Section 2763.10  Summary and Purpose

 

a)         The Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program encourages academically talented minority students to pursue careers as teachers at nonprofit Illinois preschool, elementary and secondary schools.  The program also aims to provide minority children with access to a greater number of positive minority role models.

 

b)         This Part establishes the rules which govern the MTI Scholarship Program.  Additional rules and definitions are contained in General Provisions, 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2700.

 

(Source:  Amended at 27 Ill. Reg. 10385, effective July 1, 2003)

 

Section 2763.20  Applicant Eligibility

 

a)         A qualified applicant shall:

 

1)         be a minority student or a qualified bilingual minority applicant;

 

2)         be a resident of Illinois;

 

3)         be a citizen or eligible noncitizen of the United States;

 

4)         be a high school graduate or a State of Illinois High School Diploma recipient;

 

5)         be enrolled or accepted for enrollment on at least a half-time basis at an institution of higher learning and;

 

A)        be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a course of study which, upon completion, qualifies the student to be licensed as a preschool, elementary or secondary school teacher by the Illinois State Board of Education, including alternative teacher licensure; or

 

B)        if the applicant is already licensed to teach, be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a course of study leading to an additional teaching endorsement or a master’s degree in an academic field in which the applicant is teaching or plans to teach; or

 

C)        have received one or more College and Career Pathway Endorsements (pursuant to Section 80 of the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act) and commit to enrolling in a course of study leading to teacher licensure, including alternative teacher licensure.  [110 ILCS 947/506].

 

6)         if enrolled at the sophomore, junior, senior or graduate level, have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale; and

 

7)         be maintaining satisfactory academic progress as determined by the institution.

 

b)         In any academic year in which the qualified applicant accepts or receives financial assistance through the Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarship Program (23 Ill. Adm. Code 2762), Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program (23 Ill. Adm. Code 2764), the Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver Program (23 Ill. Adm. Code 2765), or the Teach Illinois Scholarship Program (23 Ill. Adm. Code 2768), the qualified applicant shall not be eligible for scholarship assistance under this Part.

 

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 9463, effective July 1, 2023)

 

Section 2763.30  Program Procedures

 

a)         An application for an MTI scholarship must be submitted annually and an applicant must also complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid® (FAFSA).  An ISAC application for the MTI Scholarship Program and a FAFSA must be completed and received by March 31^st immediately preceding the regular school year for which the scholarship is being requested, in order to receive priority consideration for an award.

 

1)         An application is available on ISAC's website.

 

2)         If the MTI application is incomplete, ISAC will notify the applicant.  The applicant will then have an opportunity to furnish the missing information; however, the application will only be considered for processing as of the date when the application is complete and received by ISAC.

 

b)         When an appropriation for the MTI Scholarship Program for a given fiscal year is insufficient to provide scholarships to all qualified students, ISAC will allocate the available scholarship funds for that fiscal year to qualified students who submit a complete timely application, as specified in subsection (a) based on the following order of priority:

 

1)         Funds will first be awarded to students who received the MTI scholarship in the prior academic year and who remain eligible for the MTI scholarship.

 

2)         If funds remain after the awarding of scholarships under subsection (b)(1), at least 35 percent of the funds appropriated for scholarships awarded under this Section in each fiscal year shall be reserved for male qualified applicants. If ISAC does not receive enough applications from qualified male minorities on or before January 1 of each fiscal year to award 35% of the funds appropriated for these scholarships to qualified male minority applicants, then ISAC may award a portion of the reserved funds to qualified female minority applicants.

 

3)         When at least $2,850,000, but less than $4,200,000 is appropriated in a given fiscal year for MTI scholarships, then to the extent allowed by the amount of funding that remains, at least 10% of the funds appropriated shall be reserved for qualified bilingual minority applicants, with priority being given to qualified bilingual minority applicants who are enrolled in an educator preparation program with a concentration in bilingual, bicultural education.

 

4)         When at least $4,200,000 is appropriated in a given fiscal year for MTI scholarships, then to the extent allowed by the amount of funding that remains, at least 30% of the funds appropriated shall be reserved for qualified bilingual minority applicants, with priority being given to qualified bilingual minority applicants who are enrolled in an educator preparation program with a concentration in bilingual, bicultural education.  [110 ILCS 947/50]

 

5)         To the extent allowed by the amount of funding that remains after awarding to those applicants in the priority categories in subsections (b)(1) through (4), ISAC may award the remaining funds to other qualified applicants.

 

c)         When an appropriation for the MTI scholarship in any given fiscal year is insufficient to provide scholarships to all qualified applicants within any of the categories in subsection (b), ISAC shall prioritize awards within that category in the following order:

 

1)         to students that demonstrate the most financial need;

 

2)         to students with the earliest date of received completed applications; and

 

3)         to qualified applicants enrolled at or above the junior level.

 

d)         No recipient may receive more than 8 semesters/12 quarters of scholarship assistance under this program.

 

e)         Scholarship funds are applicable towards up to two semesters/three quarters of study within a regular school year.

 

f)         Qualified applicants may be required to furnish the postsecondary institution at which they are enrolled with a copy of their high school transcripts, any other documentation verifying high school graduation, or a copy of their State of Illinois High School Diploma.

 

g)         Prior to receiving scholarship assistance under this Part, the qualified applicant must sign a Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note that is submitted to ISAC.  The Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note shall include the following stipulations:

 

1)         the recipient pledges to teach, on a full-time equivalent basis, for one year for each year of scholarship aid received, or for any portion of a year for which aid was received, under this Part;

 

2)         the recipient shall begin teaching within one year following the completion of the program for which the recipient received assistance under this Part, and shall teach on a continuous basis for the required period of time;

 

3)         the teaching requirement will be fulfilled at a nonprofit Illinois public, private or parochial preschool, elementary school or secondary school at which no less than 30 percent of the enrolled students are minority students, as certified by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).  If a recipient received an MTI scholarship as a qualified bilingual minority applicant, the recipient may instead fulfill the teaching obligation in a transitional bilingual education program (as defined by Article 14 C of the School Code) or in a school in which at least 20 English learner students in the same language classification are enrolled;

 

4)         if the teaching requirement is not fulfilled, the scholarship converts to a loan and the recipient must repay the entire amount of the scholarships prorated according to the fraction of the teaching obligation not completed, plus interest at a rate of interest equal to five percent and, if applicable, reasonable collection fees;

 

5)         the recipient agrees to provide ISAC with evidence of compliance with program requirements (e.g., responses to annual follow-up questionnaires, etc.); and

 

6)         the recipient promises to use the proceeds of the scholarship for educational expenses.

 

h)         A recipient of a scholarship awarded under this Part shall not be in violation of the agreement entered into pursuant to subsection (g) during periods in which the recipient:

 

1)         serves, for not more than three years, as a member of the United States Armed Forces;

 

2)         is enrolled on a full-time basis as a graduate student in a course of study related to the field of teaching at an institution of higher learning;

 

3)         is temporarily totally disabled, for not more than three years, as established by the sworn affidavit of a licensed physician;

 

4)         is actively seeking but unable to find full-time employment as a teacher at a school that satisfies the criteria set forth in subsection (g)(3) for one continuous period not to exceed two years, and is able to provide evidence of that fact;

 

5)         is taking additional courses, on at least a half-time basis, needed to obtain licensure as a teacher in Illinois; or

 

6)         is fulfilling teaching requirements associated with other programs administered by ISAC if the recipient cannot concurrently fulfill them in a period of time equal to the length of the teaching obligation.

 

i)          If a recipient is required to repay any portion of the scholarship, the repayment period shall be completed within 10 years after the scholarship converts to a loan.  This 10 year period may be extended if the recipient:

 

1)         serves, for not more than three years, as a member of the United States Armed Forces;

 

2)         is temporarily disabled, for not more than three years, as established by the sworn affidavit of a licensed physician;

 

3)         is seeking and unable to find full-time employment, for one continuous period not to exceed two years, and is able to provide evidence of that fact;

 

4)         withdraws from a course of study leading to licensure as a teacher but is enrolled full-time in another academic discipline; or

 

5)         is pursuing a graduate course of study and is enrolled on a full-time basis for one continuous period of time not to exceed three years.

 

j)          During the time a recipient qualifies for any of the extensions listed in subsection (i), the recipient shall not be required to make payments and interest shall not accrue.

 

k)         A recipient shall enter repayment status on the earliest of the following dates:

 

1)         the first day of the first calendar month after the recipient has ceased to pursue a course of study leading to licensure as a teacher at the preschool, elementary or secondary level, but not before six months have elapsed after the cessation of at least half-time enrollment in such a course of study;

 

2)         the date the recipient informs ISAC that the recipient does not plan to fulfill the teaching obligation; or

 

3)         the day after the latest date upon which the recipient must have begun teaching after completing the postsecondary education for which the scholarship was awarded.

 

l)          If a recipient who enters into repayment under subsection (g) subsequently, within 5 years of entering repayment, begins to teach at a school meeting the description under subsection (g)(3), the amount owed by the recipient may be reduced in proportion to the amount of the teaching obligation completed. [110 ILCS 947/50]

 

m)        A recipient shall not be required to repay the amount of the scholarships received if the recipient becomes permanently totally disabled as established by the sworn affidavit of a qualified physician (see, e.g., 34 CFR 682.402(c)), or if the recipient's representative provides ISAC with a death certificate or other evidence that the recipient has died.

 

n)         If the MTI Program does not expend at least 90% of the appropriated amount in a given fiscal year for three consecutive years and ISAC does not receive enough applications by January 1 each year from the groups identified for reserved funds, then up to 3% of appropriated funds for the next three fiscal years shall be allocated to increase awareness of the program and for the recruitment of Black males.  ISAC will make a recommendation to the General Assembly by January 1 of the following fiscal year regarding whether the amount allocated to increasing awareness and recruitment should continue beyond the three-year period.  [110 ILCS 947/50]

 

(Source:  Amended at 48 Ill. Reg. 4470, effective March 8, 2024)

 

Section 2763.40  Institutional Procedures

 

a)         The institution shall submit eligibility information for qualified applicants in sufficient time for ISAC to make award announcements.

 

b)         MTI awards are paid directly to the approved institution of record that certifies to ISAC that the applicant is an eligible recipient.

 

1)         ISAC will annually establish priority claim dates for the submission of payment requests and inform schools of the required priority dates.

 

2)         Late payment requests will result in delayed processing of payments.  Payment requests are processed in the sequence of receipt by ISAC and as funds are available.

 

3)         Institutions may submit their payment requests beginning 10 days prior to the start of classes for the term for which payment is being requested.

 

c)         ISAC shall disburse scholarship funds in two or three installments, depending on the number of terms financed by the scholarship, except that multiple disbursements shall not be required in cases where the applicant's eligibility is not determined until the final term of the regular school year for which the scholarship is being awarded or when a student is attending only one term and the maximum award does not exceed the student's cost of attendance.

 

d)         Funds shall be remitted by ISAC to institutions on behalf of the recipients.

 

e)         Upon receipt of scholarship funds, the institution shall verify the recipient's enrollment status for the term for which the award was intended.  If enrolled, the institution may credit the scholarship funds to the recipient's account for expenses due and payable.  The balance of the disbursement shall be released to the recipient.

 

f)         Upon receipt of the scholarship funds, if the recipient has withdrawn from enrollment for the terms for which the award was intended, the institution shall return the amount of the scholarship payment to ISAC.

 

g)         Scholarship Amount

 

1)         MTI scholarships are applicable only toward tuition and fees and room and board charges or commuter allowances, if applicable.

 

2)         The annual scholarship amount shall be computed by the institution and must be the lesser of:

 

A)        tuition and fees plus room and board expenses charged by the institution;

 

B)        tuition and fees plus the standard commuter allowance for students living off-campus; or

 

C)        $5000; unless at least $2,850,000 is appropriated in a given fiscal year for the MTI Program, then, $7,500 in that year and in each fiscal year thereafter.

 

3)         The total amount of MTI scholarship assistance awarded to a qualified applicant in a given regular school year, when added to the other financial aid available to the qualified applicant for that year, cannot exceed the cost of attendance.

 

4)         A qualified applicant may receive grant assistance under the MTI Program only up to the amount by which the qualified applicant's cost of attendance exceeds the amount of the Monetary Award Program grant (23 Ill. Adm. Code 2735).

 

h)         To provide sufficient time for processing and vouchering through the State Comptroller's Office in Springfield, all payment requests must be received by ISAC no later than July 1.

 

i)          Each institution that participates in the MTI Program shall host an annual information session about the program for teacher candidates of color and require that each program recipient enrolled at the institution meet with an academic advisor at least once per academic year in an effort to facilitate on-time completion of the student’s educator preparation program.  [110 ILCS 947/50]

 

(Source:  Amended at 45 Ill. Reg. 15332, effective January 1, 2022)