94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2005 and 2006
HB1945

 

Introduced 2/14/2005, by Rep. Michael J. Madigan - Barbara Flynn Currie - Kevin A. McCarthy

 

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 the Commission in
13 consultation with the State Board of Education), the Commission
14 shall, each year, receive and consider applications for
15 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
24     institution of higher learning; and
25         (5) pursuing a postsecondary course of study leading to
26     initial certification or pursuing additional course work
27     needed to gain State Board of Education approval to teach,
28     including alternative teacher certification.
29     (b) Recipients shall be selected from among applicants
30 qualified pursuant to subsection (a) based on a combination of
31 the following criteria as set forth by the Commission: (1)
32 academic excellence; (2) status as a minority student as

 

 

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1 defined in Section 50; and (3) financial need. Preference may
2 be given to previous recipients of assistance under this
3 Section, provided they continue to maintain eligibility and
4 maintain satisfactory academic progress as determined by the
5 institution of higher learning at which they enroll.
6     (c) Each scholarship awarded under this Section shall be in
7 an amount sufficient to pay the tuition and fees and room and
8 board costs of the Illinois institution of higher learning at
9 which the recipient is enrolled, up to an annual maximum of
10 $5,000; except that in the case of a recipient who does not
11 reside on-campus at the institution of higher learning at which
12 he or she is enrolled, the amount of the scholarship shall be
13 sufficient to pay tuition and fee expenses and a commuter
14 allowance, up to an annual maximum of $5,000. For recipients
15 who agree to teach in a teacher shortage discipline or at a
16 hard-to-staff school under subsection (i) of this Section, the
17 Commission may, by rule and subject to appropriation, increase
18 the annual maximum amount to $10,000. If a recipient agrees to
19 teach in both a teacher shortage discipline and at a
20 hard-to-staff school under subsection (i) of this Section, the
21 Commission may increase the amount of the scholarship awarded
22 by up to an additional $5,000.
23     (d) The total amount of scholarship assistance awarded by
24 the Commission under this Section to an individual in any given
25 fiscal year, when added to other financial assistance awarded
26 to that individual for that year, shall not exceed the cost of
27 attendance at the institution of higher learning at which the
28 student is enrolled.
29     (e) A recipient may receive up to 4 semesters or 6 quarters
30 of scholarship assistance under this Section.
31     (f) All applications for scholarship assistance to be
32 awarded under this Section shall be made to the Commission in a
33 form as set forth by the Commission. The form of application
34 and the information required to be set forth therein shall be
35 determined by the Commission, and the Commission shall require
36 eligible applicants to submit with their applications such

 

 

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1 supporting documents as the Commission deems necessary.
2     (g) Subject to a separate appropriation made for such
3 purposes, payment of any scholarship awarded under this Section
4 shall be determined by the Commission. There shall be a
5 separate appropriation made for scholarships awarded to
6 recipients who agree to teach in a teacher shortage discipline
7 or at a hard-to-staff school under subsection (i) of this
8 Section. The Commission may use for scholarship assistance
9 under this Section (i) all funds appropriated for scholarships
10 under this Section that were formerly known as ITEACH Teacher
11 Shortage Scholarships and (ii) all funds appropriated for
12 scholarships under Section 65.65 of this Act (repealed by this
13 amendatory Act of the 93rd General Assembly), formerly known as
14 Illinois Future Teacher Corps Scholarships.
15     All scholarship funds distributed in accordance with this
16 Section shall be paid to the institution on behalf of the
17 recipients. Scholarship funds are applicable toward 2
18 semesters or 3 quarters of enrollment within an academic year.
19     (h) The Commission shall administer the scholarship
20 program established by this Section and shall make all
21 necessary and proper rules not inconsistent with this Section
22 for its effective implementation.
23     (i) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any
24 academic year, each recipient of a scholarship awarded under
25 this Section shall be required by the Commission to sign an
26 agreement under which the recipient pledges that, within the
27 one-year period following the termination of the academic
28 program for which the recipient was awarded a scholarship, the
29 recipient: (i) shall begin teaching for a period of not less
30 than 5 years, (ii) shall fulfill this teaching obligation at a
31 nonprofit Illinois public, private, or parochial preschool or
32 an Illinois public elementary or secondary school, and (iii)
33 shall, upon request of the Commission, provide the Commission
34 with evidence that he or she is fulfilling or has fulfilled the
35 terms of the teaching agreement provided for in this
36 subsection.

 

 

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1     (j) If a recipient of a scholarship awarded under this
2 Section fails to fulfill the teaching obligation set forth in
3 subsection (i) of this Section, the Commission shall require
4 the recipient to repay the amount of the scholarships received,
5 prorated according to the fraction of the teaching obligation
6 not completed, plus interest at a rate of 5% and if applicable,
7 reasonable collection fees. The Commission is authorized to
8 establish rules relating to its collection activities for
9 repayment of scholarships under this Section. Payments
10 received by the Commission under this subsection (j) shall be
11 remitted to the State Comptroller for deposit into the General
12 Revenue Fund, except that that portion of a recipient's
13 repayment that equals the amount in expenses that the
14 Commission has reasonably incurred in attempting collection
15 from that recipient shall be remitted to the State Comptroller
16 for deposit into the Commission's Accounts Receivable Fund.
17     (k) A recipient of a scholarship awarded by the Commission
18 under this Section shall not be in violation of the agreement
19 entered into pursuant to subsection (i) if the recipient (i)
20 enrolls on a full-time basis as a graduate student in a course
21 of study related to the field of teaching at an institution of
22 higher learning; (ii) is serving as a member of the armed
23 services of the United States; (iii) is temporarily totally
24 disabled, as established by sworn affidavit of a qualified
25 physician; or (iv) is seeking and unable to find full-time
26 employment as a teacher at a school that satisfies the criteria
27 set forth in subsection (i) and is able to provide evidence of
28 that fact. Any such extension of the period during which the
29 teaching requirement must be fulfilled shall be subject to
30 limitations of duration as established by the Commission.
31 (Source: P.A. 92-845, eff. 1-1-03; 93-21, eff. 7-1-03.)