By West S.B. No. 1449
76R6679 JSA-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to programs to assist university students to become public
1-3 school teachers, to provide loan repayment assistance to certain
1-4 classroom teachers, and to provide funding for certain teacher
1-5 certification programs.
1-6 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-7 SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding
1-8 Subchapter W to read as follows:
1-9 SUBCHAPTER W. TEXAS TEACHER
1-10 DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
1-11 Sec. 61.951. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter, "eligible
1-12 institution" means:
1-13 (1) an institution of higher education; or
1-14 (2) a private or independent institution of higher
1-15 education.
1-16 Sec. 61.952. PURPOSE. The purpose of this subchapter is to
1-17 enhance and coordinate the efforts of this state through public and
1-18 private institutions of higher education to develop and maintain an
1-19 adequate, effective classroom teacher workforce by:
1-20 (1) ensuring adequate funding for expanded and
1-21 alternative teacher education programs; and
1-22 (2) providing financial incentives and assistance to
1-23 deserving students who obtain teacher certification and agree to
1-24 serve as classroom teachers in the public schools of this state.
2-1 Sec. 61.953. FORMULA FUNDING FOR CERTIFICATION INITIATIVES.
2-2 In establishing the formulas required by Section 61.059 for
2-3 institutions of higher education that offer a teacher education
2-4 program, the board shall include funding for a planned initiative
2-5 to expand teacher certification programs or to develop and offer
2-6 alternative teacher certification programs, in order to ensure the
2-7 availability of adequate funding for the initiative, if:
2-8 (1) the governing board of the institution has
2-9 approved the implementation of the initiative; and
2-10 (2) the institution provides to the board information
2-11 demonstrating unmet demand or other need for the initiative.
2-12 Sec. 61.954. TEXAS TEACHER CONDITIONAL GRANT PROGRAM. (a)
2-13 The board shall establish a program to provide conditional grants,
2-14 to be known as Texas Teacher grants, to eligible persons who enter
2-15 a teacher preparation program at an eligible institution and agree
2-16 to teach in the public schools of this state as provided by this
2-17 section.
2-18 (b) To receive a Texas Teacher grant, a person must apply
2-19 for the grant while enrolled in a baccalaureate degree program at
2-20 an eligible institution, be admitted to a teacher education program
2-21 at the institution, and agree to teach full-time for five years at
2-22 the preschool, primary, or secondary level in a public school in
2-23 this state after completing the person's undergraduate degree
2-24 program and obtaining teacher certification.
2-25 (c) The amount of a Texas Teacher grant for a semester or
2-26 term is the amount per semester hour determined by the board as the
2-27 average statewide amount of tuition and required fees per semester
3-1 hour that a resident student enrolled full-time in a baccalaureate
3-2 degree program would be charged for that semester or term at
3-3 general academic institutions for the number of semester hours the
3-4 person receiving the grant is enrolled.
3-5 (d) The person must begin fulfilling the teaching obligation
3-6 not later than the 18th month after the person completes the degree
3-7 program and obtains teacher certification, unless the board grants
3-8 the person additional time to begin fulfilling the teaching
3-9 obligation. The period within which the person must complete the
3-10 teaching obligation is six years after the date of beginning to
3-11 fulfill the teaching obligation. The board shall grant a person
3-12 additional time to complete the teaching obligation for good cause.
3-13 (e) The board shall cancel a person's teaching obligation if
3-14 the board determines that the person:
3-15 (1) has become permanently disabled so that the person
3-16 is not able to teach; or
3-17 (2) has died.
3-18 (f) The board shall require a person who receives a Texas
3-19 Teacher grant to sign a promissory note acknowledging the
3-20 conditional nature of the grant and promising to repay the amount
3-21 of the grant plus applicable interest and reasonable collection
3-22 costs if the person does not satisfy the applicable conditions.
3-23 The board shall determine the terms of the promissory note.
3-24 (g) The amount required to be repaid by a person who fails
3-25 to complete the teaching obligation of the person's grant shall be
3-26 determined in proportion to the portion of the teaching obligation
3-27 that the person has satisfied.
4-1 (h) A person receiving a Texas Teacher grant is considered
4-2 to have failed to satisfy the conditions of the grant, and the
4-3 grant automatically becomes a loan, if the person fails to:
4-4 (1) remain enrolled in or to make steady progress in
4-5 the person's degree program or teacher education program without
4-6 good cause as determined by the board; or
4-7 (2) become certified as a classroom teacher within 18
4-8 months of receiving a degree.
4-9 Sec. 61.955. TEXAS TEACHER STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.
4-10 (a) The board shall provide, in accordance with this section and
4-11 board rules, assistance in the repayment of student loans for
4-12 classroom teachers who apply and qualify for the assistance.
4-13 (b) To be eligible to receive loan repayment assistance
4-14 under this section, a person must:
4-15 (1) apply to the board;
4-16 (2) hold an educator certificate in any field or
4-17 subject issued by the State Board for Educator Certification;
4-18 (3) have an outstanding balance on a student loan
4-19 eligible for repayment assistance under this section; and
4-20 (4) enter into an agreement to serve as a classroom
4-21 teacher in the public schools of this state.
4-22 (c) The board by rule may provide for loan repayment
4-23 assistance on a pro rata basis for a person employed part-time as a
4-24 classroom teacher in a public school of this state.
4-25 (d) A person may not receive loan repayment assistance under
4-26 this section for more than five years.
4-27 (e) A person may receive loan repayment assistance under
5-1 this section for the repayment of any student loan for education at
5-2 a public or private institution of higher education in or outside
5-3 of this state received by the person through any lender.
5-4 (f) Except for good cause as determined by the board, the
5-5 board may not provide loan repayment assistance for a student loan
5-6 that is in default at the time of the person's application.
5-7 (g) To qualify for loan repayment assistance, a person must
5-8 enter into a written agreement with the board specifying the
5-9 conditions the person must satisfy to receive loan repayment
5-10 assistance. The agreement must require the person, within a period
5-11 set by the board, to serve for not more than five full school years
5-12 as a classroom teacher in a public school in this state to receive
5-13 loan repayment assistance. Only service as a classroom teacher
5-14 after the date the person enters into the agreement may be used to
5-15 qualify for loan repayment assistance. For good cause, the board
5-16 may grant a person a reasonable period of additional time to
5-17 qualify for loan repayment assistance.
5-18 (h) For each full school year the person serves as a
5-19 classroom teacher and satisfies the other conditions of the
5-20 agreement, the person is entitled to receive loan repayment
5-21 assistance in an amount equal to 10 percent of the person's
5-22 outstanding student loans, including scheduled interest payments
5-23 that would become due if the loan is not prepaid, when the person
5-24 enters into the agreement, not to exceed $2,000.
5-25 (i) The board shall pay the person the loan repayment
5-26 assistance in the manner determined by the board. The board shall
5-27 provide the assistance in a manner that ensures that the board may
6-1 recover any amount of assistance paid to the person before the
6-2 person completes a full school year as a classroom teacher as
6-3 required by the agreement and this section.
6-4 (j) The board may enter into an agreement to provide loan
6-5 repayment assistance under this section only to the extent
6-6 sufficient money will be available to provide the loan repayment
6-7 assistance as it becomes payable. If available money will not be
6-8 sufficient to provide loan repayment assistance to each eligible
6-9 applicant, the board shall select persons to receive repayment
6-10 assistance from the eligible applicants on any basis the board
6-11 considers reasonable to further the purposes of this subchapter.
6-12 (k) For good cause, the board may grant loan repayment
6-13 assistance to a person who teaches for only a portion of a school
6-14 year, prorated according to the portion of the school year the
6-15 person actually teaches.
6-16 Sec. 61.956. ADVISORY COMMITTEES. The board may appoint
6-17 advisory committees to assist the board in performing its duties
6-18 under this subchapter.
6-19 Sec. 61.957. RULES; DISTRIBUTION OF INFORMATION. (a) The
6-20 board shall adopt rules necessary for the administration of this
6-21 subchapter.
6-22 (b) The board shall distribute a copy of the rules adopted
6-23 under this section and pertinent information relating to the
6-24 programs established by this subchapter to:
6-25 (1) each eligible institution that offers a teacher
6-26 education program; and
6-27 (2) any appropriate professional association.
7-1 Sec. 61.958. FUNDING. (a) The board may accept gifts and
7-2 grants from any public or private source for the purposes of this
7-3 subchapter.
7-4 (b) The legislature may appropriate money for the purposes
7-5 of this subchapter.
7-6 SECTION 2. (a) This Act takes effect September 1, 1999.
7-7 (b) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall
7-8 begin providing Texas Teacher grants under Section 61.954,
7-9 Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as practicable after
7-10 the effective date of this Act, subject to available funding.
7-11 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
7-12 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
7-13 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
7-14 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
7-15 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.