103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB2776

 

Introduced 1/17/2024, by Sen. Natalie Toro

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
110 ILCS 947/50

    Amends the Higher Education Student Assistance Act with respect to the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship program. Requires the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to establish and administer a student teaching stipend program. Subject to appropriation, requires the Commission to receive and consider applications for additional funds from recipients of scholarships who are student teaching. Provides that the Commission shall select stipend recipients from among applicants who are in financial need. Provides that certain recipients may receive an additional payment for other expenses during the year in which the recipient is engaged in student teaching. Provides for rulemaking.


LRB103 36974 RJT 67088 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB2776LRB103 36974 RJT 67088 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 Section 50 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    (s) The Commission shall establish and administer a
12student teaching stipend program. Under the program, subject
13to a specific and distinct appropriation for those express
14purposes, the Commission shall receive and consider
15applications for additional funds from recipients of
16scholarships under this Section who are student teaching. The
17Commission shall select stipend recipients from among
18applicants who are in financial need. All applications for
19stipends under this subsection (s) shall be made to the
20Commission in a form as set forth by the Commission. The form
21of application and the information required shall be
22determined by the Commission, and the Commission shall require
23applicants to submit with their applications such supporting
24documents as the Commission deems necessary.
25    Beginning with grants for the 2025-2026 academic year,
26notwithstanding the maximum award amounts listed in subsection

 

 

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1(c), certain recipients may receive an additional payment to
2assist in paying other expenses during the year in which the
3recipient is engaged in student teaching. The amount of the
4payment shall be uniform and determined yearly by the
5Commission based on available funds. Regardless of the total
6scholarship amount received, no more than $7,500 attributable
7to this single year payment shall be subject to the repayment
8provisions of subsection (m).
9    The Commission shall make all necessary and proper rules
10not inconsistent with this subsection (s) for its effective
11implementation.
12(Source: P.A. 102-465, eff. 1-1-22; 102-813, eff. 5-13-22;
13102-1100, eff. 1-1-23; 103-448, eff. 8-4-23.)