Title: The Teacher Scholarship Program

Summary: Establishes Teacher Scholarship Program within DOE; provides program purpose & requirements; provides for rulemaking.

Full Text:
An act relating to the Teacher Scholarship Program; creating s. 1009.897, F.S.; establishing the Teacher Scholarship Program within the Department of Education; providing the purpose of and the criteria for student eligibility for the program; specifying duties of each postsecondary institution for the program; providing for disbursement of the scholarship awards; providing for stipends; specifying fund ing and the department's authority to prorate awards under a certain circumstance; providing for rulemaking; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Section 1009.897, Florida Statutes, is created to read: 1009.897 The Teacher Scholarship Program.-(1) The Teacher Scholarship Program is established within the department to encourage students who exhibit academic excellence to pursue a career in education. The program shall provide schola rships to eligible students for upper-division undergraduate and graduate study. The program shall also provide a one-time stipend to students who complete their program of study and their first year of employment as a classroom teacher HB 2018 at a public school in this state. (2) To be eligible for an undergraduate scholarship under the program, a student must meet all of the following requirements: (a) Be a full-time, upper-division undergraduate student in a teacher-preparation program approved by the depar tment pursuant to s. 1004.04. (b) The general student eligibility requirements for state financial aid as specified in s. 1009.40, except as otherwise provided in this section. (c) The following academic requirements: 1. Earn an SAT score that corres ponds to the 80th SAT percentile rank or a concordant ACT score; and 2. Maintain a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale. (3) To be eligible for a graduate scholarship under the program, a student must meet all of the following requirements: (a) The criteria specified in paragraphs (2)(b) and (c). (b) Hold a bachelor's degree from any college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association as defined by State Board of Education rule. (c) Be a fu ll-time graduate student in an eligible postsecondary graduate teacher education program leading to a master's, specialist, or doctoral degree. (d) Not have previously received a teaching certificate HB 2018 resulting from an undergraduate degree in education. (e) Not have received an undergraduate scholarship pursuant to this section. (4) Each postsecondary institution shall do all of the following: (a) Annually by September 1, certify to the department the names of students eligible for the program. (b) Throughout the academic year, notify the department of any scholarship recipient whose scholarship should be rescinded due to disenrollment from the teacher education program. (5)(a) An eligible undergraduate student may be awarded a scholarship of up to $5,000 per semester, not to exceed $10,000 per year, for undergraduate years or for a maximum of years for programs that require a fifth year of instruction to obtain an initial teaching certification. (b) An eligible graduate student may be aw arded a scholarship of up to $5,000 per semester, not to exceed $10,000 per year, for up to years. (6)(a) A scholarship recipient may receive a one-time stipend of $10,000 after: 1. Completing the teacher education program required under this section and earning a bachelor's or graduate degree, as applicable; 2. Notifying the department, in a manner prescribed by department rule, that he or she has been employed by a school HB 2018 district in this state as a classroom teacher as defined in s. 1012.01(2); and 3. Completing his or her first year of employment as a classroom teacher at a public school in this state. (b) No later than June of each year, the department shall disburse the stipend to each school district for an eligible candidate whose employment is confirmed as of May 1. A candidate who is hired after the first quarter of the academic year is eligible for a prorated stipend as determined by the department. A candidate may not receive both the stipend and an award under s. 1012.73 1. (7) This section shall be implemented only to the extent specifically funded and authorized by law. The department may prorate the scholarships and stipends authorized by this section if the appropriation is insufficient to fully fund each eligible student. (8) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to administer the program. Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2018.