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1 | AN ACT concerning higher 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
General | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | Educational Development Certification 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 either (i) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | Black (a person
having origins in any of the black racial | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | groups in Africa); (ii)
Hispanic (a person of Spanish or | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | Portuguese culture with origins in Mexico,
South or Central | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | America, or the Caribbean islands, regardless of race);
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | (iii)
Asian American (a person with origins in any of the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | original peoples of the Far
East, Southeast Asia, the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | Indian subcontinent, including Pakistan, and the
Pacific | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
24 | Islands, including, among others, Hawaii, Melanesia, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
25 | Micronesia and
Polynesia); or (iv) Native American (a | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
26 | person who is a member of a federally or
state recognized | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
27 | Indian tribe, or whose parents or grandparents have such
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
28 | membership) and to include the native people of Alaska.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
29 | "Qualified student" means a person (i) who is a | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
30 | resident of this State
and a citizen or permanent resident | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
31 | of the United States; (ii) who is a
minority student, as | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
32 | defined in this Section; (iii) who, as an eligible
|
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | applicant, has made a timely application for a minority | ||||||
2 | teaching
scholarship under this Section; (iv) who is | ||||||
3 | enrolled on at least a
half-time basis at a
qualified | ||||||
4 | Illinois institution of
higher learning; (v) who is | ||||||
5 | enrolled in a course of study leading to
teacher | ||||||
6 | certification, including alternative teacher | ||||||
7 | certification; (vi)
who maintains a grade point average of | ||||||
8 | no
less than 2.5 on a 4.0 scale;
and (vii) who continues to | ||||||
9 | advance satisfactorily toward the attainment
of a degree.
| ||||||
10 | (b) In order to encourage academically talented Illinois | ||||||
11 | minority
students to pursue teaching careers at the preschool | ||||||
12 | or elementary or
secondary
school
level, each qualified student | ||||||
13 | shall be awarded a minority teacher
scholarship to any | ||||||
14 | qualified Illinois institution of higher learning.
However, | ||||||
15 | preference may be given to qualified applicants enrolled at or | ||||||
16 | above
the
junior level.
| ||||||
17 | (c) Each minority teacher scholarship awarded under this | ||||||
18 | Section shall
be in an amount sufficient to pay the tuition and | ||||||
19 | fees and room and board
costs of the qualified Illinois | ||||||
20 | institution of higher learning at which the
recipient is | ||||||
21 | enrolled, up to an annual maximum of $5,000;
except that
in
the | ||||||
22 | case of a recipient who does not reside on-campus at the | ||||||
23 | institution at
which he or she is enrolled, the amount of the | ||||||
24 | scholarship shall be
sufficient to pay tuition and fee expenses | ||||||
25 | and a commuter allowance, up to
an annual maximum of $5,000.
| ||||||
26 | (d) The total amount of minority teacher scholarship | ||||||
27 | assistance awarded by
the Commission under this Section to an | ||||||
28 | individual in any given fiscal
year, when added to other | ||||||
29 | financial assistance awarded to that individual
for that year, | ||||||
30 | shall not exceed the cost of attendance at the institution
at | ||||||
31 | which the student is enrolled. If the amount of minority | ||||||
32 | teacher
scholarship to be awarded to a qualified student as | ||||||
33 | provided in
subsection (c) of this Section exceeds the cost of | ||||||
34 | attendance at the
institution at which the student is enrolled, | ||||||
35 | the minority teacher
scholarship shall be reduced by an amount | ||||||
36 | equal to the amount by which the
combined financial assistance |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | available to the student exceeds the cost
of attendance.
| ||||||
2 | (e) The maximum number of academic terms for which a | ||||||
3 | qualified
student
can receive minority teacher scholarship | ||||||
4 | assistance shall be 8 semesters or
12 quarters.
| ||||||
5 | (f) In any academic year for which an eligible applicant | ||||||
6 | under this
Section accepts financial assistance through the | ||||||
7 | Paul Douglas Teacher
Scholarship Program, as authorized by | ||||||
8 | Section 551 et seq. of the Higher
Education Act of 1965, the | ||||||
9 | applicant shall not be eligible for scholarship
assistance | ||||||
10 | awarded under this Section.
| ||||||
11 | (g) All applications for minority teacher scholarships to | ||||||
12 | be awarded
under this Section shall be made to the Commission | ||||||
13 | on forms which the
Commission shall provide for eligible | ||||||
14 | applicants. The form of applications
and the information | ||||||
15 | required to be set forth therein shall be determined by
the | ||||||
16 | Commission, and the Commission shall require eligible | ||||||
17 | applicants to
submit with their applications such supporting | ||||||
18 | documents or recommendations
as the Commission deems | ||||||
19 | necessary.
| ||||||
20 | (h) Subject to a separate appropriation for such purposes, | ||||||
21 | payment of
any minority teacher scholarship awarded under this | ||||||
22 | Section shall be
determined by the Commission. All scholarship | ||||||
23 | funds distributed in
accordance with this subsection shall be | ||||||
24 | paid to the institution and used
only for payment of the | ||||||
25 | tuition and fee and room and board expenses
incurred by the | ||||||
26 | student in connection with his or her attendance as an
| ||||||
27 | undergraduate student at a qualified Illinois institution of | ||||||
28 | higher
learning. Any minority teacher scholarship awarded | ||||||
29 | under this Section
shall be applicable to 2 semesters or 3 | ||||||
30 | quarters of enrollment. If a
qualified student withdraws from | ||||||
31 | enrollment prior to completion of the
first semester or quarter | ||||||
32 | for which the minority teacher scholarship is
applicable, the | ||||||
33 | school shall refund to the Commission the full amount of the
| ||||||
34 | minority teacher scholarship.
| ||||||
35 | (i) The Commission shall administer the minority teacher | ||||||
36 | scholarship aid
program established by this Section and shall |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | make all necessary and proper
rules not inconsistent with this | ||||||
2 | Section for its effective implementation.
| ||||||
3 | (j) When an appropriation to the Commission for a given | ||||||
4 | fiscal year is
insufficient to provide scholarships to all | ||||||
5 | qualified students, the
Commission shall allocate the | ||||||
6 | appropriation in accordance with this
subsection. If funds are | ||||||
7 | insufficient to provide all qualified students
with a | ||||||
8 | scholarship as authorized by this Section, the Commission shall
| ||||||
9 | allocate the available scholarship funds for that fiscal year | ||||||
10 | on the basis
of the date the Commission receives a complete | ||||||
11 | application form.
| ||||||
12 | (k) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (j) or any | ||||||
13 | other
provision of this Section, at least 30% of the funds | ||||||
14 | appropriated for
scholarships awarded under this Section in | ||||||
15 | each fiscal year shall be reserved
for qualified male minority | ||||||
16 | applicants.
If the Commission does not receive enough | ||||||
17 | applications from qualified male
minorities on or before
| ||||||
18 | January 1 of each fiscal year to award 30% of the funds | ||||||
19 | appropriated for these
scholarships to qualified
male minority | ||||||
20 | applicants, then the Commission may award a portion of the
| ||||||
21 | reserved funds to qualified
female minority applicants.
| ||||||
22 | (l) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any | ||||||
23 | academic year,
each recipient of a minority teacher scholarship | ||||||
24 | awarded under this Section
shall be required by the Commission | ||||||
25 | to sign an agreement under which the
recipient pledges that, | ||||||
26 | within the one-year period following the
termination
of the | ||||||
27 | program for which the recipient was awarded a minority
teacher | ||||||
28 | scholarship, the recipient (i) shall begin teaching for a
| ||||||
29 | period of not less
than one year for each year of scholarship | ||||||
30 | assistance he or she was awarded
under this Section; and (ii) | ||||||
31 | shall fulfill this teaching obligation at a
nonprofit Illinois | ||||||
32 | public, private, or parochial preschool, elementary school,
or | ||||||
33 | secondary school at which no less than 30% of the enrolled | ||||||
34 | students are
minority students in the year during which the | ||||||
35 | recipient begins teaching at the
school; and (iii) shall, upon | ||||||
36 | request by the Commission, provide the Commission
with evidence |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | that he or she is fulfilling or has fulfilled the terms of the
| ||||||
2 | teaching agreement provided for in this subsection.
| ||||||
3 | (m) If a recipient of a minority teacher scholarship | ||||||
4 | awarded under this
Section fails to fulfill the teaching | ||||||
5 | obligation set forth in subsection
(l) of this Section, the | ||||||
6 | Commission shall require the recipient to repay
the amount of | ||||||
7 | the scholarships received, prorated according to the fraction
| ||||||
8 | of the teaching obligation not completed, at a rate of interest | ||||||
9 | equal to
5%, and, if applicable, reasonable collection fees.
| ||||||
10 | The Commission is authorized to establish rules relating to its | ||||||
11 | collection
activities for repayment of scholarships under this | ||||||
12 | Section. All repayments
collected under this Section shall be | ||||||
13 | forwarded to the State Comptroller for
deposit into the State's | ||||||
14 | General Revenue Fund , except that that portion of a
recipient's | ||||||
15 | repayment that equals the
amount in expenses that the | ||||||
16 | Commission has reasonably incurred in
attempting collection | ||||||
17 | from that recipient shall be forwarded to the State
Comptroller | ||||||
18 | for deposit into the
Commission's Accounts Receivable Fund .
| ||||||
19 | (n) A recipient of minority teacher scholarship shall not | ||||||
20 | be considered
in violation of the agreement entered into | ||||||
21 | pursuant to subsection (l) if
the recipient (i) enrolls on a | ||||||
22 | full time basis as a graduate student in a
course of study | ||||||
23 | related to the field of teaching at a qualified Illinois
| ||||||
24 | institution of higher learning; (ii) is serving, not in excess | ||||||
25 | of 3 years,
as a member of the armed services of the United | ||||||
26 | States; (iii) is
temporarily totally disabled for a period of | ||||||
27 | time not to exceed 3 years as
established by sworn affidavit of | ||||||
28 | a qualified physician; (iv) is seeking
and unable to find full | ||||||
29 | time employment as a teacher at an Illinois public,
private, or | ||||||
30 | parochial preschool or elementary or secondary school that
| ||||||
31 | satisfies the
criteria set forth in subsection (l) of this | ||||||
32 | Section and is able to provide
evidence of that fact; or, (v) | ||||||
33 | becomes permanently totally disabled as
established by sworn | ||||||
34 | affidavit of a qualified physician.
| ||||||
35 | (o) Scholarship recipients under this Section who withdraw | ||||||
36 | from
a program of teacher education but remain enrolled in |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | school
to continue their postsecondary studies in another | ||||||
2 | academic discipline shall
not be required to commence repayment | ||||||
3 | of their Minority Teachers of Illinois
scholarship so long as | ||||||
4 | they remain enrolled in school on a full-time basis or
if they | ||||||
5 | can document for the Commission special circumstances that | ||||||
6 | warrant
extension of repayment.
| ||||||
7 | (Source: P.A. 91-670, eff. 12-22-99; 92-845, eff. 1-1-03.)
| ||||||
8 | (110 ILCS 947/52)
| ||||||
9 | Sec. 52. Illinois Future Teacher Corps Program.
| ||||||
10 | (a) In order to encourage academically talented Illinois | ||||||
11 | students,
especially minority students, to pursue teaching | ||||||
12 | careers, especially in
teacher shortage
disciplines
(which | ||||||
13 | shall be defined to include early childhood education) or at
| ||||||
14 | hard-to-staff schools (as defined by the Commission in | ||||||
15 | consultation with the
State Board of Education),
the Commission | ||||||
16 | shall, each year, receive and consider applications
for | ||||||
17 | scholarship assistance under this Section. An applicant is | ||||||
18 | eligible for a
scholarship under this Section when the | ||||||
19 | Commission finds that the applicant is:
| ||||||
20 | (1) a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen;
| ||||||
21 | (2) a resident of Illinois;
| ||||||
22 | (3) a high school graduate or a person who has received | ||||||
23 | a General
Educational Development Certificate;
| ||||||
24 | (4) enrolled or accepted for enrollment at or above the | ||||||
25 | junior level,
on at least a half-time basis, at an Illinois | ||||||
26 | institution of higher learning;
and
| ||||||
27 | (5) pursuing a postsecondary course of study leading to | ||||||
28 | initial
certification or pursuing additional
course
work
| ||||||
29 | needed to gain State Board of Education approval to teach, | ||||||
30 | including
alternative teacher certification.
| ||||||
31 | (b) Recipients shall be selected from among applicants | ||||||
32 | qualified pursuant to
subsection (a) based on a combination of | ||||||
33 | the following criteria as set forth by
the Commission: (1) | ||||||
34 | academic excellence; (2) status as a minority student as
| ||||||
35 | defined in Section 50; and (3) financial need. Preference may |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | be given to
previous recipients of assistance under this | ||||||
2 | Section, provided they continue to
maintain eligibility and | ||||||
3 | maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined
by the | ||||||
4 | institution of higher learning at which they enroll.
| ||||||
5 | (c) Each scholarship awarded under this Section shall be in | ||||||
6 | an amount
sufficient to pay the tuition and fees and room and | ||||||
7 | board costs of the Illinois
institution of higher learning at | ||||||
8 | which the recipient is enrolled, up to
an annual maximum of | ||||||
9 | $5,000; except that in the case of a
recipient who
does not
| ||||||
10 | reside
on-campus at the institution of higher learning at which | ||||||
11 | he or she is enrolled,
the amount of the scholarship shall be | ||||||
12 | sufficient to pay tuition and fee
expenses and a commuter | ||||||
13 | allowance, up to an annual maximum of $5,000.
For recipients | ||||||
14 | who agree to teach in a teacher shortage discipline or at a
| ||||||
15 | hard-to-staff school under subsection (i) of this Section, the | ||||||
16 | Commission
may, by rule and subject to appropriation, increase | ||||||
17 | the annual
maximum amount to $10,000. If a recipient agrees to | ||||||
18 | teach in both a
teacher shortage discipline and at a | ||||||
19 | hard-to-staff school under
subsection (i) of this Section, the | ||||||
20 | Commission may increase the amount of the
scholarship awarded
| ||||||
21 | by up to an additional $5,000.
| ||||||
22 | (d) The total amount of scholarship assistance awarded by | ||||||
23 | the Commission
under this Section to an individual in any given | ||||||
24 | fiscal year, when added to
other financial assistance awarded | ||||||
25 | to that individual for that year, shall not
exceed the cost of | ||||||
26 | attendance at the institution of higher learning at which
the | ||||||
27 | student is enrolled.
| ||||||
28 | (e) A recipient may receive up to 4 semesters or 6
quarters | ||||||
29 | of scholarship
assistance under this Section.
| ||||||
30 | (f) All applications for scholarship assistance to be | ||||||
31 | awarded under this
Section shall be made to the Commission in a | ||||||
32 | form as set forth by the
Commission. The form of application | ||||||
33 | and the information required to be set
forth therein shall be | ||||||
34 | determined by the Commission, and the Commission shall
require | ||||||
35 | eligible applicants to submit with their applications such | ||||||
36 | supporting
documents as the Commission deems necessary.
|
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | (g) Subject to a separate appropriation made for such | ||||||
2 | purposes, payment of
any
scholarship awarded under this Section | ||||||
3 | shall be determined by the Commission.
There shall be a | ||||||
4 | separate appropriation made for scholarships awarded
to | ||||||
5 | recipients who agree to teach in a teacher shortage discipline | ||||||
6 | or at a
hard-to-staff school under subsection (i) of this | ||||||
7 | Section.
The Commission may use for scholarship assistance | ||||||
8 | under this Section
(i) all funds appropriated for scholarships | ||||||
9 | under this Section that were
formerly known as ITEACH Teacher | ||||||
10 | Shortage Scholarships and (ii) all
funds appropriated for | ||||||
11 | scholarships under Section 65.65 of this Act
(repealed by this | ||||||
12 | amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly), formerly
known as | ||||||
13 | Illinois Future Teacher Corps Scholarships.
| ||||||
14 | All scholarship funds distributed in accordance with this | ||||||
15 | Section shall be
paid
to the institution on behalf of the | ||||||
16 | recipients. Scholarship funds are
applicable toward 2 | ||||||
17 | semesters or 3 quarters of enrollment within an academic
year.
| ||||||
18 | (h) The Commission shall administer the
scholarship | ||||||
19 | program established by this Section and shall make all | ||||||
20 | necessary
and
proper rules not inconsistent with this Section | ||||||
21 | for its effective
implementation.
| ||||||
22 | (i) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any | ||||||
23 | academic year, each
recipient of a scholarship awarded under | ||||||
24 | this
Section shall be required by the Commission to sign an | ||||||
25 | agreement under which
the
recipient pledges that, within the | ||||||
26 | one-year period following the
termination
of the academic | ||||||
27 | program for which the recipient was awarded a scholarship, the
| ||||||
28 | recipient: (i) shall begin teaching for a period of not
less | ||||||
29 | than 5 years, (ii) shall fulfill this teaching obligation at a | ||||||
30 | nonprofit
Illinois public,
private, or parochial
preschool or | ||||||
31 | an Illinois public elementary or secondary school, and (iii)
| ||||||
32 | shall, upon request of
the
Commission, provide the Commission | ||||||
33 | with evidence that he or she is fulfilling
or has fulfilled the | ||||||
34 | terms of the teaching agreement provided for in this
| ||||||
35 | subsection.
| ||||||
36 | (j) If a recipient of a scholarship awarded under this |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | Section fails to
fulfill the teaching obligation set forth in | ||||||
2 | subsection (i) of this Section,
the Commission shall require | ||||||
3 | the recipient to repay the amount of the
scholarships received, | ||||||
4 | prorated according to the fraction of the teaching
obligation | ||||||
5 | not completed, plus interest at a rate of 5% and if applicable, | ||||||
6 | reasonable
collection fees. The Commission is authorized to | ||||||
7 | establish rules relating to
its collection activities for | ||||||
8 | repayment
of scholarships under this Section.
Payments | ||||||
9 | received by the Commission under this subsection (j)
shall be | ||||||
10 | remitted to the State Comptroller for deposit into
the General | ||||||
11 | Revenue Fund, except that that portion of a
recipient's | ||||||
12 | repayment that equals the amount in expenses that
the | ||||||
13 | Commission has reasonably incurred in attempting
collection | ||||||
14 | from that recipient shall be remitted to the State
Comptroller | ||||||
15 | for deposit into the Commission's Accounts
Receivable Fund.
| ||||||
16 | (k) A recipient of a scholarship awarded by the Commission | ||||||
17 | under this
Section shall not be in violation of the agreement | ||||||
18 | entered into pursuant to
subsection (i) if the recipient (i) | ||||||
19 | enrolls on a full-time basis as a graduate
student in a course | ||||||
20 | of study related to the field of teaching at an institution
of | ||||||
21 | higher learning; (ii) is serving as a member of the armed | ||||||
22 | services of the
United States; (iii) is temporarily totally | ||||||
23 | disabled, as established by sworn
affidavit of a qualified | ||||||
24 | physician; or (iv) is seeking and unable to find
full-time | ||||||
25 | employment as a teacher at a school that satisfies the criteria | ||||||
26 | set
forth
in subsection (i) and is able to provide evidence of | ||||||
27 | that fact ; or (v) is taking additional courses, on at least a | ||||||
28 | half-time basis, needed to obtain certification as a teacher . | ||||||
29 | Any such
extension of the period during which the teaching | ||||||
30 | requirement must be fulfilled
shall be subject to limitations | ||||||
31 | of duration as established by the Commission.
| ||||||
32 | (Source: P.A. 92-845, eff. 1-1-03; 93-21, eff. 7-1-03.)
| ||||||
33 | (110 ILCS 947/65.15)
| ||||||
34 | Sec. 65.15. Special education teacher scholarships.
| ||||||
35 | (a) There shall be awarded annually 250
scholarships to |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | persons qualifying as members of
either of the
following
| ||||||
2 | groups:
| ||||||
3 | (1) Students who are otherwise qualified to receive a | ||||||
4 | scholarship as
provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this | ||||||
5 | Section and who make application
to the Commission for such | ||||||
6 | scholarship and agree to take courses that will
prepare the | ||||||
7 | student for the teaching of children described in Section | ||||||
8 | 14-1 of
the School Code.
| ||||||
9 | (2) Persons holding a valid certificate issued under | ||||||
10 | the laws relating
to the certification of teachers and who | ||||||
11 | make application to the Commission
for such scholarship and | ||||||
12 | agree to take courses that will prepare them for the
| ||||||
13 | teaching of children described in Section 14-1 of the | ||||||
14 | School Code.
| ||||||
15 | Scholarships awarded under this Section shall be issued | ||||||
16 | pursuant to
regulations promulgated by the Commission;
| ||||||
17 | provided that no rule or regulation promulgated by the State | ||||||
18 | Board of
Education prior to the effective date of this | ||||||
19 | amendatory Act of 1993 pursuant
to the exercise of any right, | ||||||
20 | power, duty, responsibility or matter of pending
business | ||||||
21 | transferred from the State Board of Education to the Commission | ||||||
22 | under
this Section shall be affected thereby, and all such | ||||||
23 | rules and regulations
shall become the rules and regulations of | ||||||
24 | the Commission until modified or
changed by the Commission in | ||||||
25 | accordance with law.
| ||||||
26 | For the purposes of this Section scholarships awarded each | ||||||
27 | school year
shall be deemed to be issued on July 1 of the year | ||||||
28 | prior to
the start of the postsecondary school term and all | ||||||
29 | calculations for use of the scholarship shall be based on such
| ||||||
30 | date. Each scholarship shall entitle its holder to exemption | ||||||
31 | from fees as
provided in subsection (a) of Section 65.40 while | ||||||
32 | enrolled in a special
education program of
teacher education, | ||||||
33 | for a period of not more than 4 calendar years and shall be
| ||||||
34 | available for use at any time during such period of study | ||||||
35 | except as provided in
subsection (b) of Section 65.40.
| ||||||
36 | Scholarships issued to holders of a valid certificate |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | issued under the
laws relating to the certification of teachers | ||||||
2 | as provided in
paragraph (2) of this subsection may also | ||||||
3 | entitle the holder thereof to
a program of teacher education | ||||||
4 | that will prepare the student for the
teaching of children | ||||||
5 | described in Section 14-1 of the School Code at the
graduate | ||||||
6 | level.
| ||||||
7 | (b) Each year , The principal, or his or her
designee, of an | ||||||
8 | approved
each recognized
public, private and parochial high | ||||||
9 | school maintaining the twelfth grade shall
certify to the | ||||||
10 | Commission , for
the names and addresses of students who are | ||||||
11 | Illinois residents and are
completing an application , that the | ||||||
12 | students
with the intent to prepare to teach in any recognized
| ||||||
13 | public, private, or parochial school of Illinois and ranked
| ||||||
14 | scholastically in the upper one-half of their graduating class | ||||||
15 | or, for those
not yet
graduated, whose scholastic rank in the | ||||||
16 | 4-year high school course of study at
the end of
the sixth | ||||||
17 | semester is in the upper one-half of their class .
| ||||||
18 | (c) Each holder of a scholarship must furnish proof to the
| ||||||
19 | Commission, in such form and at such intervals as the
| ||||||
20 | Commission prescribes, of the holder's continued
enrollment in | ||||||
21 | a teacher education program qualifying the holder for the
| ||||||
22 | scholarship. Any holder of a scholarship who fails to register | ||||||
23 | in a
special education program of teacher education at the | ||||||
24 | university within 10
days after the
commencement of the term, | ||||||
25 | quarter or semester immediately following the
receipt of the | ||||||
26 | scholarship or who, having registered, withdraws from the
| ||||||
27 | university or transfers out of teacher education, shall | ||||||
28 | thereupon
forfeit the right to use it and it may be granted to | ||||||
29 | the person having
the next highest rank as shown on the list | ||||||
30 | held by the
Commission. If the person having the next
highest | ||||||
31 | rank, within 10 days after notification thereof by the
| ||||||
32 | Commission, fails to register at any such
university in a | ||||||
33 | special education program of teacher education, or who,
having | ||||||
34 | registered,
withdraws from the university or transfers out of | ||||||
35 | teacher education, the
scholarship may then be granted to the | ||||||
36 | person shown on the list as
having the rank next below such |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | person.
| ||||||
2 | (d) Any person who has accepted a scholarship under the | ||||||
3 | preceding
subsections of this Section must, within one year | ||||||
4 | after graduation from or
termination of
enrollment in a teacher | ||||||
5 | education program, begin teaching at a nonprofit
Illinois | ||||||
6 | public,
private, or parochial preschool or elementary or | ||||||
7 | secondary school for a period of at least 2 of the
5 years
| ||||||
8 | immediately following that graduation or termination, | ||||||
9 | excluding, however, from
the computation of that 5 year period | ||||||
10 | (i) any time up to 3 years
spent in the
military service, | ||||||
11 | whether such service occurs before or after the person
| ||||||
12 | graduates; (ii) any time
that person is enrolled full-time in | ||||||
13 | an academic program related to the field
of teaching leading to | ||||||
14 | a
graduate or postgraduate degree; (iii) the time that person | ||||||
15 | is
temporarily totally disabled for a period of time not to | ||||||
16 | exceed 3 years, as
established by the sworn affidavit of a | ||||||
17 | qualified physician; (iv) the time that
person is seeking and | ||||||
18 | unable to find full time employment as a teacher at an
Illinois | ||||||
19 | public, private, or parochial school; or (v) the time that | ||||||
20 | person is
taking additional courses, on at least a half-time | ||||||
21 | basis, needed to obtain
certification as a teacher in Illinois.
| ||||||
22 | A person who has accepted a scholarship under the preceding
| ||||||
23 | subsections of this Section and who has been unable to
fulfill | ||||||
24 | the teaching requirements of this Section may
receive a | ||||||
25 | deferment from the obligation of repayment under
this | ||||||
26 | subsection (d) under guidelines established by the Commission; | ||||||
27 | provided
that no guideline established for any such purpose by | ||||||
28 | the State Board of
Education prior to the effective date of | ||||||
29 | this amendatory Act of 1993 shall be
affected by the transfer | ||||||
30 | to the Commission of the responsibility for
administering and | ||||||
31 | implementing the provisions of this Section, and all
guidelines | ||||||
32 | so established shall become the guidelines of the Commission | ||||||
33 | until
modified or changed by the Commission.
| ||||||
34 | Any such person who fails to fulfill this teaching | ||||||
35 | requirement shall pay
to the Commission the amount of tuition | ||||||
36 | waived by
virtue of his or her acceptance of the scholarship, |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | together with interest at
5% per year on that amount. However, | ||||||
2 | this obligation to repay the
amount of
tuition waived plus | ||||||
3 | interest does not apply when the failure to fulfill the
| ||||||
4 | teaching requirement results from the death or adjudication as | ||||||
5 | a person
under legal disability of the person holding the | ||||||
6 | scholarship, and no claim for
repayment may be filed against | ||||||
7 | the estate of such a decedent or person under
legal disability. | ||||||
8 | Payments received by the Commission under this subsection
(d) | ||||||
9 | shall be remitted to the State Comptroller
Treasurer for | ||||||
10 | deposit in
the General Revenue
Fund , except that that portion | ||||||
11 | of a scholarship recipient's repayment that
equals the
amount | ||||||
12 | in expenses that the Commission has reasonably incurred in
| ||||||
13 | attempting collection from that recipient shall be remitted to | ||||||
14 | the State
Comptroller for deposit into the
Commission's | ||||||
15 | Accounts Receivable Fund . Each person receiving a
scholarship | ||||||
16 | shall be
provided with a
description of the provisions of this | ||||||
17 | subsection (d) at the time
he or she qualifies for the benefits | ||||||
18 | of
such a scholarship.
| ||||||
19 | (e) This Section is basically the same as Sections
30-1, | ||||||
20 | 30-2, 30-3, and
30-4a of the School Code, which are repealed by | ||||||
21 | this amendatory Act of 1993,
and shall be construed as a | ||||||
22 | continuation of the teacher scholarship program
established by | ||||||
23 | that prior law, and not as a new or different teacher
| ||||||
24 | scholarship program. The State Board of Education shall | ||||||
25 | transfer to the
Commission, as the successor to the State Board | ||||||
26 | of Education for all purposes
of administering and implementing | ||||||
27 | the provisions of this Section, all books,
accounts, records, | ||||||
28 | papers, documents, contracts, agreements, and pending
business | ||||||
29 | in any way relating to the teacher scholarship program | ||||||
30 | continued under
this Section; and all scholarships at any time | ||||||
31 | awarded under that program by,
and all applications for any | ||||||
32 | such scholarships at any time made to, the State
Board of | ||||||
33 | Education shall be unaffected by the transfer
to the Commission | ||||||
34 | of all responsibility for the administration and
| ||||||
35 | implementation of the teacher scholarship program continued | ||||||
36 | under this
Section. The State Board of Education shall furnish |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | to the Commission such
other information as the Commission may | ||||||
2 | request to assist it in administering
this Section.
| ||||||
3 | (Source: P.A. 91-496, eff. 8-13-99; 92-845, eff. 1-1-03.)
| ||||||
4 | (110 ILCS 922/Act rep.)
| ||||||
5 | Section 10. The Child Development Teacher Scholarship Act | ||||||
6 | is repealed. | ||||||
7 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, | ||||||
8 | 2004. |