b) The individuals listed in subsection (a) shall also
539	539	satisfy all of the following criteria:
540	540	(1) Hold a valid Alabama professional educator
541	541	certificate endorsed in middle-level or secondary math,
542	542	science, or computer science, or any combination of the three.
543	543	(2) Teach a schedule in which at least three-fourths of
544	544	the full-time teaching load is comprised of math, science, or
545	545	computer science courses for which the teacher is properly
546	546	certified in an Alabama public school system.
547	547	(3) Be citizens or lawful permanent residents of the
548	548	United States.
549	549	(4) Have outstanding federal student loans, subsidized
550	550	or unsubsidized.
551	551	(5) Satisfy additional continuing eligibility criteria
552	552	established by the commission.
553	553	(c) In order to receive an additional supplement
554	554	pursuant to this article, in addition to the criteria listed
555	555	in subsections (a) and (b), a recipient shall also teach math,
556	556	science, or computer science courses, or any combination of
557	557	the three, for which he or she is properly certified, in a
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587	587	the three, for which he or she is properly certified, in a
588	588	school system within the state with an acute teacher shortage
589	589	in math, science, or computer science, or any combination of
590	590	the three, as identified by the commission in consultation
591	591	with the State Department of Education or in a school that has
592	592	been designated as a failing school, or any other term
593	593	subsequently adopted to identify underperforming schools, by
594	594	the State Board of Education or the Legislature. "
595	595	"§16-5-55
596	596	(a) The program shall be used to provide a loan
597	597	repayment for federal student loans in the following amounts:
598	598	(1)a. Prior to the 2022 fall semester, five thousand
599	599	dollars ($5,000) per year, or two thousand five hundred
600	600	dollars ($2,500) per semester worked, for a maximum of four
601	601	consecutive years for a teacher with a valid Alabama
602	602	professional educator certificate endorsed in middle level or
603	603	secondary math or science who graduated from a teacher
604	604	education program at an approved institution after the 2018
605	605	spring semester term and is teaching in an Alabama public
606	606	school.
607	607	b. Three thousand dollars ($3,000) per year, or one
608	608	thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) per semester worked,
609	609	for a maximum of four consecutive years for a teacher with a
610	610	valid Alabama professional educator certificate endorsed in
611	611	computer science who graduated from a teacher education
612	612	program at an approved institution after the 2021 spring
613	613	semester term and is teaching in an Alabama public school.
614	614	c. Beginning after the 2022 spring semester, seven
615	615	thousand five hundred dollars ($7,500) per year, or three
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645	645	thousand five hundred dollars ($7,500) per year, or three
646	646	thousand seven hundred fifty dollars ($3,750) per semester
647	647	worked, for a maximum of four consecutive years for a teacher
648	648	with a valid Alabama professional educator certificate
649	649	endorsed in middle level or secondary math or science who
650	650	graduated from a teacher education program at an approved
651	651	institution after the 2018 spring semester term and is
652	652	teaching in an Alabama public school. Payments made under this
653	653	paragraph may only be made to eligible teachers who fulfilled
654	654	the per semester requirements for the 2022 fall semester and
655	655	forward.
656	656	(2)a. An additional two thousand five hundred dollars
657	657	($2,500) per year, or one thousand two hundred fifty dollars
658	658	($1,250) per semester worked, for a maximum of four
659	659	consecutive years for a teacher who satisfies all criteria
660	660	listed in Sections 16-5-54, 16-5-54.1, and 16-5-54.2, and who
661	661	also is teaching math or science in a public school in a
662	662	school system within the state with an acute teacher shortage
663	663	in math or science, or both, as identified by the commission
664	664	in consultation with the Alabama State Department of Education
665	665	or in a school that has been designated as a failing school,
666	666	or any other term adopted to identify an underperforming
667	667	school by the Alabama State Board of Education or the
668	668	Legislature.
669	669	b. An additional one thousand dollars ($1,000) per
670	670	year, or five hundred dollars ($500) per semester worked, for
671	671	a maximum of four consecutive years for a teacher who
672	672	satisfies all criteria listed in Sections 16-5-54, 16-5-54.1,
673	673	and 16-5-54.2, and who also is teaching computer science in a
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703	703	and 16-5-54.2, and who also is teaching computer science in a
704	704	public school in a school system within the state with an
705	705	acute teacher shortage in computer science as identified by
706	706	the commission in consultation with the Alabama State
707	707	Department of Education or in a school that has been
708	708	designated as a failing school, or any other term adopted to
709	709	identify an underperforming school, by the Alabama State Board
710	710	of Education or the Legislature.
711	711	(b) Loan repayment award recipients shall reapply for
712	712	the program annually.
713	713	(a) Program funds shall be awarded and distributed by
714	714	the commission in the following manner:
715	715	(c) Loan repayment assistance awards shall be
716	716	distributed directly to the recipient teacher eligible
717	717	applicants in two disbursements during the applicable year:
718	718	One disbursement shall be made after January 1 and the second
719	719	disbursement shall be made after June 1. Each recipient
720	720	eligible applicant shall provide documentation from the
721	721	employing public K-12 school or school system as proof that he
722	722	or she has taught for a of employment for the requested
723	723	semester. If the award amount is larger than exceeds the
724	724	outstanding loan balance, the award amount shall be reduced to
725	725	the amount of match the loan balance.
726	726	(d)(b) The requirements of this article are contingent
727	727	upon available funding for the program.
728	728	(e)(c) The commission shall determine the necessary
729	729	procedures for awarding loan repayments assistance if the
730	730	number of total awards made to eligible applicants and
731	731	recipients exceeds available funding.
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761	761	recipients exceeds available funding.
762	762	(f)(d) The recipient eligible applicant shall notify
763	763	the commission in writing of any change in status within 30
764	764	days after the change. Failure to notify the commission of a
765	765	change in status shall affect future eligibility. All of the
766	766	following constitute a change in status:
767	767	(1) A change in name.
768	768	(2) A change in residence.
769	769	(3) A change in employment status.
770	770	(g)(e) To receive a loan repayment check assistance
771	771	pursuant to this article, a teacher an eligible applicant
772	772	shall register online with the state Comptroller.
773	773	(h)(f) A loan repayment check assistance award is
774	774	considered income by the Internal Revenue Service, and
775	775	recipients eligible applicants shall be made aware of that
776	776	fact.
777	777	(i) Any funds appropriated to the program shall be
778	778	nonreverting.
779	779	(j) Additional funds shall be made available to
780	780	teachers who also teach math, science, or computer science in
781	781	school systems of the state where the shortages of math,
782	782	science, or computer science teachers, or any combination of
783	783	the three, are most severe. The commission, in consultation
784	784	with the Alabama State Department of Education, shall
785	785	determine which school systems in the state have the greatest
786	786	shortage areas.
787	787	(k) A recipient who receives a loan repayment award and
788	788	continues to satisfy employment criteria shall continue to
789	789	receive an award for the four-year limit regardless of whether
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819	819	receive an award for the four-year limit regardless of whether
820	820	the employing school system retains its acute shortage
821	821	designation or the employing school is removed from the
822	822	failing school list. If a recipient leaves an acute shortage
823	823	system or a failing school and accepts employment in a school
824	824	system or school that does not hold an acute shortage system
825	825	or failing school designation, the recipient shall no longer
826	826	qualify to receive supplemental funds.
827	827	(g) An eligible applicant who receives the base support
828	828	and continues to satisfy employment criteria shall continue to
829	829	receive an award for the four-year limit.
830	830	(h) An eligible applicant who receives the supplemental
831	831	support and continues to satisfy employment criteria shall
832	832	continue to receive an award for the four-year limit. "
833	833	"§16-5-56
834	834	Any person individual or institution aggrieved by not
835	835	satisfied with the actions of the commission in its
836	836	administration of the program , by may submit a written
837	837	petition filed with to the commission within 30 days after
838	838	notice of the action complained of, may request a rehearing by
839	839	the commission. If not satisfied with the response of the
840	840	commission to the written petition, the individual or
841	841	institution may request a rehearing within 20 days after the
842	842	response of the commission is made . The commission shall
843	843	schedule the requested rehearing not less than 20, nor more
844	844	than 30, within 20 days after receipt of the petition
845	845	rehearing request . The aggrieved party individual or
846	846	institution may present written and oral evidence supporting
847	847	its the petition and may be represented by counsel. The
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877	877	its the petition and may be represented by counsel. The
878	878	decision of the commission following the rehearing shall be is
879	879	final."
880	880	Section 2. Section 16-5-54.2, Code of Alabama 1975,
881	881	relating to documentation required from educators who received
882	882	their certifications pursuant to an alternative certification
883	883	program to receive loan repayments under AMSTEP, is repealed.
884	884	Section 3. This act shall become effective on August 1,
885	885	2025.
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