Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HB2928 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R11265 KSD-D
2	2	By: Howard of Travis H.B. No. 2928
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the creation and administration of the public high
8	8	school mathematics and science teachers undergraduate education
9	9	scholarship program.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
12	12	Subchapter FF to read as follows:
13	13	SUBCHAPTER FF. MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE TEACHERS UNDERGRADUATE
14	14	EDUCATION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
15	15	Sec. 61.9831. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. (a) In accordance with
16	16	this subchapter and board rules, the board shall establish and
17	17	administer a program to award scholarships to undergraduate
18	18	students who are enrolled in educator preparation programs at
19	19	public or private institutions of higher education in this state
20	20	and who agree to teach mathematics or science courses in certain
21	21	public high schools in this state for a specified period after
22	22	graduation.
23	23	(b) The amount of a scholarship under this subchapter for a
24	24	semester or other academic term is equal to the amount of tuition
25	25	that the public or private institution of higher education in which
26	26	the scholarship recipient is enrolled charges the recipient for
27	27	that semester or other term.
28	28	Sec. 61.9832. ELIGIBILITY. (a) To be eligible to receive a
29	29	scholarship under this subchapter, a student must:
30	30	(1) be enrolled in a State Board for Educator
31	31	Certification accredited educator preparation program that is
32	32	provided by a public or private institution of higher education in
33	33	this state and that prepares students to obtain appropriate
34	34	certification to teach a mathematics or science course in a public
35	35	high school in this state;
36	36	(2) maintain a cumulative grade point average of at
37	37	least 3.0 on a four-point scale or the equivalent; and
38	38	(3) enter into an agreement with the board as provided
39	39	by Section 61.9833.
40	40	(b) The board may limit the number of scholarships that may
41	41	be awarded under this subchapter in an academic year. If the amount
42	42	available for scholarships under this subchapter is insufficient to
43	43	provide a scholarship to each eligible applicant, the board shall
44	44	establish criteria to determine which applicants will be granted a
45	45	scholarship as the board determines appropriate to further the
46	46	purposes of this subchapter.
47	47	Sec. 61.9833. AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS. (a) To qualify for a
48	48	scholarship under this subchapter, a person must enter into a
49	49	written agreement with the board as provided by this section. The
50	50	agreement must:
51	51	(1) specify the conditions the person must satisfy to
52	52	receive the scholarship award;
53	53	(2) require the person to earn a baccalaureate degree
54	54	through completion of a State Board for Educator Certification
55	55	accredited educator preparation program described by Section
56	56	61.9832(a)(1);
57	57	(3) require the person to obtain, within the period
58	58	prescribed by board rule, appropriate certification to teach a
59	59	mathematics or science course in a public high school in this state;
60	60	(4) require the person to accept, during the first
61	61	school year that begins after the date the person obtains the
62	62	appropriate certification, an offer of full-time employment to
63	63	teach a mathematics or science course in a public high school in
64	64	this state designated by the Texas Education Agency as having a
65	65	shortage of teachers certified to teach in those fields;
66	66	(5) provide that any scholarship award the person
67	67	receives under this subchapter constitutes a loan until the person:
68	68	(A) completes four consecutive years of
69	69	full-time employment primarily teaching mathematics or science
70	70	courses in a public high school in this state described by
71	71	Subdivision (4), beginning with the school year described by
72	72	Subdivision (4), and satisfies any other applicable conditions of
73	73	the agreement; or
74	74	(B) is excused from the repayment obligation in
75	75	accordance with law;
76	76	(6) require the board to deduct from the conditional
77	77	amount owed by the person, at the end of each year of teaching
78	78	completed by the person in accordance with the agreement, the
79	79	amount of the scholarship received by the person for an academic
80	80	year; and
81	81	(7) require the person to sign a promissory note
82	82	acknowledging the conditional nature of the scholarship award
83	83	received and promising to repay any remaining amount of that
84	84	assistance plus applicable interest and reasonable collection
85	85	costs if the person does not satisfy the applicable conditions and
86	86	is not excused from the repayment obligation in accordance with
87	87	law.
88	88	(b) The board shall determine the terms of the promissory
89	89	note required by Subsection (a)(7). To the extent practicable, the
90	90	terms must be the same as those applicable to state or federally
91	91	guaranteed student loans made at the same time.
92	92	Sec. 61.9834. EXCEPTIONS TO TEACHING AND REPAYMENT
93	93	OBLIGATIONS. (a) A person is not considered to be in violation of
94	94	the teaching obligation in the agreement described by Section
95	95	61.9833 during any period in which the person:
96	96	(1) is pursuing a full-time course of study related to
97	97	the field of teaching offered by a public or private institution of
98	98	higher education in this state and approved by the State Board for
99	99	Educator Certification;
100	100	(2) is serving on active duty as a member of the armed
101	101	forces of the United States;
102	102	(3) is temporarily totally disabled for a period not
103	103	to exceed 36 months as established by the affidavit of a qualified
104	104	physician;
105	105	(4) is unable to secure employment for a period not to
106	106	exceed 12 months because of care required by a disabled spouse or
107	107	child;
108	108	(5) is seeking and unable to find, for a single period
109	109	not to exceed 12 months, full-time employment teaching mathematics
110	110	or science courses in a public high school in this state designated
111	111	under Section 61.9833(a)(4) as having a shortage of math and
112	112	science teachers; or
113	113	(6) satisfies the provisions of any other teaching
114	114	exception adopted by the board.
115	115	(b) A person is excused from the repayment obligation in a
116	116	promissory note described by Section 61.9833 if:
117	117	(1) the person becomes permanently totally disabled as
118	118	established by the affidavit of a qualified physician; or
119	119	(2) the board waives repayment in the case of extreme
120	120	hardship to the person.
121	121	(c) A person who is employed at a public high school
122	122	designated under Section 61.9833(a)(4) as having a shortage of math
123	123	and science teachers is not required to change schools in a
124	124	subsequent school year if the high school fails to receive that
125	125	designation for that subsequent year.
126	126	Sec. 61.9835. GRANTS, GIFTS, AND DONATIONS. In addition to
127	127	money appropriated by the legislature, the board may solicit and
128	128	accept grants, gifts, and donations from any public or private
129	129	source for the purposes of this subchapter.
130	130	Sec. 61.9836. RULES. (a) The board shall adopt rules
131	131	necessary to administer this subchapter, including rules providing
132	132	for the manner in which a person may apply for a scholarship.
133	133	(b) The board shall distribute to each educator preparation
134	134	program of a public or private institution of higher education in
135	135	this state a copy of the rules adopted under this section.
136	136	SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
137	137	shall adopt rules for the public high school mathematics and
138	138	science teachers undergraduate education scholarship program under
139	139	Subchapter FF, Chapter 61, Education Code, as added by this Act, not
140	140	later than December 31, 2009.
141	141	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
142	142	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
143	143	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
144	144	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
145	145	Act takes effect September 1, 2009.