|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | AN ACT concerning education.
|
2 | | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
|
3 | | represented in the General Assembly:
|
4 | | Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is |
5 | | amended by changing Sections 50, 52, and 65.15 as follows:
|
6 | | (110 ILCS 947/50)
|
7 | | Sec. 50. Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship |
8 | | program.
|
9 | | (a) As used in this Section:
|
10 | | "Eligible applicant" means a minority student who has |
11 | | graduated
from high school or has received a State of |
12 | | Illinois High School Diploma
and has
maintained a |
13 | | cumulative grade point average of
no
less than 2.5 on a 4.0 |
14 | | scale, and who by reason thereof is entitled to
apply for |
15 | | scholarships to be awarded under this Section.
|
16 | | "Minority student" means a student who is any of the |
17 | | following: |
18 | | (1) American Indian or Alaska Native (a person |
19 | | having origins in any of the original peoples of North |
20 | | and South America, including Central America, and who |
21 | | maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment). |
22 | | (2) Asian (a person having origins in any of the |
23 | | original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 2 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | the Indian subcontinent, including, but not limited |
2 | | to, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, |
3 | | Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and |
4 | | Vietnam). |
5 | | (3) Black or African American (a person having |
6 | | origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa). |
7 | | (4) Hispanic or Latino (a person of Cuban, |
8 | | Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or |
9 | | other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race). |
10 | | (5) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (a |
11 | | person having origins in any of the original peoples |
12 | | of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands).
|
13 | | "Qualified bilingual minority applicant" means a |
14 | | qualified student who demonstrates proficiency in a |
15 | | language other than English by (i) receiving a State Seal |
16 | | of Biliteracy from the State Board of Education or (ii) |
17 | | receiving a passing score on an educator licensure target |
18 | | language proficiency test. |
19 | | "Qualified student" means a person (i) who is a |
20 | | resident of this State
and a citizen or permanent resident |
21 | | of the United States; (ii) who is a
minority student, as |
22 | | defined in this Section; (iii) who, as an eligible
|
23 | | applicant, has made a timely application for a minority |
24 | | teaching
scholarship under this Section; (iv) who is |
25 | | enrolled on at least a
half-time basis at a
qualified |
26 | | Illinois institution of
higher learning; (v) who is |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 3 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | enrolled in a course of study leading to
teacher |
2 | | licensure, including alternative teacher licensure, or, if |
3 | | the student is already licensed to teach, in a course of |
4 | | study leading to an additional teaching endorsement or a |
5 | | master's degree in an academic field in which he or she is |
6 | | teaching or plans to teach or who has received one or more |
7 | | College and Career Pathway Endorsements pursuant to |
8 | | Section 80 of the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness |
9 | | Act and commits to enrolling in a course of study leading |
10 | | to teacher licensure, including alternative teacher |
11 | | licensure; (vi)
who maintains a grade point average of no
|
12 | | less than 2.5 on a 4.0 scale;
and (vii) who continues to |
13 | | advance satisfactorily toward the attainment
of a degree.
|
14 | | (b) In order to encourage academically talented Illinois |
15 | | minority
students to pursue teaching careers at the preschool |
16 | | or elementary or
secondary
school
level and to address and |
17 | | alleviate the teacher shortage crisis in this State described |
18 | | under the provisions of the Transitions in Education Act, each |
19 | | qualified student shall be awarded a minority teacher
|
20 | | scholarship to any qualified Illinois institution of higher |
21 | | learning.
However, preference may be given to qualified |
22 | | applicants enrolled at or above
the
junior level.
|
23 | | (c) Each minority teacher scholarship awarded under this |
24 | | Section shall
be in an amount sufficient to pay the tuition and |
25 | | fees and room and board
costs of the qualified Illinois |
26 | | institution of higher learning at which the
recipient is |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 4 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | enrolled, up to an annual maximum of $5,000;
except that
in
the |
2 | | case of a recipient who does not reside on-campus at the |
3 | | institution at
which he or she is enrolled, the amount of the |
4 | | scholarship shall be
sufficient to pay tuition and fee |
5 | | expenses and a commuter allowance, up to
an annual maximum of |
6 | | $5,000.
However, if at least $2,850,000 is appropriated in a |
7 | | given fiscal year for the Minority Teachers of Illinois |
8 | | scholarship program, then, in each fiscal year thereafter, |
9 | | each scholarship awarded under this Section shall
be in an |
10 | | amount sufficient to pay the tuition and fees and room and |
11 | | board
costs of the qualified Illinois institution of higher |
12 | | learning at which the
recipient is enrolled, up to an annual |
13 | | maximum of $7,500;
except that
in
the case of a recipient who |
14 | | does not reside on-campus at the institution at
which he or she |
15 | | is enrolled, the amount of the scholarship shall be
sufficient |
16 | | to pay tuition and fee expenses and a commuter allowance, up to
|
17 | | an annual maximum of $7,500.
|
18 | | (d) The total amount of minority teacher scholarship |
19 | | assistance awarded by
the Commission under this Section to an |
20 | | individual in any given fiscal
year, when added to other |
21 | | financial assistance awarded to that individual
for that year, |
22 | | shall not exceed the cost of attendance at the institution
at |
23 | | which the student is enrolled. If the amount of minority |
24 | | teacher
scholarship to be awarded to a qualified student as |
25 | | provided in
subsection (c) of this Section exceeds the cost of |
26 | | attendance at the
institution at which the student is |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 5 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | enrolled, the minority teacher
scholarship shall be reduced by |
2 | | an amount equal to the amount by which the
combined financial |
3 | | assistance available to the student exceeds the cost
of |
4 | | attendance.
|
5 | | (e) The maximum number of academic terms for which a |
6 | | qualified
student
can receive minority teacher scholarship |
7 | | assistance shall be 8 semesters or
12 quarters.
|
8 | | (f) In any academic year for which an eligible applicant |
9 | | under this
Section accepts financial assistance through the |
10 | | Paul Douglas Teacher
Scholarship Program, as authorized by |
11 | | Section 551 et seq. of the Higher
Education Act of 1965, the |
12 | | applicant shall not be eligible for scholarship
assistance |
13 | | awarded under this Section.
|
14 | | (g) All applications for minority teacher scholarships to |
15 | | be awarded
under this Section shall be made to the Commission |
16 | | on forms which the
Commission shall provide for eligible |
17 | | applicants. The form of applications
and the information |
18 | | required to be set forth therein shall be determined by
the |
19 | | Commission, and the Commission shall require eligible |
20 | | applicants to
submit with their applications such supporting |
21 | | documents or recommendations
as the Commission deems |
22 | | necessary.
|
23 | | (h) Subject to a separate appropriation for such purposes, |
24 | | payment of
any minority teacher scholarship awarded under this |
25 | | Section shall be
determined by the Commission. All scholarship |
26 | | funds distributed in
accordance with this subsection shall be |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 6 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | paid to the institution and used
only for payment of the |
2 | | tuition and fee and room and board expenses
incurred by the |
3 | | student in connection with his or her attendance at a |
4 | | qualified Illinois institution of higher
learning. Any |
5 | | minority teacher scholarship awarded under this Section
shall |
6 | | be applicable to 2 semesters or 3 quarters of enrollment. If a
|
7 | | qualified student withdraws from enrollment prior to |
8 | | completion of the
first semester or quarter for which the |
9 | | minority teacher scholarship is
applicable, the school shall |
10 | | refund to the Commission the full amount of the
minority |
11 | | teacher scholarship.
|
12 | | (i) The Commission shall administer the minority teacher |
13 | | scholarship aid
program established by this Section and shall |
14 | | make all necessary and proper
rules not inconsistent with this |
15 | | Section for its effective implementation.
|
16 | | (j) When an appropriation to the Commission for a given |
17 | | fiscal year is
insufficient to provide scholarships to all |
18 | | qualified students, the
Commission shall allocate the |
19 | | appropriation in accordance with this
subsection. If funds are |
20 | | insufficient to provide all qualified students
with a |
21 | | scholarship as authorized by this Section, the Commission |
22 | | shall
allocate the available scholarship funds for that fiscal |
23 | | year to qualified students who submit a complete application |
24 | | form on or before a date specified by the Commission based on |
25 | | the following order of priority: |
26 | | (1) To students who received a scholarship under this |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 7 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | Section in the prior academic year and who remain eligible |
2 | | for a minority teacher scholarship under this Section. |
3 | | (2) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (k), to |
4 | | students who demonstrate financial need, as determined by |
5 | | the Commission.
|
6 | | (k) Notwithstanding paragraph (2) of subsection (j), at |
7 | | least 35% of the funds appropriated for
scholarships awarded |
8 | | under this Section in each fiscal year shall be reserved
for |
9 | | qualified male minority applicants, with priority being given |
10 | | to qualified Black male applicants beginning with fiscal year |
11 | | 2023.
If the Commission does not receive enough applications |
12 | | from qualified male
minorities on or before
January 1 of each |
13 | | fiscal year to award 35% of the funds appropriated for these
|
14 | | scholarships to qualified
male minority applicants, then the |
15 | | Commission may award a portion of the
reserved funds to |
16 | | qualified
female minority applicants in accordance with |
17 | | subsection (j).
|
18 | | Beginning with fiscal year 2023, if at least $2,850,000 |
19 | | but less than $4,200,000 is appropriated in a given fiscal |
20 | | year for scholarships awarded under this Section, then at |
21 | | least 10% of the funds appropriated shall be reserved for |
22 | | qualified bilingual minority applicants, with priority being |
23 | | given to qualified bilingual minority applicants who are |
24 | | enrolled in an educator preparation program with a |
25 | | concentration in bilingual, bicultural education. Beginning |
26 | | with fiscal year 2023, if at least $4,200,000 is appropriated |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 8 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | in a given fiscal year for the Minority Teachers of Illinois |
2 | | scholarship program, then at least 30% of the funds |
3 | | appropriated shall be reserved for qualified bilingual |
4 | | minority applicants, with priority being given to qualified |
5 | | bilingual minority applicants who are enrolled in an educator |
6 | | preparation program with a concentration in bilingual, |
7 | | bicultural education. Beginning with fiscal year 2023, if at |
8 | | least $2,850,000 is appropriated in a given fiscal year for |
9 | | scholarships awarded under this Section but the Commission |
10 | | does not receive enough applications from qualified bilingual |
11 | | minority applicants on or before January 1 of that fiscal year |
12 | | to award at least 10% of the funds appropriated to qualified |
13 | | bilingual minority applicants, then the Commission may, in its |
14 | | discretion, award a portion of the reserved funds to other |
15 | | qualified students in accordance with subsection (j).
|
16 | | (l) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any |
17 | | academic year,
each recipient of a minority teacher |
18 | | scholarship awarded under this Section
shall be required by |
19 | | the Commission to sign an agreement under which the
recipient |
20 | | pledges that, within the one-year period following the
|
21 | | termination
of the program for which the recipient was awarded |
22 | | a minority
teacher scholarship, the recipient (i) shall begin |
23 | | teaching for a
period of not less
than one year for each year |
24 | | of scholarship assistance he or she was awarded
under this |
25 | | Section; (ii) shall fulfill this teaching obligation at a
|
26 | | nonprofit Illinois public, private, or parochial preschool, |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 9 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | elementary school,
or secondary school at which no less than |
2 | | 30% of the enrolled students are
minority students in the year |
3 | | during which the recipient begins teaching at the
school or |
4 | | may instead, if the recipient received a scholarship as a |
5 | | qualified bilingual minority applicant, fulfill this teaching |
6 | | obligation in a program in transitional bilingual education |
7 | | pursuant to Article 14C of the School Code or in a school in |
8 | | which 20 or more English learner students in the same language |
9 | | classification are enrolled; and (iii) shall, upon request by |
10 | | the Commission, provide the Commission
with evidence that he |
11 | | or she is fulfilling or has fulfilled the terms of the
teaching |
12 | | agreement provided for in this subsection.
|
13 | | (m) If a recipient of a minority teacher scholarship |
14 | | awarded under this
Section fails to fulfill the teaching |
15 | | obligation set forth in subsection
(l) of this Section, the |
16 | | Commission shall require the recipient to repay
the amount of |
17 | | the scholarships received, prorated according to the fraction
|
18 | | of the teaching obligation not completed, at a rate of |
19 | | interest equal to
5%, and, if applicable, reasonable |
20 | | collection fees. If a recipient who enters into repayment |
21 | | under this subsection (m) subsequently teaches at a school |
22 | | meeting the description under subsection (l) of this Section, |
23 | | the Commission may reduce the amount owed by the recipient in |
24 | | proportion to the amount of the teaching obligation completed.
|
25 | | The Commission is authorized to establish rules relating to |
26 | | its collection
activities for repayment of scholarships under |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 10 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | this Section. All repayments
collected under this Section |
2 | | shall be forwarded to the State Comptroller for
deposit into |
3 | | the State's General Revenue Fund.
|
4 | | (n) A recipient of minority teacher scholarship shall not |
5 | | be considered
in violation of the agreement entered into |
6 | | pursuant to subsection (l) if
the recipient (i) enrolls on a |
7 | | full time basis as a graduate student in a
course of study |
8 | | related to the field of teaching at a qualified Illinois
|
9 | | institution of higher learning; (ii) is serving, not in excess |
10 | | of 3 years,
as a member of the armed services of the United |
11 | | States; (iii) is
a person with a temporary total disability |
12 | | for a period of time not to exceed 3 years as
established by |
13 | | sworn affidavit of a qualified physician; (iv) is seeking
and |
14 | | unable to find full time employment as a teacher at an Illinois |
15 | | public,
private, or parochial preschool or elementary or |
16 | | secondary school that
satisfies the
criteria set forth in |
17 | | subsection (l) of this Section and is able to provide
evidence |
18 | | of that fact; (v) becomes a person with a permanent total |
19 | | disability as
established by sworn affidavit of a qualified |
20 | | physician; (vi) is taking additional courses, on at least a |
21 | | half-time basis, needed to obtain licensure as a teacher in |
22 | | Illinois; or (vii) is fulfilling teaching requirements |
23 | | associated with other programs administered by the Commission |
24 | | and cannot concurrently fulfill them under this Section in a |
25 | | period of time equal to the length of the teaching obligation.
|
26 | | (o) Scholarship recipients under this Section who withdraw |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 11 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | from
a program of teacher education but remain enrolled in |
2 | | school
to continue their postsecondary studies in another |
3 | | academic discipline shall
not be required to commence |
4 | | repayment of their Minority Teachers of Illinois
scholarship |
5 | | so long as they remain enrolled in school on a full-time basis |
6 | | or
if they can document for the Commission special |
7 | | circumstances that warrant
extension of repayment.
|
8 | | (p) If the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship |
9 | | program does not expend at least 90% of the amount |
10 | | appropriated for the program in a given fiscal year for 3 |
11 | | consecutive fiscal years and the Commission does not receive |
12 | | enough applications from the groups identified in subsection |
13 | | (k) on or before January 1 in each of those fiscal years to |
14 | | meet the percentage reserved for those groups under subsection |
15 | | (k), then up to 3% of amount appropriated for the program for |
16 | | each of next 3 fiscal years shall be allocated to increasing |
17 | | awareness of the program and for the recruitment of Black male |
18 | | applicants. The Commission shall make a recommendation to the |
19 | | General Assembly by January 1 of the year immediately |
20 | | following the end of that third fiscal year regarding whether |
21 | | the amount allocated to increasing awareness and recruitment |
22 | | should continue. |
23 | | (q) Each qualified Illinois institution of higher learning |
24 | | that receives funds from the Minority Teachers of Illinois |
25 | | scholarship program shall host an annual information session |
26 | | at the institution about the program for teacher candidates of |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 12 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | color in accordance with rules adopted by the Commission. |
2 | | Additionally, the institution shall ensure that each |
3 | | scholarship recipient enrolled at the institution meets with |
4 | | an academic advisor at least once per academic year to |
5 | | facilitate on-time completion of the recipient's educator |
6 | | preparation program. |
7 | | (r) The changes made to this Section by Public Act 101-654 |
8 | | will first take effect with awards made for the 2022-2023 |
9 | | academic year. |
10 | | (Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21; 102-465, eff. 1-1-22; |
11 | | 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 102-1100, eff. 1-1-23 .)
|
12 | | (110 ILCS 947/52)
|
13 | | Sec. 52. Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program; Golden |
14 | | Apple Foundation for Excellence in Teaching.
|
15 | | (a) In this Section, "Foundation" means the Golden Apple |
16 | | Foundation for Excellence in Teaching, a registered 501(c)(3) |
17 | | not-for-profit corporation. |
18 | | (a-2) In order to encourage academically talented Illinois |
19 | | students,
especially minority students, to pursue teaching |
20 | | careers, especially in
teacher shortage
disciplines
(which |
21 | | shall be defined to include early childhood education) or at
|
22 | | hard-to-staff schools (as defined by the Commission in |
23 | | consultation with the
State Board of Education), to provide |
24 | | those students with the crucial mentoring, guidance, and |
25 | | in-service support that will significantly increase the |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 13 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | likelihood that they will complete their full teaching |
2 | | commitments and elect to continue teaching in targeted |
3 | | disciplines and hard-to-staff schools, and to ensure that |
4 | | students in this State will continue to have access to a pool |
5 | | of highly-qualified teachers, each qualified student shall be |
6 | | awarded a Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program |
7 | | scholarship to any Illinois institution of higher learning. |
8 | | The Commission shall administer the Golden Apple Scholars of |
9 | | Illinois Program, which shall be managed by the Foundation |
10 | | pursuant to the terms of a grant agreement meeting the |
11 | | requirements of Section 4 of the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery |
12 | | Act. |
13 | | (a-3) For purposes of this Section, a qualified student |
14 | | shall be a student who meets the following qualifications: |
15 | | (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or |
16 | | eligible noncitizen of the United States; |
17 | | (2) is a high school graduate or a person who has |
18 | | received a State of Illinois High School Diploma; |
19 | | (3) is enrolled or accepted, on at least a half-time |
20 | | basis, at an institution of higher learning; |
21 | | (4) is pursuing a postsecondary course of study |
22 | | leading to initial certification or pursuing additional |
23 | | course work needed to gain State Board of Education |
24 | | approval to teach, including alternative teacher |
25 | | licensure; and |
26 | | (5) is a participant in programs managed by and is |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 14 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | approved to receive a scholarship from the Foundation. |
2 | | (a-5) (Blank).
|
3 | | (b) (Blank).
|
4 | | (b-5) Funds designated for the Golden Apple Scholars of |
5 | | Illinois Program shall be used by the Commission for the |
6 | | payment of scholarship assistance under this Section or for |
7 | | the award of grant funds, subject to the Illinois Grant Funds |
8 | | Recovery Act, to the Foundation. Subject to appropriation, |
9 | | awards of grant funds to the Foundation shall be made on an |
10 | | annual basis and following an application for grant funds by |
11 | | the Foundation. |
12 | | (b-10) Each year, the Foundation shall include in its |
13 | | application to the Commission for grant funds an estimate of |
14 | | the amount of scholarship assistance to be provided to |
15 | | qualified students during the grant period. Any amount of |
16 | | appropriated funds exceeding the estimated amount of |
17 | | scholarship assistance may be awarded by the Commission to the |
18 | | Foundation for management expenses expected to be incurred by |
19 | | the Foundation in providing the mentoring, guidance, and |
20 | | in-service supports that will increase the likelihood that |
21 | | qualified students will complete their teaching commitments |
22 | | and elect to continue teaching in hard-to-staff schools. If |
23 | | the estimate of the amount of scholarship assistance described |
24 | | in the Foundation's application is less than the actual amount |
25 | | required for the award of scholarship assistance to qualified |
26 | | students, the Foundation shall be responsible for using |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 15 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | awarded grant funds to ensure all qualified students receive |
2 | | scholarship assistance under this Section. |
3 | | (b-15) All grant funds not expended or legally obligated |
4 | | within the time specified in a grant agreement between the |
5 | | Foundation and the Commission shall be returned to the |
6 | | Commission within 45 days. Any funds legally obligated by the |
7 | | end of a grant agreement shall be liquidated within 45 days or |
8 | | otherwise returned to the Commission within 90 days after the |
9 | | end of the grant agreement that resulted in the award of grant |
10 | | funds. |
11 | | (c) Each scholarship awarded under this Section shall be |
12 | | in an amount
sufficient to pay the tuition and fees and room |
13 | | and board costs of the Illinois
institution of higher learning |
14 | | at which the recipient is enrolled, up to
an annual maximum of |
15 | | $5,000; except that , in the case of a
recipient who
does not
|
16 | | reside on campus
on-campus at the institution of higher |
17 | | learning at which he or she is enrolled,
the amount of the |
18 | | scholarship shall be sufficient to pay tuition and fee
|
19 | | expenses and a commuter allowance, up to an annual maximum of |
20 | | $5,000. All scholarship funds distributed in accordance with |
21 | | this Section shall be paid to the institution on behalf of |
22 | | recipients.
|
23 | | (d) The total amount of scholarship assistance awarded by |
24 | | the Commission
under this Section to an individual in any |
25 | | given fiscal year, when added to
other financial assistance |
26 | | awarded to that individual for that year, shall not
exceed the |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 16 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | cost of attendance at the institution of higher learning at |
2 | | which
the student is enrolled. In any academic year for which a |
3 | | qualified student under this Section accepts financial |
4 | | assistance through any other teacher scholarship program |
5 | | administered by the Commission, a qualified student shall not |
6 | | be eligible for scholarship assistance awarded under this |
7 | | Section.
|
8 | | (e) A recipient may receive up to 8 semesters or 12
|
9 | | quarters of scholarship
assistance under this Section. |
10 | | Scholarship funds are applicable toward 2 semesters or 3 |
11 | | quarters of enrollment each academic year.
|
12 | | (f) All applications for scholarship assistance to be |
13 | | awarded under this
Section shall be made to the Foundation in a |
14 | | form determined by the Foundation. Each year, the Foundation |
15 | | shall notify the Commission of the individuals awarded |
16 | | scholarship assistance under this Section. Each year, at least |
17 | | 30% of the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program |
18 | | scholarships shall be awarded to students residing in counties |
19 | | having a population of less than 500,000.
|
20 | | (g) (Blank).
|
21 | | (h) The Commission shall administer the payment of
|
22 | | scholarship assistance provided through the Golden Apple |
23 | | Scholars of Illinois Program and shall make all necessary
and
|
24 | | proper rules not inconsistent with this Section for the |
25 | | effective
implementation of this Section.
|
26 | | (i) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 17 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | academic year, each
recipient of a scholarship awarded under |
2 | | this
Section shall be required by the Foundation to sign an |
3 | | agreement under which
the
recipient pledges that, within the |
4 | | 2-year period following the
termination
of the academic |
5 | | program for which the recipient was awarded a scholarship, the
|
6 | | recipient: (i) shall begin teaching for a period of not
less |
7 | | than 5 years, (ii) shall fulfill this teaching obligation at a |
8 | | nonprofit
Illinois public,
private, or parochial
preschool or |
9 | | an Illinois public elementary or secondary school that |
10 | | qualifies for teacher loan cancellation under Section |
11 | | 465(a)(2)(A) of the federal Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 |
12 | | U.S.C. 1087ee(a)(2)(A)) or other Illinois schools deemed |
13 | | eligible for fulfilling the teaching commitment as designated |
14 | | by the Foundation, and (iii)
shall, upon request of
the |
15 | | Foundation, provide the Foundation with evidence that he or |
16 | | she is fulfilling
or has fulfilled the terms of the teaching |
17 | | agreement provided for in this
subsection. Upon request, the |
18 | | Foundation shall provide evidence of teacher fulfillment to |
19 | | the Commission.
|
20 | | (j) If a recipient of a scholarship awarded under this |
21 | | Section fails to
fulfill the teaching obligation set forth in |
22 | | subsection (i) of this Section,
the Commission shall require |
23 | | the recipient to repay the amount of the
scholarships |
24 | | received, prorated according to the fraction of the teaching
|
25 | | obligation not completed, plus interest at a rate of 5% and , if |
26 | | applicable, reasonable
collection fees. If a recipient who |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 18 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | enters into repayment under this subsection (j) subsequently |
2 | | teaches at a school meeting the description under subsection |
3 | | (i) of this Section, the Commission may reduce the amount owed |
4 | | by the recipient in proportion to the amount of the teaching |
5 | | obligation completed.
Payments received by the Commission |
6 | | under this subsection (j)
shall be remitted to the State |
7 | | Comptroller for deposit into
the General Revenue Fund, except |
8 | | that that portion of a
recipient's repayment that equals the |
9 | | amount in expenses that
the Commission has reasonably incurred |
10 | | in attempting
collection from that recipient shall be remitted |
11 | | to the State
Comptroller for deposit into the ISAC Accounts
|
12 | | Receivable Fund, a special fund in the State treasury. |
13 | | (k) A recipient of a scholarship awarded by the Foundation |
14 | | under this
Section shall not be considered to have failed to |
15 | | fulfill the teaching obligations of the agreement entered into |
16 | | pursuant to
subsection (i) if the recipient (i) enrolls on a |
17 | | full-time basis as a graduate
student in a course of study |
18 | | related to the field of teaching at an institution
of higher |
19 | | learning; (ii) is serving as a member of the armed services of |
20 | | the
United States; (iii) is a person with a temporary total |
21 | | disability, as established by sworn
affidavit of a qualified |
22 | | physician; (iv) is seeking and unable to find
full-time |
23 | | employment as a teacher at a school that satisfies the |
24 | | criteria set
forth
in subsection (i) and is able to provide |
25 | | evidence of that fact; (v) is taking additional courses, on at |
26 | | least a half-time basis, needed to obtain certification as a |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 19 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | teacher in Illinois; (vi) is fulfilling teaching requirements |
2 | | associated with other programs administered by the Commission |
3 | | and cannot concurrently fulfill them under this Section in a |
4 | | period of time equal to the length of the teaching obligation; |
5 | | or (vii) is participating in a program established under |
6 | | Executive Order 10924 of the President of the United States or |
7 | | the federal National Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. |
8 | | 12501 et seq.). Any such
extension of the period during which |
9 | | the teaching requirement must be fulfilled
shall be subject to |
10 | | limitations of duration as established by the Commission.
|
11 | | (l) A recipient who fails to fulfill the teaching |
12 | | obligations of the agreement entered into pursuant to |
13 | | subsection (i) of this Section shall repay the amount of |
14 | | scholarship assistance awarded to them under this Section |
15 | | within 10 years. |
16 | | (m) Annually, at a time determined by the Commission in |
17 | | consultation with the Foundation, the Foundation shall submit |
18 | | a report to assist the Commission in monitoring the |
19 | | Foundation's performance of grant activities. The report shall |
20 | | describe the following: |
21 | | (1) the Foundation's anticipated expenditures for the |
22 | | next fiscal year; |
23 | | (2) the number of qualified students receiving |
24 | | scholarship assistance at each institution of higher |
25 | | learning where a qualified student was enrolled under this |
26 | | Section during the previous fiscal year; |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 20 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | (3) the total monetary value of scholarship funds paid |
2 | | to each institution of higher learning at which a |
3 | | qualified student was enrolled during the previous fiscal |
4 | | year; |
5 | | (4) the number of scholarship recipients who completed |
6 | | a baccalaureate degree during the previous fiscal year; |
7 | | (5) the number of scholarship recipients who fulfilled |
8 | | their teaching obligation during the previous fiscal year; |
9 | | (6) the number of scholarship recipients who failed to |
10 | | fulfill their teaching obligation during the previous |
11 | | fiscal year; |
12 | | (7) the number of scholarship recipients granted an |
13 | | extension described in subsection (k) of this Section |
14 | | during the previous fiscal year; |
15 | | (8) the number of scholarship recipients required to |
16 | | repay scholarship assistance in accordance with subsection |
17 | | (j) of this Section during the previous fiscal year; |
18 | | (9) the number of scholarship recipients who |
19 | | successfully repaid scholarship assistance in full during |
20 | | the previous fiscal year; |
21 | | (10) the number of scholarship recipients who |
22 | | defaulted on their obligation to repay scholarship |
23 | | assistance during the previous fiscal year; |
24 | | (11) the amount of scholarship assistance subject to |
25 | | collection in accordance with subsection (j) of this |
26 | | Section at the end of the previous fiscal year; |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 21 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | (12) the amount of collected funds to be remitted to |
2 | | the Comptroller in accordance with subsection (j) of this |
3 | | Section at the end of the previous fiscal year; and |
4 | | (13) other information that the Commission may |
5 | | reasonably request. |
6 | | (n) Nothing in this Section shall affect the rights of the |
7 | | Commission to collect moneys owed to it by recipients of |
8 | | scholarship assistance through the Illinois Future Teacher |
9 | | Corps Program, repealed by Public Act 98-533. |
10 | | (o) The Auditor General shall prepare an annual audit of |
11 | | the operations and finances of the Golden Apple Scholars of |
12 | | Illinois Program. This audit shall be provided to the |
13 | | Governor, General Assembly, and the Commission. |
14 | | (p) The suspension of grant making authority found in |
15 | | Section 4.2 of the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act shall not |
16 | | apply to grants made pursuant to this Section. |
17 | | (Source: P.A. 102-1071, eff. 6-10-22; 102-1100, eff. 1-1-23; |
18 | | revised 12-13-22.)
|
19 | | (110 ILCS 947/65.15)
|
20 | | Sec. 65.15. Special education teacher scholarships.
|
21 | | (a) There shall be awarded annually 250
scholarships to |
22 | | persons qualifying as members of any of the
following
groups:
|
23 | | (1) Students who are otherwise qualified to receive a |
24 | | scholarship as
provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this |
25 | | Section and who make application
to the Commission for |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 22 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | such scholarship and agree to take courses that will
|
2 | | prepare the student for the teaching of children described |
3 | | in Section 14-1 of
the School Code.
|
4 | | (2) Persons holding a valid certificate issued under |
5 | | the laws relating
to the certification of teachers and who |
6 | | make application to the Commission
for such scholarship |
7 | | and agree to take courses that will prepare them for the
|
8 | | teaching of children described in Section 14-1 of the |
9 | | School Code.
|
10 | | (3) Persons who (A) have graduated high school; (B) |
11 | | have not been
certified as a teacher; and (C) make |
12 | | application to the Commission for such
scholarship and |
13 | | agree to take courses that will prepare them for the |
14 | | teaching
of children described in Section 14-1 of the |
15 | | School Code.
|
16 | | Scholarships awarded under this Section shall be issued |
17 | | pursuant to
regulations promulgated by the Commission;
|
18 | | provided that no rule or regulation promulgated by the State |
19 | | Board of
Education prior to the effective date of this |
20 | | amendatory Act of 1993 pursuant
to the exercise of any right, |
21 | | power, duty, responsibility or matter of pending
business |
22 | | transferred from the State Board of Education to the |
23 | | Commission under
this Section shall be affected thereby, and |
24 | | all such rules and regulations
shall become the rules and |
25 | | regulations of the Commission until modified or
changed by the |
26 | | Commission in accordance with law.
|
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 23 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | For the purposes of this Section scholarships awarded each |
2 | | school year
shall be deemed to be issued on July 1 of the year |
3 | | prior to
the start of the postsecondary school term and all |
4 | | calculations for use of the scholarship shall be based on such
|
5 | | date. Each scholarship shall entitle its holder to exemption |
6 | | from fees as
provided in subsection (a) of Section 65.40 while |
7 | | enrolled in a special
education program of
teacher education, |
8 | | for a period of not more than 4 calendar years and shall be
|
9 | | available for use at any time during such period of study |
10 | | except as provided in
subsection (b) of Section 65.40.
|
11 | | Scholarships issued to holders of a valid certificate |
12 | | issued under the
laws relating to the certification of |
13 | | teachers as provided in
paragraph (2) of this subsection may |
14 | | also entitle the holder thereof to
a program of teacher |
15 | | education that will prepare the student for the
teaching of |
16 | | children described in Section 14-1 of the School Code at the
|
17 | | graduate level.
|
18 | | (b) The principal, or his or her
designee, of an approved |
19 | | high school shall
certify to the Commission, for students who |
20 | | are Illinois residents and are
completing an application, that |
21 | | the students ranked
scholastically in the upper one-half of |
22 | | their graduating class at
the end of
the sixth semester.
|
23 | | (c) Each holder of a scholarship must furnish proof to the
|
24 | | Commission, in such form and at such intervals as the
|
25 | | Commission prescribes, of the holder's continued
enrollment in |
26 | | a teacher education program qualifying the holder for the
|
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 24 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | scholarship. Any holder of a scholarship who fails to register |
2 | | in a
special education program of teacher education at the |
3 | | university within 10
days after the
commencement of the term, |
4 | | quarter or semester immediately following the
receipt of the |
5 | | scholarship or who, having registered, withdraws from the
|
6 | | university or transfers out of teacher education, shall |
7 | | thereupon
forfeit the right to use it and it may be granted to |
8 | | the person having
the next highest rank as shown on the list |
9 | | held by the
Commission. If the person having the next
highest |
10 | | rank, within 10 days after notification thereof by the
|
11 | | Commission, fails to register at any such
university in a |
12 | | special education program of teacher education, or who,
having |
13 | | registered,
withdraws from the university or transfers out of |
14 | | teacher education, the
scholarship may then be granted to the |
15 | | person shown on the list as
having the rank next below such |
16 | | person.
|
17 | | (d) Any person who has accepted a scholarship under the |
18 | | preceding
subsections of this Section must, within one year |
19 | | after graduation from or
termination of
enrollment in a |
20 | | teacher education program, begin teaching at a nonprofit
|
21 | | Illinois public,
private, or parochial preschool or elementary |
22 | | or secondary school for a period of at least 2 of the
5 years
|
23 | | immediately following that graduation or termination, |
24 | | excluding, however, from
the computation of that 5 year period |
25 | | (i) any time up to 3 years
spent in the
military service, |
26 | | whether such service occurs before or after the person
|
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 25 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | graduates; (ii) any time
that person is enrolled full-time in |
2 | | an academic program related to the field
of teaching leading |
3 | | to a
graduate or postgraduate degree; (iii) the time that |
4 | | person is
a person with a temporary total disability for a |
5 | | period of time not to exceed 3 years, as
established by the |
6 | | sworn affidavit of a qualified physician; (iv) the time that
|
7 | | person is seeking and unable to find full time employment as a |
8 | | teacher at an
Illinois public, private, or parochial school; |
9 | | (v) the time that person is
taking additional courses, on at |
10 | | least a half-time basis, needed to obtain
certification as a |
11 | | teacher in Illinois; or (vi) the time that person is |
12 | | fulfilling teaching requirements associated with other |
13 | | programs administered by the Commission if he or she cannot |
14 | | concurrently fulfill them under this Section in a period of |
15 | | time equal to the length of the teaching obligation.
|
16 | | A person who has accepted a scholarship under the |
17 | | preceding
subsections of this Section and who has been unable |
18 | | to
fulfill the teaching requirements of this Section may
|
19 | | receive a deferment from the obligation of repayment under
|
20 | | this subsection (d) under guidelines established by the |
21 | | Commission; provided
that no guideline established for any |
22 | | such purpose by the State Board of
Education prior to the |
23 | | effective date of this amendatory Act of 1993 shall be
|
24 | | affected by the transfer to the Commission of the |
25 | | responsibility for
administering and implementing the |
26 | | provisions of this Section, and all
guidelines so established |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 26 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | shall become the guidelines of the Commission until
modified |
2 | | or changed by the Commission.
|
3 | | Any such person who fails to fulfill this teaching |
4 | | requirement shall pay
to the Commission the amount of tuition |
5 | | waived by
virtue of his or her acceptance of the scholarship, |
6 | | together with interest at
5% per year on that amount. However, |
7 | | this obligation to repay the
amount of
tuition waived plus |
8 | | interest does not apply when the failure to fulfill the
|
9 | | teaching requirement results from the death or adjudication as |
10 | | a person
under legal disability of the person holding the |
11 | | scholarship, and no claim for
repayment may be filed against |
12 | | the estate of such a decedent or person under
legal |
13 | | disability. If a recipient who enters into repayment under |
14 | | this paragraph subsequently teaches at a school meeting the |
15 | | description under this subsection (d), the Commission may |
16 | | reduce the amount owed by the recipient in proportion to the |
17 | | amount of the teaching obligation completed. Payments received |
18 | | by the Commission under this subsection
(d) shall be remitted |
19 | | to the State
Treasurer for deposit in
the General Revenue
|
20 | | Fund. Each person receiving a
scholarship shall be
provided |
21 | | with a
description of the provisions of this subsection (d) at |
22 | | the time
he or she qualifies for the benefits of
such a |
23 | | scholarship.
|
24 | | (e) This Section is basically the same as Sections
30-1, |
25 | | 30-2, 30-3, and
30-4a of the School Code, which are repealed by |
26 | | this amendatory Act of 1993,
and shall be construed as a |
|
| | HB3498 Engrossed | - 27 - | LRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b |
|
|
1 | | continuation of the teacher scholarship program
established by |
2 | | that prior law, and not as a new or different teacher
|
3 | | scholarship program. The State Board of Education shall |
4 | | transfer to the
Commission, as the successor to the State |
5 | | Board of Education for all purposes
of administering and |
6 | | implementing the provisions of this Section, all books,
|
7 | | accounts, records, papers, documents, contracts, agreements, |
8 | | and pending
business in any way relating to the teacher |
9 | | scholarship program continued under
this Section; and all |
10 | | scholarships at any time awarded under that program by,
and |
11 | | all applications for any such scholarships at any time made |
12 | | to, the State
Board of Education shall be unaffected by the |
13 | | transfer
to the Commission of all responsibility for the |
14 | | administration and
implementation of the teacher scholarship |
15 | | program continued under this
Section. The State Board of |
16 | | Education shall furnish to the Commission such
other |
17 | | information as the Commission may request to assist it in |
18 | | administering
this Section.
|
19 | | (Source: P.A. 99-143, eff. 7-27-15.)
|
20 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon |
21 | | becoming law.
|