95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2007 and 2008
HB3482

 

Introduced 2/28/2007, by Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
110 ILCS 947/52

    Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Makes a technical change in a Section concerning the Illinois Future Teacher Corps Program.


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A BILL FOR

 

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1     AN ACT concerning 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 Section 52 as follows:
 
6     (110 ILCS 947/52)
7     Sec. 52. Illinois Future Teacher Corps Program.
8     (a) In order to encourage academically talented Illinois
9 students, especially minority students, to pursue teaching
10 careers, especially in teacher shortage disciplines (which
11 shall be defined to include early childhood education) or at
12 hard-to-staff schools (as defined by the Commission in
13 consultation with the the State Board of Education), the
14 Commission shall, each year, receive and consider applications
15 for scholarship assistance under this Section. An applicant is
16 eligible for a scholarship under this Section when the
17 Commission finds that the applicant is:
18         (1) a United States citizen or eligible noncitizen;
19         (2) a resident of Illinois;
20         (3) a high school graduate or a person who has received
21     a General Educational Development Certificate;
22         (4) enrolled or accepted for enrollment at or above the
23     junior level, on at least a half-time basis, at an Illinois

 

 

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1     institution of higher learning; and
2         (5) pursuing a postsecondary course of study leading to
3     initial certification or pursuing additional course work
4     needed to gain State Board of Education approval to teach,
5     including alternative teacher certification.
6     (b) Recipients shall be selected from among applicants
7 qualified pursuant to subsection (a) based on a combination of
8 the following criteria as set forth by the Commission: (1)
9 academic excellence; (2) status as a minority student as
10 defined in Section 50; and (3) financial need. Preference may
11 be given to previous recipients of assistance under this
12 Section, provided they continue to maintain eligibility and
13 maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by the
14 institution of higher learning at which they enroll.
15     (c) Each scholarship awarded under this Section shall be in
16 an amount sufficient to pay the tuition and fees and room and
17 board costs of the Illinois institution of higher learning at
18 which the recipient is enrolled, up to an annual maximum of
19 $5,000; except that in the case of a recipient who does not
20 reside on-campus at the institution of higher learning at which
21 he or she is enrolled, the amount of the scholarship shall be
22 sufficient to pay tuition and fee expenses and a commuter
23 allowance, up to an annual maximum of $5,000. For recipients
24 who agree to teach in a teacher shortage discipline or at a
25 hard-to-staff school under subsection (i) of this Section, the
26 Commission may, by rule and subject to appropriation, increase

 

 

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1 the annual maximum amount to $10,000. If a recipient agrees to
2 teach in both a teacher shortage discipline and at a
3 hard-to-staff school under subsection (i) of this Section, the
4 Commission may increase the amount of the scholarship awarded
5 by up to an additional $5,000.
6     (d) The total amount of scholarship assistance awarded by
7 the Commission under this Section to an individual in any given
8 fiscal year, when added to other financial assistance awarded
9 to that individual for that year, shall not exceed the cost of
10 attendance at the institution of higher learning at which the
11 student is enrolled.
12     (e) A recipient may receive up to 4 semesters or 6 quarters
13 of scholarship assistance under this Section.
14     (f) All applications for scholarship assistance to be
15 awarded under this Section shall be made to the Commission in a
16 form as set forth by the Commission. The form of application
17 and the information required to be set forth therein shall be
18 determined by the Commission, and the Commission shall require
19 eligible applicants to submit with their applications such
20 supporting documents as the Commission deems necessary.
21     (g) Subject to a separate appropriation made for such
22 purposes, payment of any scholarship awarded under this Section
23 shall be determined by the Commission. There shall be a
24 separate appropriation made for scholarships awarded to
25 recipients who agree to teach in a teacher shortage discipline
26 or at a hard-to-staff school under subsection (i) of this

 

 

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1 Section. The Commission may use for scholarship assistance
2 under this Section (i) all funds appropriated for scholarships
3 under this Section that were formerly known as ITEACH Teacher
4 Shortage Scholarships and (ii) all funds appropriated for
5 scholarships under Section 65.65 of this Act (repealed by this
6 amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly), formerly known as
7 Illinois Future Teacher Corps Scholarships.
8     All scholarship funds distributed in accordance with this
9 Section shall be paid to the institution on behalf of the
10 recipients. Scholarship funds are applicable toward 2
11 semesters or 3 quarters of enrollment within an academic year.
12     (h) The Commission shall administer the scholarship
13 program established by this Section and shall make all
14 necessary and proper rules not inconsistent with this Section
15 for its effective implementation.
16     (i) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any
17 academic year, each recipient of a scholarship awarded under
18 this Section shall be required by the Commission to sign an
19 agreement under which the recipient pledges that, within the
20 one-year period following the termination of the academic
21 program for which the recipient was awarded a scholarship, the
22 recipient: (i) shall begin teaching for a period of not less
23 than 5 years, (ii) shall fulfill this teaching obligation at a
24 nonprofit Illinois public, private, or parochial preschool or
25 an Illinois public elementary or secondary school, and (iii)
26 shall, upon request of the Commission, provide the Commission

 

 

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1 with evidence that he or she is fulfilling or has fulfilled the
2 terms of the teaching agreement provided for in this
3 subsection.
4     (j) If a recipient of a scholarship awarded under this
5 Section fails to fulfill the teaching obligation set forth in
6 subsection (i) of this Section, the Commission shall require
7 the recipient to repay the amount of the scholarships received,
8 prorated according to the fraction of the teaching obligation
9 not completed, plus interest at a rate of 5% and if applicable,
10 reasonable collection fees. The Commission is authorized to
11 establish rules relating to its collection activities for
12 repayment of scholarships under this Section. Payments
13 received by the Commission under this subsection (j) shall be
14 remitted to the State Comptroller for deposit into the General
15 Revenue Fund, except that that portion of a recipient's
16 repayment that equals the amount in expenses that the
17 Commission has reasonably incurred in attempting collection
18 from that recipient shall be remitted to the State Comptroller
19 for deposit into the Commission's Accounts Receivable Fund.
20     (k) A recipient of a scholarship awarded by the Commission
21 under this Section shall not be in violation of the agreement
22 entered into pursuant to subsection (i) if the recipient (i)
23 enrolls on a full-time basis as a graduate student in a course
24 of study related to the field of teaching at an institution of
25 higher learning; (ii) is serving as a member of the armed
26 services of the United States; (iii) is temporarily totally

 

 

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1 disabled, as established by sworn affidavit of a qualified
2 physician; (iv) is seeking and unable to find full-time
3 employment as a teacher at a school that satisfies the criteria
4 set forth in subsection (i) and is able to provide evidence of
5 that fact; (v) is taking additional courses, on at least a
6 half-time basis, needed to obtain certification as a teacher in
7 Illinois; or (vi) is fulfilling teaching requirements
8 associated with other programs administered by the Commission
9 and cannot concurrently fulfill them under this Section in a
10 period of time equal to the length of the teaching obligation.
11 Any such extension of the period during which the teaching
12 requirement must be fulfilled shall be subject to limitations
13 of duration as established by the Commission.
14 (Source: P.A. 93-21, eff. 7-1-03; 94-133, eff. 7-7-05.)