Section 2768.10  Summary and Purpose

 

a)         The Teach Illinois Scholarship program encourages students to become teachers at elementary and secondary schools that have identified staff shortages, as determined by the Illinois State Board of Education.

 

b)         This Part establishes the rules that govern the Teach Illinois Scholarship Program.  Additional rules and definitions are contained in General Provisions (23 Ill. Adm. Code 2700).

 

Section 2768.15  Definition

 

"Area of identified staff shortage" – A public school district in which the number of teachers is insufficient to meet student or school district demand or a subject area for which the number of teachers who are qualified to teach that subject area is insufficient to meet student or school district demand, as determined by the State Board of Education.

 

Section 2768.20  Applicant Eligibility

 

a)         A qualified applicant shall be:

 

1)         a United States citizen or an eligible noncitizen;

 

2)         a resident of Illinois;

 

3)         a high school graduate or a person who has received a General Education Development (GED) Certificate, or a student scheduled to graduate from high school by the end of the secondary school year in which the award is made;

 

4)         attending, or planning to attend, Chicago State University, Eastern Illinois University, Governors State University, Illinois State University, Northeastern Illinois University, Northern Illinois University, Southern Illinois University (Edwardsville), Southern Illinois University (Carbondale), University of Illinois (Chicago), University of Illinois (Springfield), University of Illinois (Urbana) or Western Illinois University;

 

5)         enrolled, or accepted for enrollment, on at least a half-time basis, as an undergraduate or graduate student seeking certification in a teacher education program that prepares the applicant to teach in an area of identified staff shortage, as defined in Section 2768.15;

 

6)         maintaining satisfactory academic progress as determined by the postsecondary institution.

 

b)         In any academic year in which the qualified applicant accepts or receives financial assistance through the Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarship Program (23 Ill. Adm. Code 2762), the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program (23 Ill. Adm. Code 2763), the Illinois Future Teachers Corps Program (23 Ill. Adm. Code 2764), or the Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (23 Ill. Adm. Code 2765), the qualified applicant shall not be eligible for scholarship assistance under this Part.

 

Section 2768.30  Program Procedures

 

a)         A complete ISAC application for the Teach Illinois Scholarship program must be postmarked on or before March 1 immediately preceding the academic year for which the scholarship is being requested, in order to receive priority consideration for an award.

 

1)         ISAC applications are available from the institutions listed in Section 2768.20(a)(4), ISAC's Web site, Illinois State legislative offices, Illinois Congressional offices, and ISAC's Springfield, Deerfield and Chicago offices.

 

2)         ISAC will make renewal applications available to all qualified students

who were awarded assistance under this Part during the preceding

academic year.

 

3)         If the student section of the application is incomplete, ISAC will notify the applicant. The applicant will then have an opportunity to furnish the missing information; however, the application will be considered for processing as of the date when the application is complete and received at ISAC's Deerfield office.

 

b)         ISAC shall select recipients on a first-come, first-served basis from among qualified applicants who filed timely applications.  Recipients of assistance under this Part during the previous academic year shall receive priority consideration, provided the student has submitted an application on a timely basis.

 

c)         The Teach Illinois Scholarship award is applicable only toward tuition and non- revenue bond fees for courses in a teacher education program that prepares the recipient to teach in an area of identified staff shortage, as defined in Section 2768.15.

 

d)         The total number of scholarships awarded in a given fiscal year is contingent upon available funding.

 

e)         Notice of eligibility shall be sent by ISAC to each qualified applicant who is selected to receive a Teach Illinois Scholarship. A notice will be sent by ISAC to each qualified applicant who is not selected to receive a Teach Illinois Scholarship.

 

f)         Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any academic year, the qualified applicant must sign a Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note that is submitted to ISAC. The Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note shall include the following stipulations:

 

1)         the recipient pledges to teach, on a full-time basis, for a period of not less than five years at an Illinois elementary or secondary school in an area of identified staff shortage, as defined in Section 2768.15;

 

2)         the recipient shall begin teaching within one year following completion of the postsecondary education degree program for which the scholarship was awarded, and shall teach on a continuous basis for the required period of time;

 

3)         if the teaching requirement is not fulfilled, the scholarship converts to a loan and the recipient must repay the entire amount of the scholarship, plus interest at a rate equal to five percent, and, if applicable, reasonable collection fees;

 

4)         the recipient agrees to provide ISAC with evidence of compliance with

program requirements (e.g., responses to annual follow-up questionnaires, etc.); and

 

5)         the recipient promises to use the proceeds of the scholarship for courses in a teacher education program that prepares the recipient to teach in an area of identified staff shortage, as defined in Section 2768.15.

 

g)         ISAC, in cooperation with the Illinois State Board of Education, will assist recipients in finding employment as a full-time teacher in areas of identified staff shortage, as defined in Section 2768.15.

 

h)         A recipient of a scholarship awarded under this Part shall not be in violation of the agreement entered into pursuant to subsection (f) during any period in which the recipient:

 

1)         serves, for not more than three years, as a member of the United States

Armed Forces;

 

2)         is enrolled full-time in a graduate course of study related to the field of

teaching at an institution of higher learning;

 

3)         is temporarily totally disabled, for not more than three years, as established by the sworn affidavit of a licensed physician;

 

4)         is actively seeking but unable to find full-time employment as a teacher at a school that satisfies the criteria set forth in subsection (f)(1) of this Section for one continuous period not to exceed two years, and is able to provide evidence of that fact; or

 

5)         is fulfilling teaching requirements associated with other programs administrated by ISAC, if he/she cannot concurrently fulfill them in a period of time equal to the length of the teaching obligation.

 

i)          If a recipient is required to repay the scholarship, the repayment period shall be completed within ten years after the scholarship converts to a loan.  This ten-year period may be extended if the recipient:

 

1)         serves, for not more than three years, as a member of the United States

Armed Forces;

 

2)         is temporarily disabled, for not more than three years, as established by the sworn affidavit of a licensed physician;

 

3)         is pursuing a graduate course of study and is enrolled on a full-time basis for one continuous period of time not to exceed three years; or

 

4)         is actively seeking but unable to find full-time employment as a teacher at a school that satisfies the criteria set forth in subsection (f)(1) of this Section for one continuous period not to exceed two years and is able to provide evidence of that fact.

 

j)          During the time a recipient qualifies for any of the extensions listed in subsection (i), he or she shall not be required to make payments and interest shall not accrue.

 

k)         A recipient shall enter repayment status on the earliest of the following dates:

 

1)         the first day of the first calendar month after the recipient has ceased to pursue a course of study leading to certification as a teacher in an area of identified staff shortage, but not until six months have elapsed after the cessation of at least half-time enrollment in the course of study;

 

2)         the date the recipient informs ISAC that he or she does not plan to fulfill the teaching obligation; or

 

3)         the day after the latest date upon which the recipient must have begun teaching after completing the postsecondary education for which the scholarship was awarded.

 

l)          A recipient shall not be required to repay the amount of the scholarships received if he or she becomes permanently totally disabled, as established by the sworn affidavit of a licensed physician (see, e.g., 34 CFR 653.42(k)(1)), or if his or her representative provides ISAC with a death certificate or other evidence that the recipient is deceased.

 

m)        The recipient may be eligible for loan forgiveness of the proceeds received under this Part if he or she is unable to find full-time employment as a teacher at a school that satisfies the criteria set forth in subsection (f)(1) of this Section based on the financial conditions within the qualified school districts.  To qualify for loan forgiveness, the recipient must have first exhausted the extensions options provided in subsections (h)(4) and (5) of this Section.

 

Section 2768.40  Institutional Procedures

 

a)         The institution shall submit eligibility information for qualified applicants in sufficient time for ISAC to make award announcements.

 

b)         The institution shall submit a certification of eligibility for qualified applicants with its request for payment within the timeframe requested by ISAC, which shall be no sooner than 30 days unless a more rapid response is necessary to expend appropriated funds prior to the end of the academic year.  To provide sufficient time for processing and vouchering through the State Comptroller's Office in Springfield, all payment requests must be received by ISAC no later than July 1.

 

c)         ISAC shall disburse scholarship funds in two or three installments, depending on the number of courses financed by the scholarship, except that multiple disbursements shall not be required in cases where the applicant's eligibility is not determined until the final term of the academic year for which the scholarship is being awarded or when a student is attending only one term and the maximum award does not exceed the student's cost of attendance.

 

d)         Funds shall be remitted by ISAC to institutions on behalf of the recipients.

 

e)         Upon receipt of scholarship funds, the institution shall verify the recipient's enrollment status for the term for which the award was intended. If enrolled, the institution may credit the scholarship funds to the recipient's account for tuition and non-revenue bond fees for courses taken that lead to a teaching certificate in an area of identified staff shortage.

 

f)         Upon receipt of the scholarship funds, if the recipient has withdrawn from enrollment for the courses for which the award was intended, the institution shall return the amount of the scholarship payment to ISAC.