81R9274 KJM-D
 
  By: Eissler H.B. No. 2773
 
 
 
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 mathematics or 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 mathematics or 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 mathematics or 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 mathematics or science 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
  mathematics or science, as applicable based on the person's
  certification, 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 that subject 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 mathematics or science, as applicable based on the
  person's certification, 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 that subject 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 mathematics or
  science courses 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 mathematics or science 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 subject in
  that subsequent year, regardless of whether the Texas Education
  Agency anticipated that the school would have a shortage of
  teachers in that subject 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 mathematics or science teachers, as applicable
  based on the person's certification, 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.