By: Bernal, Buckley H.B. No. 2249
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the establishment of the Texas Teacher Recruitment
Scholarship Program.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
Subchapter QQ to read as follows:
SUBCHAPTER QQ. TEXAS TEACHER RECRUITMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
Sec. 61.9981. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM; SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT. (a)
The board shall establish and administer, in accordance with this
subchapter and board rules, the Texas Teacher Recruitment
Scholarship Program under which the board provides an annual
conditional scholarship to a student who meets the eligibility
criteria prescribed by Section 61.9983 and is nominated to receive
a scholarship.
(b) The total amount of a scholarship awarded under this
subchapter may not exceed the lesser of:
(1) $40,000, to be disbursed at a rate of $10,000 per
academic year for four academic years; or
(2) an amount equivalent to the tuition and fees for
four academic years, to be disbursed at a rate of one quarter of the
amount per academic year for four academic years.
Sec. 61.9982. REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED. If a
student awarded a scholarship under this subchapter receives a
baccalaureate degree before receiving the total amount of the
scholarship, the board shall use the student's remaining
scholarship funds to provide assistance in the repayment of the
student's outstanding education loans, if applicable.
Sec. 61.9983. ELIGIBILITY; NOMINATION AND SELECTION. (a)
To receive an initial scholarship under this subchapter, a student
must:
(1) be enrolled at a public or private institution of
higher education in this state;
(2) be enrolled in a university program that
culminates in a baccalaureate degree and prepares a student for the
examination required to obtain an educator certification issued
under Subchapter B, Chapter 21;
(3) be nominated to receive a scholarship by the
institution of higher education at which the student is enrolled
under Subdivision (1); and
(4) enter into an agreement with the board under
Section 61.9984.
(a-1) A nomination of a student to receive a scholarship
under this subchapter shall be made without regard to the race,
color, disability, sex, religion, age, or national origin of the
student.
(b) For a student to continue to receive a scholarship
awarded under this subchapter, the student must maintain
satisfactory academic progress as determined by the institution at
which the student is enrolled.
Sec. 61.9984. AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS. (a) To receive a
scholarship under this subchapter, a student must enter into an
agreement with the board as provided by this section. The agreement
must require the student to:
(1) enroll in and complete a university program that
culminates in a baccalaureate degree and prepares a student for the
examination required to obtain an educator certification issued
under Subchapter B, Chapter 21;
(2) obtain an educator certification issued under
Subchapter B, Chapter 21;
(3) graduate not later than five years after the date
the student first enrolls at a public or private institution of
higher education in this state;
(4) after graduation, maintain employment as an
educator with a school district or open-enrollment charter school
for the period described by Subsection (b) and annually provide to
the board verification of employment during the applicable period;
and
(5) agree to repay the scholarship if the student:
(A) fails to maintain satisfactory academic
progress;
(B) withdraws from the scholarship program; or
(C) fails to fulfill the employment requirement
described by Subdivision (4) and Subsection (b).
(b) Each student who receives a scholarship under this
subchapter is required to maintain employment as an educator in
accordance with Subsection (a)(4) for a period of five years,
except that a student who completes the teacher residency program
established under Subchapter Q, Chapter 21, is required to maintain
employment as an educator in accordance with that subdivision for a
period of only four years.
(c) The board shall adopt rules to exempt a student from the
repayment of a scholarship under an agreement entered into under
this section if the student is unable to meet the obligations of the
agreement due to extraordinary circumstances.
Sec. 61.9985. RULES. The board shall adopt rules as
necessary for the administration of this subchapter, including
rules regarding the eligibility criteria, the selection of
scholarship recipients, and the repayment of student loans under
Section 61.9982.
Sec. 61.9986. LIMITATION ON SCHOLARSHIP. A person may not
receive a scholarship under this subchapter after earning a
cumulative total of 150 credit hours or after being awarded a
baccalaureate degree, whichever occurs first.
Sec. 61.9987. FUNDING. The board shall administer this
subchapter using available appropriations and gifts, grants, and
donations made for the purposes of this subchapter.
SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
shall award scholarships under Subchapter QQ, Chapter 61, Education
Code, as added by this Act, beginning with the 2026-2027 academic
year. The coordinating board shall adopt the rules required by that
subchapter as soon as practicable after this Act takes effect.
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, 2025.