| 1 | 1 | | 81R11192 KSD-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Olivo H.B. No. 3571 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to a program to provide financial incentives to students |
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| 8 | 8 | | who agree to teach mathematics or science in certain public |
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| 9 | 9 | | schools. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding |
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| 12 | 12 | | Subchapter FF to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SUBCHAPTER FF. FINANCIAL INCENTIVE PROGRAM TO PREPARE TEACHERS IN |
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| 14 | 14 | | MATHEMATICS OR SCIENCE |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 61.9771. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. The board shall |
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| 16 | 16 | | establish a program to provide financial incentives such as tuition |
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| 17 | 17 | | assistance or student loan repayment to: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (1) assist persons to obtain certification to teach |
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| 19 | 19 | | mathematics or science in a public secondary school in this state; |
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| 20 | 20 | | and |
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| 21 | 21 | | (2) facilitate the employment of those persons by a |
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| 22 | 22 | | public secondary school in this state that has a shortage of |
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| 23 | 23 | | teachers certified to teach in those fields. |
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| 24 | 24 | | Sec. 61.9772. ELIGIBILITY. To be eligible to receive |
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| 25 | 25 | | financial incentives under this subchapter, a person must: |
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| 26 | 26 | | (1) apply to the board in the form and manner |
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| 27 | 27 | | prescribed by board rule; |
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| 28 | 28 | | (2) have completed at least 60 semester credit hours |
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| 29 | 29 | | of course work toward an associate's degree at a public junior |
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| 30 | 30 | | college or a junior college accredited by a recognized accrediting |
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| 31 | 31 | | agency; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (3) be admitted into an educator preparation program |
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| 33 | 33 | | at an institution of higher education that prepares students for |
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| 34 | 34 | | certification to teach mathematics or science; |
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| 35 | 35 | | (4) enter into an agreement with the board as provided |
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| 36 | 36 | | by Section 61.9773; and |
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| 37 | 37 | | (5) satisfy any other criteria jointly prescribed by |
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| 38 | 38 | | the board and the State Board for Educator Certification. |
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| 39 | 39 | | Sec. 61.9773. AGREEMENT. To qualify for financial |
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| 40 | 40 | | incentives under this subchapter, a person must enter into a |
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| 41 | 41 | | written agreement with the board as provided by this section. The |
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| 42 | 42 | | agreement must require the person to: |
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| 43 | 43 | | (1) obtain, within the period prescribed by board |
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| 44 | 44 | | rule, certification to teach mathematics or science in a public |
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| 45 | 45 | | secondary school in this state; |
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| 46 | 46 | | (2) accept, during the first school year that begins |
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| 47 | 47 | | after the date the person becomes certified, an offer of full-time |
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| 48 | 48 | | employment to teach mathematics or science in a public secondary |
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| 49 | 49 | | school in this state that has a shortage of teachers certified to |
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| 50 | 50 | | teach in one or more of those fields; and |
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| 51 | 51 | | (3) teach mathematics or science at that school for at |
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| 52 | 52 | | least three school years. |
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| 53 | 53 | | Sec. 61.9774. FINANCIAL INCENTIVES. The board shall award |
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| 54 | 54 | | financial incentives such as tuition assistance or student loan |
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| 55 | 55 | | repayment to each participant in the program to assist with the cost |
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| 56 | 56 | | of payment of mandatory tuition and fees for courses required to |
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| 57 | 57 | | obtain certification to teach mathematics or science. |
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| 58 | 58 | | Sec. 61.9775. REIMBURSEMENT; EXCEPTIONS. (a) A program |
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| 59 | 59 | | participant who fails to meet the requirements of Section 61.9773 |
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| 60 | 60 | | shall reimburse the board for the amount of any assistance received |
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| 61 | 61 | | by the participant under this subchapter. |
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| 62 | 62 | | (b) The board by rule shall establish exceptions to the |
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| 63 | 63 | | reimbursement requirement under this section for participants who |
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| 64 | 64 | | are unable to meet the requirements of Section 61.9773 as a result |
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| 65 | 65 | | of an unusual hardship. |
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| 66 | 66 | | Sec. 61.9776. GIFTS, GRANTS, AND DONATIONS. In addition to |
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| 67 | 67 | | money appropriated by the legislature, the board may solicit and |
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| 68 | 68 | | accept gifts, grants, and donations for the purposes of this |
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| 69 | 69 | | subchapter. |
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| 70 | 70 | | Sec. 61.9777. RULES. The board shall adopt rules necessary |
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| 71 | 71 | | for the administration of this subchapter, including a rule that |
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| 72 | 72 | | sets the maximum amount of financial assistance that a person may |
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| 73 | 73 | | receive under this subchapter in one year. |
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| 74 | 74 | | SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |
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| 75 | 75 | | shall adopt rules for the administration of Subchapter FF, Chapter |
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| 76 | 76 | | 61, Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable |
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| 77 | 77 | | after this Act takes effect. For that purpose, the coordinating |
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| 78 | 78 | | board may adopt the initial rules in the manner provided by law for |
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| 79 | 79 | | emergency rules. |
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| 80 | 80 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 81 | 81 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 82 | 82 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 83 | 83 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 84 | 84 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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