HB3498 EnrolledLRB103 29879 RJT 56289 b

1    AN ACT concerning education.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is
5amended by changing Sections 50, 52, and 65.15 as follows:
 
6    (110 ILCS 947/50)
7    Sec. 50. Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship
8program.
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

 

 

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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

 

 

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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
15minority students to pursue teaching careers at the preschool
16or elementary or secondary school level and to address and
17alleviate the teacher shortage crisis in this State described
18under the provisions of the Transitions in Education Act, each
19qualified student shall be awarded a minority teacher
20scholarship to any qualified Illinois institution of higher
21learning. However, preference may be given to qualified
22applicants enrolled at or above the junior level.
23    (c) Each minority teacher scholarship awarded under this
24Section shall be in an amount sufficient to pay the tuition and
25fees and room and board costs of the qualified Illinois
26institution of higher learning at which the recipient is

 

 

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1enrolled, up to an annual maximum of $5,000; except that in the
2case of a recipient who does not reside on-campus at the
3institution at which he or she is enrolled, the amount of the
4scholarship shall be sufficient to pay tuition and fee
5expenses and a commuter allowance, up to an annual maximum of
6$5,000. However, if at least $2,850,000 is appropriated in a
7given fiscal year for the Minority Teachers of Illinois
8scholarship program, then, in each fiscal year thereafter,
9each scholarship awarded under this Section shall be in an
10amount sufficient to pay the tuition and fees and room and
11board costs of the qualified Illinois institution of higher
12learning at which the recipient is enrolled, up to an annual
13maximum of $7,500; except that in the case of a recipient who
14does not reside on-campus at the institution at which he or she
15is enrolled, the amount of the scholarship shall be sufficient
16to pay tuition and fee expenses and a commuter allowance, up to
17an annual maximum of $7,500.
18    (d) The total amount of minority teacher scholarship
19assistance awarded by the Commission under this Section to an
20individual in any given fiscal year, when added to other
21financial assistance awarded to that individual for that year,
22shall not exceed the cost of attendance at the institution at
23which the student is enrolled. If the amount of minority
24teacher scholarship to be awarded to a qualified student as
25provided in subsection (c) of this Section exceeds the cost of
26attendance at the institution at which the student is

 

 

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1enrolled, the minority teacher scholarship shall be reduced by
2an amount equal to the amount by which the combined financial
3assistance available to the student exceeds the cost of
4attendance.
5    (e) The maximum number of academic terms for which a
6qualified student can receive minority teacher scholarship
7assistance shall be 8 semesters or 12 quarters.
8    (f) In any academic year for which an eligible applicant
9under this Section accepts financial assistance through the
10Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarship Program, as authorized by
11Section 551 et seq. of the Higher Education Act of 1965, the
12applicant shall not be eligible for scholarship assistance
13awarded under this Section.
14    (g) All applications for minority teacher scholarships to
15be awarded under this Section shall be made to the Commission
16on forms which the Commission shall provide for eligible
17applicants. The form of applications and the information
18required to be set forth therein shall be determined by the
19Commission, and the Commission shall require eligible
20applicants to submit with their applications such supporting
21documents or recommendations as the Commission deems
22necessary.
23    (h) Subject to a separate appropriation for such purposes,
24payment of any minority teacher scholarship awarded under this
25Section shall be determined by the Commission. All scholarship
26funds distributed in accordance with this subsection shall be

 

 

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1paid to the institution and used only for payment of the
2tuition and fee and room and board expenses incurred by the
3student in connection with his or her attendance at a
4qualified Illinois institution of higher learning. Any
5minority teacher scholarship awarded under this Section shall
6be applicable to 2 semesters or 3 quarters of enrollment. If a
7qualified student withdraws from enrollment prior to
8completion of the first semester or quarter for which the
9minority teacher scholarship is applicable, the school shall
10refund to the Commission the full amount of the minority
11teacher scholarship.
12    (i) The Commission shall administer the minority teacher
13scholarship aid program established by this Section and shall
14make all necessary and proper rules not inconsistent with this
15Section for its effective implementation.
16    (j) When an appropriation to the Commission for a given
17fiscal year is insufficient to provide scholarships to all
18qualified students, the Commission shall allocate the
19appropriation in accordance with this subsection. If funds are
20insufficient to provide all qualified students with a
21scholarship as authorized by this Section, the Commission
22shall allocate the available scholarship funds for that fiscal
23year to qualified students who submit a complete application
24form on or before a date specified by the Commission based on
25the following order of priority:
26        (1) To students who received a scholarship under this

 

 

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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
7least 35% of the funds appropriated for scholarships awarded
8under this Section in each fiscal year shall be reserved for
9qualified male minority applicants, with priority being given
10to qualified Black male applicants beginning with fiscal year
112023. If the Commission does not receive enough applications
12from qualified male minorities on or before January 1 of each
13fiscal year to award 35% of the funds appropriated for these
14scholarships to qualified male minority applicants, then the
15Commission may award a portion of the reserved funds to
16qualified female minority applicants in accordance with
17subsection (j).
18    Beginning with fiscal year 2023, if at least $2,850,000
19but less than $4,200,000 is appropriated in a given fiscal
20year for scholarships awarded under this Section, then at
21least 10% of the funds appropriated shall be reserved for
22qualified bilingual minority applicants, with priority being
23given to qualified bilingual minority applicants who are
24enrolled in an educator preparation program with a
25concentration in bilingual, bicultural education. Beginning
26with fiscal year 2023, if at least $4,200,000 is appropriated

 

 

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1in a given fiscal year for the Minority Teachers of Illinois
2scholarship program, then at least 30% of the funds
3appropriated shall be reserved for qualified bilingual
4minority applicants, with priority being given to qualified
5bilingual minority applicants who are enrolled in an educator
6preparation program with a concentration in bilingual,
7bicultural education. Beginning with fiscal year 2023, if at
8least $2,850,000 is appropriated in a given fiscal year for
9scholarships awarded under this Section but the Commission
10does not receive enough applications from qualified bilingual
11minority applicants on or before January 1 of that fiscal year
12to award at least 10% of the funds appropriated to qualified
13bilingual minority applicants, then the Commission may, in its
14discretion, award a portion of the reserved funds to other
15qualified students in accordance with subsection (j).
16    (l) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any
17academic year, each recipient of a minority teacher
18scholarship awarded under this Section shall be required by
19the Commission to sign an agreement under which the recipient
20pledges that, within the one-year period following the
21termination of the program for which the recipient was awarded
22a minority teacher scholarship, the recipient (i) shall begin
23teaching for a period of not less than one year for each year
24of scholarship assistance he or she was awarded under this
25Section; (ii) shall fulfill this teaching obligation at a
26nonprofit Illinois public, private, or parochial preschool,

 

 

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1elementary school, or secondary school at which no less than
230% of the enrolled students are minority students in the year
3during which the recipient begins teaching at the school or
4may instead, if the recipient received a scholarship as a
5qualified bilingual minority applicant, fulfill this teaching
6obligation in a program in transitional bilingual education
7pursuant to Article 14C of the School Code or in a school in
8which 20 or more English learner students in the same language
9classification are enrolled; and (iii) shall, upon request by
10the Commission, provide the Commission with evidence that he
11or she is fulfilling or has fulfilled the terms of the teaching
12agreement provided for in this subsection.
13    (m) If a recipient of a minority teacher scholarship
14awarded under this Section fails to fulfill the teaching
15obligation set forth in subsection (l) of this Section, the
16Commission shall require the recipient to repay the amount of
17the scholarships received, prorated according to the fraction
18of the teaching obligation not completed, at a rate of
19interest equal to 5%, and, if applicable, reasonable
20collection fees. If a recipient who enters into repayment
21under this subsection (m) subsequently, within 5 years of
22entering repayment, begins to teach at a school meeting the
23description under subsection (l) of this Section, the
24Commission may reduce the amount owed by the recipient in
25proportion to the amount of the teaching obligation completed.
26The Commission is authorized to establish rules relating to

 

 

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1its collection activities for repayment of scholarships under
2this Section. All repayments collected under this Section
3shall be forwarded to the State Comptroller for deposit into
4the State's General Revenue Fund.
5    (n) A recipient of minority teacher scholarship shall not
6be considered in violation of the agreement entered into
7pursuant to subsection (l) if the recipient (i) enrolls on a
8full time basis as a graduate student in a course of study
9related to the field of teaching at a qualified Illinois
10institution of higher learning; (ii) is serving, not in excess
11of 3 years, as a member of the armed services of the United
12States; (iii) is a person with a temporary total disability
13for a period of time not to exceed 3 years as established by
14sworn affidavit of a qualified physician; (iv) is seeking and
15unable to find full time employment as a teacher at an Illinois
16public, private, or parochial preschool or elementary or
17secondary school that satisfies the criteria set forth in
18subsection (l) of this Section and is able to provide evidence
19of that fact; (v) becomes a person with a permanent total
20disability as established by sworn affidavit of a qualified
21physician; (vi) is taking additional courses, on at least a
22half-time basis, needed to obtain licensure as a teacher in
23Illinois; or (vii) is fulfilling teaching requirements
24associated with other programs administered by the Commission
25and cannot concurrently fulfill them under this Section in a
26period of time equal to the length of the teaching obligation.

 

 

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1    (o) Scholarship recipients under this Section who withdraw
2from a program of teacher education but remain enrolled in
3school to continue their postsecondary studies in another
4academic discipline shall not be required to commence
5repayment of their Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship
6so long as they remain enrolled in school on a full-time basis
7or if they can document for the Commission special
8circumstances that warrant extension of repayment.
9    (p) If the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship
10program does not expend at least 90% of the amount
11appropriated for the program in a given fiscal year for 3
12consecutive fiscal years and the Commission does not receive
13enough applications from the groups identified in subsection
14(k) on or before January 1 in each of those fiscal years to
15meet the percentage reserved for those groups under subsection
16(k), then up to 3% of amount appropriated for the program for
17each of next 3 fiscal years shall be allocated to increasing
18awareness of the program and for the recruitment of Black male
19applicants. The Commission shall make a recommendation to the
20General Assembly by January 1 of the year immediately
21following the end of that third fiscal year regarding whether
22the amount allocated to increasing awareness and recruitment
23should continue.
24    (q) Each qualified Illinois institution of higher learning
25that receives funds from the Minority Teachers of Illinois
26scholarship program shall host an annual information session

 

 

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1at the institution about the program for teacher candidates of
2color in accordance with rules adopted by the Commission.
3Additionally, the institution shall ensure that each
4scholarship recipient enrolled at the institution meets with
5an academic advisor at least once per academic year to
6facilitate on-time completion of the recipient's educator
7preparation program.
8    (r) The changes made to this Section by Public Act 101-654
9will first take effect with awards made for the 2022-2023
10academic year.
11(Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21; 102-465, eff. 1-1-22;
12102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 102-1100, eff. 1-1-23.)
 
13    (110 ILCS 947/52)
14    Sec. 52. Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program; Golden
15Apple Foundation for Excellence in Teaching.
16    (a) In this Section, "Foundation" means the Golden Apple
17Foundation for Excellence in Teaching, a registered 501(c)(3)
18not-for-profit corporation.
19    (a-2) In order to encourage academically talented Illinois
20students, especially minority students, to pursue teaching
21careers, especially in teacher shortage disciplines (which
22shall be defined to include early childhood education) or at
23hard-to-staff schools (as defined by the Commission in
24consultation with the State Board of Education), to provide
25those students with the crucial mentoring, guidance, and

 

 

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1in-service support that will significantly increase the
2likelihood that they will complete their full teaching
3commitments and elect to continue teaching in targeted
4disciplines and hard-to-staff schools, and to ensure that
5students in this State will continue to have access to a pool
6of highly-qualified teachers, each qualified student shall be
7awarded a Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program
8scholarship to any Illinois institution of higher learning.
9The Commission shall administer the Golden Apple Scholars of
10Illinois Program, which shall be managed by the Foundation
11pursuant to the terms of a grant agreement meeting the
12requirements of Section 4 of the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery
13Act.
14    (a-3) For purposes of this Section, a qualified student
15shall be a student who meets the following qualifications:
16        (1) is a resident of this State and a citizen or
17    eligible noncitizen of the United States;
18        (2) is a high school graduate or a person who has
19    received a State of Illinois High School Diploma;
20        (3) is enrolled or accepted, on at least a half-time
21    basis, at an institution of higher learning;
22        (4) is pursuing a postsecondary course of study
23    leading to initial certification or pursuing additional
24    course work needed to gain State Board of Education
25    approval to teach, including alternative teacher
26    licensure; and

 

 

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1        (5) is a participant in programs managed by and is
2    approved to receive a scholarship from the Foundation.
3    (a-5) (Blank).
4    (b) (Blank).
5    (b-5) Funds designated for the Golden Apple Scholars of
6Illinois Program shall be used by the Commission for the
7payment of scholarship assistance under this Section or for
8the award of grant funds, subject to the Illinois Grant Funds
9Recovery Act, to the Foundation. Subject to appropriation,
10awards of grant funds to the Foundation shall be made on an
11annual basis and following an application for grant funds by
12the Foundation.
13    (b-10) Each year, the Foundation shall include in its
14application to the Commission for grant funds an estimate of
15the amount of scholarship assistance to be provided to
16qualified students during the grant period. Any amount of
17appropriated funds exceeding the estimated amount of
18scholarship assistance may be awarded by the Commission to the
19Foundation for management expenses expected to be incurred by
20the Foundation in providing the mentoring, guidance, and
21in-service supports that will increase the likelihood that
22qualified students will complete their teaching commitments
23and elect to continue teaching in hard-to-staff schools. If
24the estimate of the amount of scholarship assistance described
25in the Foundation's application is less than the actual amount
26required for the award of scholarship assistance to qualified

 

 

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1students, the Foundation shall be responsible for using
2awarded grant funds to ensure all qualified students receive
3scholarship assistance under this Section.
4    (b-15) All grant funds not expended or legally obligated
5within the time specified in a grant agreement between the
6Foundation and the Commission shall be returned to the
7Commission within 45 days. Any funds legally obligated by the
8end of a grant agreement shall be liquidated within 45 days or
9otherwise returned to the Commission within 90 days after the
10end of the grant agreement that resulted in the award of grant
11funds.
12    (c) Each scholarship awarded under this Section shall be
13in an amount sufficient to pay the tuition and fees and room
14and board costs of the Illinois institution of higher learning
15at which the recipient is enrolled, up to an annual maximum of
16$5,000; except that, in the case of a recipient who does not
17reside on campus on-campus at the institution of higher
18learning at which he or she is enrolled, the amount of the
19scholarship shall be sufficient to pay tuition and fee
20expenses and a commuter allowance, up to an annual maximum of
21$5,000. All scholarship funds distributed in accordance with
22this Section shall be paid to the institution on behalf of
23recipients.
24    (d) The total amount of scholarship assistance awarded by
25the Commission under this Section to an individual in any
26given fiscal year, when added to other financial assistance

 

 

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1awarded to that individual for that year, shall not exceed the
2cost of attendance at the institution of higher learning at
3which the student is enrolled. In any academic year for which a
4qualified student under this Section accepts financial
5assistance through any other teacher scholarship program
6administered by the Commission, a qualified student shall not
7be eligible for scholarship assistance awarded under this
8Section.
9    (e) A recipient may receive up to 8 semesters or 12
10quarters of scholarship assistance under this Section.
11Scholarship funds are applicable toward 2 semesters or 3
12quarters of enrollment each academic year.
13    (f) All applications for scholarship assistance to be
14awarded under this Section shall be made to the Foundation in a
15form determined by the Foundation. Each year, the Foundation
16shall notify the Commission of the individuals awarded
17scholarship assistance under this Section. Each year, at least
1830% of the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program
19scholarships shall be awarded to students residing in counties
20having a population of less than 500,000.
21    (g) (Blank).
22    (h) The Commission shall administer the payment of
23scholarship assistance provided through the Golden Apple
24Scholars of Illinois Program and shall make all necessary and
25proper rules not inconsistent with this Section for the
26effective implementation of this Section.

 

 

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1    (i) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any
2academic year, each recipient of a scholarship awarded under
3this Section shall be required by the Foundation to sign an
4agreement under which the recipient pledges that, within the
52-year period following the termination of the academic
6program for which the recipient was awarded a scholarship, the
7recipient: (i) shall begin teaching for a period of not less
8than 5 years, (ii) shall fulfill this teaching obligation at a
9nonprofit Illinois public, private, or parochial preschool or
10an Illinois public elementary or secondary school that
11qualifies for teacher loan cancellation under Section
12465(a)(2)(A) of the federal Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
13U.S.C. 1087ee(a)(2)(A)) or other Illinois schools deemed
14eligible for fulfilling the teaching commitment as designated
15by the Foundation, and (iii) shall, upon request of the
16Foundation, provide the Foundation with evidence that he or
17she is fulfilling or has fulfilled the terms of the teaching
18agreement provided for in this subsection. Upon request, the
19Foundation shall provide evidence of teacher fulfillment to
20the Commission.
21    (j) If a recipient of a scholarship awarded under this
22Section fails to fulfill the teaching obligation set forth in
23subsection (i) of this Section, the Commission shall require
24the recipient to repay the amount of the scholarships
25received, prorated according to the fraction of the teaching
26obligation not completed, plus interest at a rate of 5% and, if

 

 

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1applicable, reasonable collection fees. If a recipient who
2enters into repayment under this subsection (j) subsequently,
3within 5 years of entering repayment, begins to teach at a
4school meeting the description under subsection (i) of this
5Section, the Commission may reduce the amount owed by the
6recipient in proportion to the amount of the teaching
7obligation completed. Reduction of the amount owed shall not
8be construed as reinstatement in the Golden Apple Scholars
9program. Reinstatement in the program shall be solely at the
10discretion of the Golden Apple Foundation on terms determined
11by the Foundation. Payments received by the Commission under
12this subsection (j) shall be remitted to the State Comptroller
13for deposit into the General Revenue Fund, except that that
14portion of a recipient's repayment that equals the amount in
15expenses that the Commission has reasonably incurred in
16attempting collection from that recipient shall be remitted to
17the State Comptroller for deposit into the ISAC Accounts
18Receivable Fund, a special fund in the State treasury.
19    (k) A recipient of a scholarship awarded by the Foundation
20under this Section shall not be considered to have failed to
21fulfill the teaching obligations of the agreement entered into
22pursuant to subsection (i) if the recipient (i) enrolls on a
23full-time basis as a graduate student in a course of study
24related to the field of teaching at an institution of higher
25learning; (ii) is serving as a member of the armed services of
26the United States; (iii) is a person with a temporary total

 

 

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1disability, as established by sworn affidavit of a qualified
2physician; (iv) is seeking and unable to find full-time
3employment as a teacher at a school that satisfies the
4criteria set forth in subsection (i) and is able to provide
5evidence of that fact; (v) is taking additional courses, on at
6least a half-time basis, needed to obtain certification as a
7teacher in Illinois; (vi) is fulfilling teaching requirements
8associated with other programs administered by the Commission
9and cannot concurrently fulfill them under this Section in a
10period of time equal to the length of the teaching obligation;
11or (vii) is participating in a program established under
12Executive Order 10924 of the President of the United States or
13the federal National Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.
1412501 et seq.). Any such extension of the period during which
15the teaching requirement must be fulfilled shall be subject to
16limitations of duration as established by the Commission.
17    (l) A recipient who fails to fulfill the teaching
18obligations of the agreement entered into pursuant to
19subsection (i) of this Section shall repay the amount of
20scholarship assistance awarded to them under this Section
21within 10 years.
22    (m) Annually, at a time determined by the Commission in
23consultation with the Foundation, the Foundation shall submit
24a report to assist the Commission in monitoring the
25Foundation's performance of grant activities. The report shall
26describe the following:

 

 

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1        (1) the Foundation's anticipated expenditures for the
2    next fiscal year;
3        (2) the number of qualified students receiving
4    scholarship assistance at each institution of higher
5    learning where a qualified student was enrolled under this
6    Section during the previous fiscal year;
7        (3) the total monetary value of scholarship funds paid
8    to each institution of higher learning at which a
9    qualified student was enrolled during the previous fiscal
10    year;
11        (4) the number of scholarship recipients who completed
12    a baccalaureate degree during the previous fiscal year;
13        (5) the number of scholarship recipients who fulfilled
14    their teaching obligation during the previous fiscal year;
15        (6) the number of scholarship recipients who failed to
16    fulfill their teaching obligation during the previous
17    fiscal year;
18        (7) the number of scholarship recipients granted an
19    extension described in subsection (k) of this Section
20    during the previous fiscal year;
21        (8) the number of scholarship recipients required to
22    repay scholarship assistance in accordance with subsection
23    (j) of this Section during the previous fiscal year;
24        (9) the number of scholarship recipients who
25    successfully repaid scholarship assistance in full during
26    the previous fiscal year;

 

 

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1        (10) the number of scholarship recipients who
2    defaulted on their obligation to repay scholarship
3    assistance during the previous fiscal year;
4        (11) the amount of scholarship assistance subject to
5    collection in accordance with subsection (j) of this
6    Section at the end of the previous fiscal year;
7        (12) the amount of collected funds to be remitted to
8    the Comptroller in accordance with subsection (j) of this
9    Section at the end of the previous fiscal year; and
10        (13) other information that the Commission may
11    reasonably request.
12    (n) Nothing in this Section shall affect the rights of the
13Commission to collect moneys owed to it by recipients of
14scholarship assistance through the Illinois Future Teacher
15Corps Program, repealed by Public Act 98-533.
16    (o) The Auditor General shall prepare an annual audit of
17the operations and finances of the Golden Apple Scholars of
18Illinois Program. This audit shall be provided to the
19Governor, General Assembly, and the Commission.
20    (p) The suspension of grant making authority found in
21Section 4.2 of the Illinois Grant Funds Recovery Act shall not
22apply to grants made pursuant to this Section.
23(Source: P.A. 102-1071, eff. 6-10-22; 102-1100, eff. 1-1-23;
24revised 12-13-22.)
 
25    (110 ILCS 947/65.15)

 

 

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1    Sec. 65.15. Special education teacher scholarships.
2    (a) There shall be awarded annually 250 scholarships to
3persons qualifying as members of any of the following groups:
4        (1) Students who are otherwise qualified to receive a
5    scholarship as provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this
6    Section and who make application to the Commission for
7    such scholarship and agree to take courses that will
8    prepare the student for the teaching of children described
9    in Section 14-1 of the School Code.
10        (2) Persons holding a valid certificate issued under
11    the laws relating to the certification of teachers and who
12    make application to the Commission for such scholarship
13    and 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        (3) Persons who (A) have graduated high school; (B)
17    have not been certified as a teacher; and (C) make
18    application to the Commission for such scholarship and
19    agree to take courses that will prepare them for the
20    teaching of children described in Section 14-1 of the
21    School Code.
22    Scholarships awarded under this Section shall be issued
23pursuant to regulations promulgated by the Commission;
24provided that no rule or regulation promulgated by the State
25Board of Education prior to the effective date of this
26amendatory Act of 1993 pursuant to the exercise of any right,

 

 

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1power, duty, responsibility or matter of pending business
2transferred from the State Board of Education to the
3Commission under this Section shall be affected thereby, and
4all such rules and regulations shall become the rules and
5regulations of the Commission until modified or changed by the
6Commission in accordance with law.
7    For the purposes of this Section scholarships awarded each
8school year shall be deemed to be issued on July 1 of the year
9prior to the start of the postsecondary school term and all
10calculations for use of the scholarship shall be based on such
11date. Each scholarship shall entitle its holder to exemption
12from fees as provided in subsection (a) of Section 65.40 while
13enrolled in a special education program of teacher education,
14for a period of not more than 4 calendar years and shall be
15available for use at any time during such period of study
16except as provided in subsection (b) of Section 65.40.
17    Scholarships issued to holders of a valid certificate
18issued under the laws relating to the certification of
19teachers as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection may
20also entitle the holder thereof to a program of teacher
21education that will prepare the student for the teaching of
22children described in Section 14-1 of the School Code at the
23graduate level.
24    (b) The principal, or his or her designee, of an approved
25high school shall certify to the Commission, for students who
26are Illinois residents and are completing an application, that

 

 

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1the students ranked scholastically in the upper one-half of
2their graduating class at the end of the sixth semester.
3    (c) Each holder of a scholarship must furnish proof to the
4Commission, in such form and at such intervals as the
5Commission prescribes, of the holder's continued enrollment in
6a teacher education program qualifying the holder for the
7scholarship. Any holder of a scholarship who fails to register
8in a special education program of teacher education at the
9university within 10 days after the commencement of the term,
10quarter or semester immediately following the receipt of the
11scholarship or who, having registered, withdraws from the
12university or transfers out of teacher education, shall
13thereupon forfeit the right to use it and it may be granted to
14the person having the next highest rank as shown on the list
15held by the Commission. If the person having the next highest
16rank, within 10 days after notification thereof by the
17Commission, fails to register at any such university in a
18special education program of teacher education, or who, having
19registered, withdraws from the university or transfers out of
20teacher education, the scholarship may then be granted to the
21person shown on the list as having the rank next below such
22person.
23    (d) Any person who has accepted a scholarship under the
24preceding subsections of this Section must, within one year
25after graduation from or termination of enrollment in a
26teacher education program, begin teaching at a nonprofit

 

 

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1Illinois public, private, or parochial preschool or elementary
2or secondary school for a period of at least 2 of the 5 years
3immediately following that graduation or termination,
4excluding, however, from the computation of that 5 year period
5(i) any time up to 3 years spent in the military service,
6whether such service occurs before or after the person
7graduates; (ii) any time that person is enrolled full-time in
8an academic program related to the field of teaching leading
9to a graduate or postgraduate degree; (iii) the time that
10person is a person with a temporary total disability for a
11period of time not to exceed 3 years, as established by the
12sworn affidavit of a qualified physician; (iv) the time that
13person is seeking and unable to find full time employment as a
14teacher at an Illinois public, private, or parochial school;
15(v) the time that person is taking additional courses, on at
16least a half-time basis, needed to obtain certification as a
17teacher in Illinois; or (vi) the time that person is
18fulfilling teaching requirements associated with other
19programs administered by the Commission if he or she cannot
20concurrently fulfill them under this Section in a period of
21time equal to the length of the teaching obligation.
22    A person who has accepted a scholarship under the
23preceding subsections of this Section and who has been unable
24to fulfill the teaching requirements of this Section may
25receive a deferment from the obligation of repayment under
26this subsection (d) under guidelines established by the

 

 

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1Commission; provided that no guideline established for any
2such purpose by the State Board of Education prior to the
3effective date of this amendatory Act of 1993 shall be
4affected by the transfer to the Commission of the
5responsibility for administering and implementing the
6provisions of this Section, and all guidelines so established
7shall become the guidelines of the Commission until modified
8or changed by the Commission.
9    Any such person who fails to fulfill this teaching
10requirement shall pay to the Commission the amount of tuition
11waived by virtue of his or her acceptance of the scholarship,
12together with interest at 5% per year on that amount. However,
13this obligation to repay the amount of tuition waived plus
14interest does not apply when the failure to fulfill the
15teaching requirement results from the death or adjudication as
16a person under legal disability of the person holding the
17scholarship, and no claim for repayment may be filed against
18the estate of such a decedent or person under legal
19disability. If a recipient who enters into repayment under
20this paragraph subsequently, within 5 years of entering
21repayment, begins to teach at a school meeting the description
22under this subsection (d), the Commission may reduce the
23amount owed by the recipient in proportion to the amount of the
24teaching obligation completed. Payments received by the
25Commission under this subsection (d) shall be remitted to the
26State Treasurer for deposit in the General Revenue Fund. Each

 

 

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1person receiving a scholarship shall be provided with a
2description of the provisions of this subsection (d) at the
3time he or she qualifies for the benefits of such a
4scholarship.
5    (e) This Section is basically the same as Sections 30-1,
630-2, 30-3, and 30-4a of the School Code, which are repealed by
7this amendatory Act of 1993, and shall be construed as a
8continuation of the teacher scholarship program established by
9that prior law, and not as a new or different teacher
10scholarship program. The State Board of Education shall
11transfer to the Commission, as the successor to the State
12Board of Education for all purposes of administering and
13implementing the provisions of this Section, all books,
14accounts, records, papers, documents, contracts, agreements,
15and pending business in any way relating to the teacher
16scholarship program continued under this Section; and all
17scholarships at any time awarded under that program by, and
18all applications for any such scholarships at any time made
19to, the State Board of Education shall be unaffected by the
20transfer to the Commission of all responsibility for the
21administration and implementation of the teacher scholarship
22program continued under this Section. The State Board of
23Education shall furnish to the Commission such other
24information as the Commission may request to assist it in
25administering this Section.
26(Source: P.A. 99-143, eff. 7-27-15.)
 

 

 

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1    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
2becoming law.