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1 | AN ACT concerning education.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | |||||||||||||||||||
5 | amended by changing Section 65.27 as follows: | |||||||||||||||||||
6 | (110 ILCS 947/65.27)
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7 | Sec. 65.27. Teach Illinois Scholarship Program.
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8 | (a) For the purposes of this Section:
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9 | "Area of identified staff shortage" means a school | |||||||||||||||||||
10 | district in which
the number of teachers is insufficient to | |||||||||||||||||||
11 | meet student or school district
demand or a subject area for | |||||||||||||||||||
12 | which the number of teachers who are qualified to teach that | |||||||||||||||||||
13 | subject area is insufficient to meet student or school | |||||||||||||||||||
14 | district demand, as determined by the State Board of
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15 | Education. | |||||||||||||||||||
16 | "Dual credit course" means a college course taken by a | |||||||||||||||||||
17 | high school student for credit at both the college and high | |||||||||||||||||||
18 | school level.
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19 | "Qualified institution of higher learning" means one of | |||||||||||||||||||
20 | the
universities listed in Section 65.40 of this Act.
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21 | (b) The Commission shall implement and administer a | |||||||||||||||||||
22 | teacher
scholarship program, to be known as the Teach Illinois | |||||||||||||||||||
23 | Scholarship
Program. The Commission shall annually award |
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1 | scholarships to persons
preparing to teach in areas of | ||||||
2 | identified staff shortages or to persons employed as teachers | ||||||
3 | who are preparing to teach dual credit courses within a | ||||||
4 | secondary school . These
scholarships shall be awarded to | ||||||
5 | individuals who make application to the
Commission and who | ||||||
6 | agree to take courses at qualified institutions of
higher | ||||||
7 | learning that will prepare them to teach in areas of | ||||||
8 | identified staff
shortages or to individuals employed as | ||||||
9 | teachers who make application to the Commission and who agree | ||||||
10 | to pursue a master's degree at a qualified institution of | ||||||
11 | higher learning in order to teach dual credit courses within a | ||||||
12 | secondary school .
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13 | (c) Scholarships awarded under this Section shall be | ||||||
14 | issued
pursuant to rules promulgated by the Commission.
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15 | (d) Each scholarship shall be utilized by its holder for | ||||||
16 | the payment
of tuition and non-revenue bond fees at any | ||||||
17 | qualified institution of
higher learning. Such tuition and | ||||||
18 | fees shall be available only for courses
that will enable the | ||||||
19 | individual to be licensed certified to teach in areas of
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20 | identified staff shortages or to be able to teach dual credit | ||||||
21 | courses . The Commission shall determine which
courses are | ||||||
22 | eligible for tuition payments under this Section.
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23 | (e) The Commission shall make tuition payments directly to | ||||||
24 | the
qualified institution of higher learning that the | ||||||
25 | individual attends for the
courses prescribed.
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26 | (f) For any individual receiving a scholarship under this |
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1 | Section to teach in an area of identified staff shortage, | ||||||
2 | following Following the completion of the program of study, | ||||||
3 | the individual
must accept employment to teach in an | ||||||
4 | elementary or secondary school in
Illinois
in an area of | ||||||
5 | identified staff shortage for a period of at least 5
years. | ||||||
6 | Individuals who fail to comply with this subsection (f) | ||||||
7 | provision shall refund all
of the awarded scholarships to the | ||||||
8 | Commission, whether payments were
made directly to the | ||||||
9 | institutions of higher learning or to the individuals,
and | ||||||
10 | this condition shall be agreed to in writing by such all | ||||||
11 | scholarship
recipients at the time the scholarship is awarded. | ||||||
12 | No individual shall be
required to refund tuition payments if | ||||||
13 | his or her failure to obtain
employment as a teacher in a | ||||||
14 | school is the result of financial conditions
within school | ||||||
15 | districts. The rules promulgated as provided in this
Section | ||||||
16 | shall contain provisions regarding the waiving and deferral of
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17 | such payments.
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18 | (f-5) For any individual receiving a scholarship under | ||||||
19 | this Section to teach dual credit courses, following the | ||||||
20 | completion of the program of study, the individual must teach | ||||||
21 | at least one dual credit course per school year in a secondary | ||||||
22 | school in this State for a period of at least 5 years. | ||||||
23 | Individuals who fail to comply with this subsection (f-5) | ||||||
24 | shall refund all of the awarded scholarships to the | ||||||
25 | Commission, whether payments were made directly to the | ||||||
26 | institutions of higher learning or to the individuals, and |
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1 | this condition shall be agreed to in writing by such | ||||||
2 | scholarship recipients at the time the scholarship is awarded. | ||||||
3 | No individual may be required to refund tuition payments if | ||||||
4 | his or her failure to teach a dual credit course in a secondary | ||||||
5 | school is the result of financial conditions within school | ||||||
6 | districts. The rules promulgated as provided in this Section | ||||||
7 | shall contain provisions regarding the waiving and deferral of | ||||||
8 | such payments. | ||||||
9 | (g) The Commission, with the cooperation of the State | ||||||
10 | Board of
Education, shall assist individuals who have | ||||||
11 | participated in the
scholarship program established by this | ||||||
12 | Section in finding employment
in areas of identified staff | ||||||
13 | shortages or in finding dual credit courses in secondary | ||||||
14 | schools to teach .
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15 | (h) The scholarships under this Section are subject to | ||||||
16 | appropriations to the Commission by the General Assembly.
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17 | (Source: P.A. 94-205, eff. 1-1-06.)
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18 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect July 1, | ||||||
19 | 2023.
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