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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 State Finance Act is amended by adding | |||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Section 5.990 as follows: | |||||||||||||||||||||
6 | (30 ILCS 105/5.990 new) | |||||||||||||||||||||
7 | Sec. 5.990. The Student Teaching Fund. | |||||||||||||||||||||
8 | Section 10. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | |||||||||||||||||||||
9 | amended by changing Section 50 as follows: | |||||||||||||||||||||
10 | (110 ILCS 947/50)
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11 | Sec. 50. Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship | |||||||||||||||||||||
12 | program.
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13 | (a) As used in this Section:
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14 | "Eligible applicant" means a minority student who has | |||||||||||||||||||||
15 | graduated
from high school or has received a State of | |||||||||||||||||||||
16 | Illinois High School Diploma
and has
maintained a | |||||||||||||||||||||
17 | cumulative grade point average of
no
less than 2.5 on a 4.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
18 | scale, and who by reason thereof is entitled to
apply for | |||||||||||||||||||||
19 | scholarships to be awarded under this Section.
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20 | "Minority student" means a student who is any of the | |||||||||||||||||||||
21 | following: |
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1 | (1) American Indian or Alaska Native (a person | ||||||
2 | having origins in any of the original peoples of North | ||||||
3 | and South America, including Central America, and who | ||||||
4 | maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment). | ||||||
5 | (2) Asian (a person having origins in any of the | ||||||
6 | original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or | ||||||
7 | the Indian subcontinent, including, but not limited | ||||||
8 | to, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, | ||||||
9 | Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and | ||||||
10 | Vietnam). | ||||||
11 | (3) Black or African American (a person having | ||||||
12 | origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa). | ||||||
13 | (4) Hispanic or Latino (a person of Cuban, | ||||||
14 | Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or | ||||||
15 | other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race). | ||||||
16 | (5) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (a | ||||||
17 | person having origins in any of the original peoples | ||||||
18 | of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands).
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19 | "Qualified bilingual minority applicant" means a | ||||||
20 | qualified student who demonstrates proficiency in a | ||||||
21 | language other than English by (i) receiving a State Seal | ||||||
22 | of Biliteracy from the State Board of Education or (ii) | ||||||
23 | receiving a passing score on an educator licensure target | ||||||
24 | language proficiency test. | ||||||
25 | "Qualified student" means a person (i) who is a | ||||||
26 | resident of this State
and a citizen or permanent resident |
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1 | of the United States; (ii) who is a
minority student, as | ||||||
2 | defined in this Section; (iii) who, as an eligible
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3 | applicant, has made a timely application for a minority | ||||||
4 | teaching
scholarship under this Section; (iv) who is | ||||||
5 | enrolled on at least a
half-time basis at a
qualified | ||||||
6 | Illinois institution of
higher learning; (v) who is | ||||||
7 | enrolled in a course of study leading to
teacher | ||||||
8 | licensure, including alternative teacher licensure, or, if | ||||||
9 | the student is already licensed to teach, in a course of | ||||||
10 | study leading to an additional teaching endorsement or a | ||||||
11 | master's degree in an academic field in which he or she is | ||||||
12 | teaching or plans to teach or who has received one or more | ||||||
13 | College and Career Pathway Endorsements pursuant to | ||||||
14 | Section 80 of the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness | ||||||
15 | Act and commits to enrolling in a course of study leading | ||||||
16 | to teacher licensure, including alternative teacher | ||||||
17 | licensure; (vi)
who maintains a grade point average of no
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18 | less than 2.5 on a 4.0 scale;
and (vii) who continues to | ||||||
19 | advance satisfactorily toward the attainment
of a degree.
| ||||||
20 | (b) In order to encourage academically talented Illinois | ||||||
21 | minority
students to pursue teaching careers at the preschool | ||||||
22 | or elementary or
secondary
school
level and to address and | ||||||
23 | alleviate the teacher shortage crisis in this State described | ||||||
24 | under the provisions of the Transitions in Education Act, each | ||||||
25 | qualified student shall be awarded a minority teacher
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26 | scholarship to any qualified Illinois institution of higher |
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1 | learning.
However, preference may be given to qualified | ||||||
2 | applicants enrolled at or above
the
junior level.
| ||||||
3 | (c) Each minority teacher scholarship awarded under this | ||||||
4 | Section shall
be in an amount sufficient to pay the tuition and | ||||||
5 | fees and room and board
costs of the qualified Illinois | ||||||
6 | institution of higher learning at which the
recipient is | ||||||
7 | enrolled, up to an annual maximum of $5,000;
except that
in
the | ||||||
8 | case of a recipient who does not reside on-campus at the | ||||||
9 | institution at
which he or she is enrolled, the amount of the | ||||||
10 | scholarship shall be
sufficient to pay tuition and fee | ||||||
11 | expenses and a commuter allowance, up to
an annual maximum of | ||||||
12 | $5,000.
However, if at least $2,850,000 is appropriated in a | ||||||
13 | given fiscal year for the Minority Teachers of Illinois | ||||||
14 | scholarship program, then, in each fiscal year thereafter, | ||||||
15 | each scholarship awarded under this Section shall
be in an | ||||||
16 | amount sufficient to pay the tuition and fees and room and | ||||||
17 | board
costs of the qualified Illinois institution of higher | ||||||
18 | learning at which the
recipient is enrolled, up to an annual | ||||||
19 | maximum of $7,500;
except that
in
the case of a recipient who | ||||||
20 | does not reside on-campus at the institution at
which he or she | ||||||
21 | is enrolled, the amount of the scholarship shall be
sufficient | ||||||
22 | to pay tuition and fee expenses and a commuter allowance, up to
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23 | an annual maximum of $7,500.
| ||||||
24 | (d) The total amount of minority teacher scholarship | ||||||
25 | assistance awarded by
the Commission under this Section to an | ||||||
26 | individual in any given fiscal
year, when added to other |
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1 | financial assistance awarded to that individual
for that year, | ||||||
2 | shall not exceed the cost of attendance at the institution
at | ||||||
3 | which the student is enrolled. If the amount of minority | ||||||
4 | teacher
scholarship to be awarded to a qualified student as | ||||||
5 | provided in
subsection (c) of this Section exceeds the cost of | ||||||
6 | attendance at the
institution at which the student is | ||||||
7 | enrolled, the minority teacher
scholarship shall be reduced by | ||||||
8 | an amount equal to the amount by which the
combined financial | ||||||
9 | assistance available to the student exceeds the cost
of | ||||||
10 | attendance.
| ||||||
11 | (e) The maximum number of academic terms for which a | ||||||
12 | qualified
student
can receive minority teacher scholarship | ||||||
13 | assistance shall be 8 semesters or
12 quarters.
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14 | (f) In any academic year for which an eligible applicant | ||||||
15 | under this
Section accepts financial assistance through the | ||||||
16 | Paul Douglas Teacher
Scholarship Program, as authorized by | ||||||
17 | Section 551 et seq. of the Higher
Education Act of 1965, the | ||||||
18 | applicant shall not be eligible for scholarship
assistance | ||||||
19 | awarded under this Section.
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20 | (g) All applications for minority teacher scholarships to | ||||||
21 | be awarded
under this Section shall be made to the Commission | ||||||
22 | on forms which the
Commission shall provide for eligible | ||||||
23 | applicants. The form of applications
and the information | ||||||
24 | required to be set forth therein shall be determined by
the | ||||||
25 | Commission, and the Commission shall require eligible | ||||||
26 | applicants to
submit with their applications such supporting |
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1 | documents or recommendations
as the Commission deems | ||||||
2 | necessary.
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3 | (h) Subject to a separate appropriation for such purposes, | ||||||
4 | payment of
any minority teacher scholarship awarded under this | ||||||
5 | Section shall be
determined by the Commission. All scholarship | ||||||
6 | funds distributed in
accordance with this subsection shall be | ||||||
7 | paid to the institution and used
only for payment of the | ||||||
8 | tuition and fee and room and board expenses
incurred by the | ||||||
9 | student in connection with his or her attendance at a | ||||||
10 | qualified Illinois institution of higher
learning. Any | ||||||
11 | minority teacher scholarship awarded under this Section
shall | ||||||
12 | be applicable to 2 semesters or 3 quarters of enrollment. If a
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13 | qualified student withdraws from enrollment prior to | ||||||
14 | completion of the
first semester or quarter for which the | ||||||
15 | minority teacher scholarship is
applicable, the school shall | ||||||
16 | refund to the Commission the full amount of the
minority | ||||||
17 | teacher scholarship.
| ||||||
18 | (i) The Commission shall administer the minority teacher | ||||||
19 | scholarship aid
program established by this Section and shall | ||||||
20 | make all necessary and proper
rules not inconsistent with this | ||||||
21 | Section for its effective implementation.
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22 | (j) When an appropriation to the Commission for a given | ||||||
23 | fiscal year is
insufficient to provide scholarships to all | ||||||
24 | qualified students, the
Commission shall allocate the | ||||||
25 | appropriation in accordance with this
subsection. If funds are | ||||||
26 | insufficient to provide all qualified students
with a |
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1 | scholarship as authorized by this Section, the Commission | ||||||
2 | shall
allocate the available scholarship funds for that fiscal | ||||||
3 | year to qualified students who submit a complete application | ||||||
4 | form on or before a date specified by the Commission based on | ||||||
5 | the following order of priority: | ||||||
6 | (1) To students who received a scholarship under this | ||||||
7 | Section in the prior academic year and who remain eligible | ||||||
8 | for a minority teacher scholarship under this Section. | ||||||
9 | (2) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (k), to | ||||||
10 | students who demonstrate financial need, as determined by | ||||||
11 | the Commission.
| ||||||
12 | (k) Notwithstanding paragraph (2) of subsection (j), at | ||||||
13 | least 35% of the funds appropriated for
scholarships awarded | ||||||
14 | under this Section in each fiscal year shall be reserved
for | ||||||
15 | qualified male minority applicants, with priority being given | ||||||
16 | to qualified Black male applicants beginning with fiscal year | ||||||
17 | 2023.
If the Commission does not receive enough applications | ||||||
18 | from qualified male
minorities on or before
January 1 of each | ||||||
19 | fiscal year to award 35% of the funds appropriated for these
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20 | scholarships to qualified
male minority applicants, then the | ||||||
21 | Commission may award a portion of the
reserved funds to | ||||||
22 | qualified
female minority applicants in accordance with | ||||||
23 | subsection (j).
| ||||||
24 | Beginning with fiscal year 2023, if at least $2,850,000 | ||||||
25 | but less than $4,200,000 is appropriated in a given fiscal | ||||||
26 | year for scholarships awarded under this Section, then at |
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1 | least 10% of the funds appropriated shall be reserved for | ||||||
2 | qualified bilingual minority applicants, with priority being | ||||||
3 | given to qualified bilingual minority applicants who are | ||||||
4 | enrolled in an educator preparation program with a | ||||||
5 | concentration in bilingual, bicultural education. Beginning | ||||||
6 | with fiscal year 2023, if at least $4,200,000 is appropriated | ||||||
7 | in a given fiscal year for the Minority Teachers of Illinois | ||||||
8 | scholarship program, then at least 30% of the funds | ||||||
9 | appropriated shall be reserved for qualified bilingual | ||||||
10 | minority applicants, with priority being given to qualified | ||||||
11 | bilingual minority applicants who are enrolled in an educator | ||||||
12 | preparation program with a concentration in bilingual, | ||||||
13 | bicultural education. Beginning with fiscal year 2023, if at | ||||||
14 | least $2,850,000 is appropriated in a given fiscal year for | ||||||
15 | scholarships awarded under this Section but the Commission | ||||||
16 | does not receive enough applications from qualified bilingual | ||||||
17 | minority applicants on or before January 1 of that fiscal year | ||||||
18 | to award at least 10% of the funds appropriated to qualified | ||||||
19 | bilingual minority applicants, then the Commission may, in its | ||||||
20 | discretion, award a portion of the reserved funds to other | ||||||
21 | qualified students in accordance with subsection (j).
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22 | (l) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any | ||||||
23 | academic year,
each recipient of a minority teacher | ||||||
24 | scholarship awarded under this Section
shall be required by | ||||||
25 | the Commission to sign an agreement under which the
recipient | ||||||
26 | pledges that, within the one-year period following the
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1 | termination
of the program for which the recipient was awarded | ||||||
2 | a minority
teacher scholarship, the recipient (i) shall begin | ||||||
3 | teaching for a
period of not less
than one year for each year | ||||||
4 | of scholarship assistance he or she was awarded
under this | ||||||
5 | Section; (ii) shall fulfill this teaching obligation at a
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6 | nonprofit Illinois public, private, or parochial preschool, | ||||||
7 | elementary school,
or secondary school at which no less than | ||||||
8 | 30% of the enrolled students are
minority students in the year | ||||||
9 | during which the recipient begins teaching at the
school or | ||||||
10 | may instead, if the recipient received a scholarship as a | ||||||
11 | qualified bilingual minority applicant, fulfill this teaching | ||||||
12 | obligation in a program in transitional bilingual education | ||||||
13 | pursuant to Article 14C of the School Code or in a school in | ||||||
14 | which 20 or more English learner students in the same language | ||||||
15 | classification are enrolled; and (iii) shall, upon request by | ||||||
16 | the Commission, provide the Commission
with evidence that he | ||||||
17 | or she is fulfilling or has fulfilled the terms of the
teaching | ||||||
18 | agreement provided for in this subsection.
| ||||||
19 | (m) If a recipient of a minority teacher scholarship | ||||||
20 | awarded under this
Section fails to fulfill the teaching | ||||||
21 | obligation set forth in subsection
(l) of this Section, the | ||||||
22 | Commission shall require the recipient to repay
the amount of | ||||||
23 | the scholarships received, prorated according to the fraction
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24 | of the teaching obligation not completed, at a rate of | ||||||
25 | interest equal to
5%, and, if applicable, reasonable | ||||||
26 | collection fees.
The Commission is authorized to establish |
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1 | rules relating to its collection
activities for repayment of | ||||||
2 | scholarships under this Section. All repayments
collected | ||||||
3 | under this Section shall be forwarded to the State Comptroller | ||||||
4 | for
deposit into the State's General Revenue Fund.
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5 | (n) A recipient of minority teacher scholarship shall not | ||||||
6 | be considered
in violation of the agreement entered into | ||||||
7 | pursuant to subsection (l) if
the recipient (i) enrolls on a | ||||||
8 | full time basis as a graduate student in a
course of study | ||||||
9 | related to the field of teaching at a qualified Illinois
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10 | institution of higher learning; (ii) is serving, not in excess | ||||||
11 | of 3 years,
as a member of the armed services of the United | ||||||
12 | States; (iii) is
a person with a temporary total disability | ||||||
13 | for a period of time not to exceed 3 years as
established by | ||||||
14 | sworn affidavit of a qualified physician; (iv) is seeking
and | ||||||
15 | unable to find full time employment as a teacher at an Illinois | ||||||
16 | public,
private, or parochial preschool or elementary or | ||||||
17 | secondary school that
satisfies the
criteria set forth in | ||||||
18 | subsection (l) of this Section and is able to provide
evidence | ||||||
19 | of that fact; (v) becomes a person with a permanent total | ||||||
20 | disability as
established by sworn affidavit of a qualified | ||||||
21 | physician; (vi) is taking additional courses, on at least a | ||||||
22 | half-time basis, needed to obtain licensure as a teacher in | ||||||
23 | Illinois; or (vii) is fulfilling teaching requirements | ||||||
24 | associated with other programs administered by the Commission | ||||||
25 | and cannot concurrently fulfill them under this Section in a | ||||||
26 | period of time equal to the length of the teaching obligation.
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1 | (o) Scholarship recipients under this Section who withdraw | ||||||
2 | from
a program of teacher education but remain enrolled in | ||||||
3 | school
to continue their postsecondary studies in another | ||||||
4 | academic discipline shall
not be required to commence | ||||||
5 | repayment of their Minority Teachers of Illinois
scholarship | ||||||
6 | so long as they remain enrolled in school on a full-time basis | ||||||
7 | or
if they can document for the Commission special | ||||||
8 | circumstances that warrant
extension of repayment.
| ||||||
9 | (p) If the Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship | ||||||
10 | program does not expend at least 90% of the amount | ||||||
11 | appropriated for the program in a given fiscal year for 3 | ||||||
12 | consecutive fiscal years and the Commission does not receive | ||||||
13 | enough applications from the groups identified in subsection | ||||||
14 | (k) on or before January 1 in each of those fiscal years to | ||||||
15 | meet the percentage reserved for those groups under subsection | ||||||
16 | (k), then up to 3% of amount appropriated for the program for | ||||||
17 | each of next 3 fiscal years shall be allocated to increasing | ||||||
18 | awareness of the program and for the recruitment of Black male | ||||||
19 | applicants. The Commission shall make a recommendation to the | ||||||
20 | General Assembly by January 1 of the year immediately | ||||||
21 | following the end of that third fiscal year regarding whether | ||||||
22 | the amount allocated to increasing awareness and recruitment | ||||||
23 | should continue. | ||||||
24 | (q) Each qualified Illinois institution of higher learning | ||||||
25 | that receives funds from the Minority Teachers of Illinois | ||||||
26 | scholarship program shall host an annual information session |
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1 | at the institution about the program for teacher candidates of | ||||||
2 | color in accordance with rules adopted by the Commission. | ||||||
3 | Additionally, the institution shall ensure that each | ||||||
4 | scholarship recipient enrolled at the institution meets with | ||||||
5 | an academic advisor at least once per academic year to | ||||||
6 | facilitate on-time completion of the recipient's educator | ||||||
7 | preparation program. | ||||||
8 | (r) The changes made to this Section by Public Act 101-654 | ||||||
9 | will first take effect with awards made for the 2022-2023 | ||||||
10 | academic year. | ||||||
11 | (s) The Student Teaching Fund is created as a special fund | ||||||
12 | in the State treasury. Any money appropriated to the | ||||||
13 | Commission for scholarship awards under this Section for a | ||||||
14 | particular academic year that remains unused at the end of | ||||||
15 | that academic year shall be deposited into the Student | ||||||
16 | Teaching Fund. All money in the Student Teaching Fund shall be | ||||||
17 | used, subject to appropriation, by the Commission for the | ||||||
18 | purposes of this subsection (s). | ||||||
19 | The Commission shall establish and administer a student | ||||||
20 | teaching stipend program. Under the program, the Commission | ||||||
21 | shall receive and consider applications for a stipend from | ||||||
22 | recipients of scholarships under this Section who are student | ||||||
23 | teaching. Subject to appropriation from the Student Teaching | ||||||
24 | Fund, the Commission shall select stipend recipients from | ||||||
25 | among applicants who are in financial need. All applications | ||||||
26 | for stipends under this subsection (s) shall be made to the |
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1 | Commission in a form as set forth by the Commission. The form | ||||||
2 | of application and the information required to be set forth in | ||||||
3 | the application shall be determined by the Commission, and the | ||||||
4 | Commission shall require applicants to submit with their | ||||||
5 | applications such supporting documents as the Commission deems | ||||||
6 | necessary. | ||||||
7 | The amount and payment of any stipend under this | ||||||
8 | subsection (s) shall be determined by the Commission, and the | ||||||
9 | Commission shall make all necessary and proper rules not | ||||||
10 | inconsistent with this subsection (s) for its effective | ||||||
11 | implementation. | ||||||
12 | (Source: P.A. 101-654, eff. 3-8-21; 102-465, eff. 1-1-22; | ||||||
13 | 102-813, eff. 5-13-22; 102-1100, eff. 1-1-23 .)
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