101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
SB3763

 

Introduced 2/14/2020, by Sen. Scott M. Bennett

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
110 ILCS 947/65.16 new

    Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act. Provides for the awarding of bilingual education teacher scholarships to persons meeting specified requirements. Requires the principal, or his or her designee, of an approved high school to certify to the Commission, for students who are Illinois residents and are completing an application for the scholarship, that the student ranked scholastically in the upper one-half of their graduating class at the end of the sixth semester. Provides teacher education program enrollment requirements. Provides post-scholarship teaching requirements and exemptions. Effective immediately.


LRB101 19999 CMG 69525 b

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB3763LRB101 19999 CMG 69525 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 adding Section 65.16 as follows:
 
6    (110 ILCS 947/65.16 new)
7    Sec. 65.16. Bilingual education teacher scholarships.
8    (a) There shall be awarded annually 250 scholarships to
9persons qualifying as members of any of the following groups:
10        (1) Students who are otherwise qualified to receive a
11    scholarship as provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this
12    Section and who make application to the Commission for such
13    scholarship and agree to take courses that will prepare the
14    student for the teaching of children under Article 14C of
15    the School Code.
16        (2) Persons holding a valid certificate issued under
17    the laws relating to the certification of teachers and who
18    make application to the Commission for such scholarship and
19    agree to take courses that will prepare them for the
20    teaching of children under Article 14C of the School Code.
21        (3) Persons who (i) have graduated high school, (ii)
22    have not been certified as a teacher, and (iii) make
23    application to the Commission for such scholarship and

 

 

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1    agree to take courses that will prepare them for the
2    teaching of children under Article 14C of the School Code.
3    Scholarships awarded under this Section shall be issued
4pursuant to rules adopted by the Commission.
5    For the purposes of this Section, scholarships awarded each
6school year shall be deemed to be issued on July 1 of the year
7prior to the start of the postsecondary school term and all
8calculations for use of the scholarship shall be based on such
9date. Each scholarship shall entitle its holder to exemption
10from fees as provided in subsection (a) of Section 65.40 while
11enrolled in a transitional bilingual education program of
12teacher education, or an equivalent program, for a period of
13not more than 4 calendar years and shall be available for use
14at any time during such period of study except as provided in
15subsection (b) of Section 65.40.
16    Scholarships issued to holders of a valid certificate
17issued under the laws relating to the certification of teachers
18as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection may also
19entitle the holder thereof to a program of teacher education
20that will prepare the student for the teaching of children
21under Article 14C of the School Code at the graduate level.
22    (b) The principal, or his or her designee, of an approved
23high school shall certify to the Commission, for students who
24are Illinois residents and are completing an application, that
25the students ranked scholastically in the upper one-half of
26their graduating class at the end of the sixth semester.

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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1waived by virtue of his or her acceptance of the scholarship,
2together with interest at 5% per year on that amount. However,
3this obligation to repay the amount of tuition waived plus
4interest does not apply when the failure to fulfill the
5teaching requirement results from the death or adjudication as
6a person under legal disability of the person holding the
7scholarship, and no claim for repayment may be filed against
8the estate of such a decedent or person under legal disability.
9Payments received by the Commission under this subsection (d)
10shall be remitted to the State Treasurer for deposit in the
11General Revenue Fund. Each person receiving a scholarship shall
12be provided with a description of the provisions of this
13subsection (d) at the time he or she qualifies for the benefits
14of such a scholarship.
 
15    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
16becoming law.