By: Patrick S.B. No. 816
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the Texas Teach Corps Scholarship Program for students
who agree to teach in public schools in this state that have
shortages of teachers in math and science.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
Subchapter GG to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER GG. TEXAS TEACH CORPS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Sec. 61.9831. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM; AMOUNT OF SCHOLARSHIP.
(a) In accordance with this subchapter and board rules, the board
shall establish and administer the Texas Teach Corps Scholarship
Program to award scholarships to undergraduate students who:
(1) are enrolled in educator preparation programs
provided by public or private institutions of higher education in
this state; and
(2) agree to teach for a specified period in the public
schools in this state that are determined by the Texas Education
Agency to have shortages of teachers in math and science.
(b) The amount of a scholarship under this subchapter for an
academic year is equal to the lesser of:
(1) the total amount of tuition that the public or
private institution of higher education in which the scholarship
recipient is enrolled charges the recipient for that academic year
for semester credit hours for which the recipient may use the
scholarship to pay tuition as provided by Subsection (c); or
(2) $5,000.
(c) A student may use a scholarship under this subchapter
only to pay tuition for a semester credit hour that is required for
completion of the educator preparation program in which the student
is enrolled.
(d) For purposes of this subchapter, not later than April 1
of each school year, the Texas Education Agency shall determine
which public schools in this state are anticipated to have
shortages of math and science teachers during the following school
year and shall provide that information to the board and to each
educator preparation program in this state accredited by the State
Board for Educator Certification.
Sec. 61.9832. ELIGIBILITY; LIMITATION ON NUMBER OF
SCHOLARSHIPS. (a) To be eligible to receive a scholarship under
this subchapter, a person must:
(1) have graduated from a high school in this state
with an overall grade point average:
(A) of at least 2.75 on a four-point scale or the
equivalent; and
(B) in the top 35 percent of the student's
graduating class;
(2) be enrolled in an educator preparation program
accredited by the State Board for Educator Certification that is
provided by a public or private institution of higher education in
this state; and
(3) enter into an agreement with the board as provided
by Section 61.9833.
(b) Not more than 4,000 scholarships may be awarded under
this subchapter for an academic year.
(b-1) This subsection expires September 1, 2013.
Notwithstanding Subsection (b), not more than the following number
of scholarships may be awarded under this subchapter for the
specified academic year:
(1) for the 2010-2011 academic year, not more than
1,000 scholarships may be awarded;
(2) for the 2011-2012 academic year, not more than
2,000 scholarships may be awarded; and
(3) for the 2012-2013 academic year, not more than
3,000 scholarships may be awarded.
(c) If in any year the amount of money available for
scholarships under this subchapter is insufficient to award a
scholarship to each eligible applicant or if there are more
eligible applicants than the number of scholarships authorized by
this section, the board shall establish criteria to determine which
eligible applicants will be granted scholarships as the board
determines appropriate to further the purposes of this subchapter,
including criteria that:
(1) are related to the financial need of an applicant;
and
(2) serve to ensure geographic and ethnic diversity
among scholarship recipients.
Sec. 61.9833. AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS. (a) To qualify for
a scholarship under this subchapter, a person must enter into a
written agreement with the board as provided by this section. The
agreement must:
(1) specify the conditions the person must satisfy to
receive the scholarship award;
(2) require the person to earn a baccalaureate degree
through completion of an educator preparation program accredited by
the State Board for Educator Certification that is provided by a
public or private institution of higher education in this state;
(3) require the person to obtain, within the period
prescribed by board rule, appropriate certification under
Subchapter B, Chapter 21, to teach in a public school in this state;
(4) require the person to accept, for the first school
year that begins after the date the person obtains the appropriate
certification, an offer of full-time employment to teach in a
public school in this state selected by the person from among
schools anticipated by the Texas Education Agency to have shortages
of teachers in math and science for that first school year for which
the person is accepting employment;
(5) require the person to complete eight years of
full-time employment teaching as follows:
(A) beginning with the school year described by
Subdivision (4), four consecutive school years of employment
teaching in one or more public schools in this state selected by the
person from among schools anticipated by the Texas Education Agency
to have shortages of teachers in math and science for the person's
applicable year of employment by the school; and
(B) beginning with the school year immediately
following the last of the four consecutive school years described
by Paragraph (A), four additional consecutive school years teaching
in any public school in this state;
(6) provide that any scholarship award the person
receives under this subchapter constitutes an interest-free loan
until the person:
(A) subject to Section 61.9835, satisfies the
requirements of Subdivision (5) and any other applicable conditions
of the agreement; or
(B) is excused from the repayment obligation in
accordance with law; and
(7) require the person to sign a promissory note
acknowledging the conditional nature of the scholarship award
received and promising to repay any unforgiven amount of that award
and reasonable collection costs if the person does not satisfy the
applicable conditions and is not excused from the repayment
obligation in accordance with law.
(b) To satisfy the teaching obligation prescribed by an
agreement under this section, a person must teach math or science
classes for not less than an average of four hours each school day.
(c) For purposes of Subsection (a)(5)(A), if a person is
employed as a teacher in a public school anticipated to have a
shortage of teachers in math and science subjects in the first year
of employment, each subsequent year of continuous employment as a
teacher in that school is considered to be employment in a school
anticipated to have such a shortage of teachers in that subsequent
year, regardless of whether the Texas Education Agency anticipated
that the school would have a shortage of teachers in that year.
(d) The board shall determine the terms of the promissory
note required by Subsection (a)(7). To the extent practicable, the
terms must be the same as those applicable to state or federally
guaranteed student loans made at the same time.
Sec. 61.9834. EXCEPTIONS TO TEACHING AND REPAYMENT
OBLIGATIONS. (a) A person is not considered to be in violation of
the teaching obligation in the agreement described by Section
61.9833 during any period in which the person:
(1) is pursuing a full-time course of study related to
the field of teaching offered by a public or private institution of
higher education in this state and approved by the State Board for
Educator Certification;
(2) is serving on active duty as a member of the armed
forces of the United States, including as a member of a reserve
force or National Guard called to active duty;
(3) is temporarily totally disabled for a period not
to exceed 36 months as established by the affidavit of a qualified
physician;
(4) is unable to secure employment for a period not to
exceed 12 months because of care required by a disabled spouse or
child;
(5) is seeking and unable to find, for a single period
not to exceed 12 months, full-time employment teaching in a public
school in this state, or if the person is within the period of the
agreement described by Section 61.9833(a)(5)(A), full-time
employment teaching in a public school in this state anticipated to
have a shortage of math and science teachers for the year for which
the person is seeking employment; or
(6) satisfies the provisions of any other teaching
exception adopted by the board.
(b) A person is excused from the repayment obligation in a
promissory note described by Section 61.9833 if:
(1) the person becomes permanently totally disabled as
established by the affidavit of a qualified physician; or
(2) the board waives repayment in the case of extreme
hardship to the person.
Sec. 61.9835. FORGIVENESS OF REPAYMENT OBLIGATION. The
board shall forgive 25 percent of the total amount of a person's
scholarship awards under this subchapter for each complete school
year the person teaches in accordance with the agreement under
Section 61.9833 after the expiration of the period described by
Subsection (a)(5)(A) of that section.
Sec. 61.9836. GRANTS, GIFTS, AND DONATIONS. In addition to
money appropriated by the legislature, the board may solicit and
accept grants, gifts, and donations from any public or private
source for the purposes of this subchapter.
Sec. 61.9837. RULES. (a) The board shall adopt rules to
administer this subchapter, including rules:
(1) providing for the manner in which a student may
apply for a scholarship; and
(2) providing for notification of the scholarship
program under this subchapter to students enrolled in educator
preparation programs in this state.
(b) The board shall distribute to each educator preparation
program of a public or private institution of higher education in
this state a copy of the rules adopted under this section.
SECTION 2. Not later than December 31, 2009, the Texas
Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Texas Education Agency
shall adopt rules for the Texas Teach Corps Scholarship Program
under Subchapter GG, Chapter 61, Education Code, as added by this
Act.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2009.