Section 2762.30  Program Procedures

a)         Applicants will be notified whether they are qualified applicants.  A non-qualified applicant may appeal in accordance with 23 Ill. Adm.  Code 2700.70, Appeal Procedures.

b)         Recipients shall be selected from among the qualified applicants on the basis of the following criteria:

1)         Postsecondary Academic Level.  Awards will be made first to renewal applicants, then to all graduate students and seniors, then to all juniors, then to all sophomores, and then to all freshmen.

2)         Special Consideration.  If there are insufficient funds to award scholarships to all qualified applicants, ISAC shall give special consideration to qualified applicants who are within the same academic level and who:

A)        intend to teach or provide related services to students with disabilities;

B)        intend to teach limited English proficient students;

C)        intend to teach preschool age children;

D)        intend to teach in schools servicing inner city or rural or geographically isolated areas;

E)        intend to teach in curricular areas or geographic areas where there are demonstrated shortages of qualified teachers; or

F)         are from disadvantaged backgrounds, including students from low-income families; racial and ethnic minorities; individuals with disabilities; and students underrepresented in the teaching profession or in the curricular areas in which they are preparing to teach.

3)         Shortage of Teachers.  If there are insufficient funds to award scholarships to all qualified applicants within a given academic level who are entitled to special consideration, awards will be made first to all applicants enrolled in an academic discipline in which Illinois has a shortage of teachers, as determined annually by the Illinois State Board of Education.  (See:  23 Ill. Adm. Code 54.Subpart D.) Funds will next be awarded to applicants at the same academic level in non-shortage disciplines.

4)         The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) derived from Federal Methodology.  If funds are insufficient to make awards to all applicants who are entitled to special consideration, to all applicants in shortage disciplines or to all applicants in non-shortage disciplines, within an academic level, applicants will be ranked in order of the applicant's EFC, from lowest to highest.  (See:  Section 2762.40(b); Title IV, Part F of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C.A. 1087kk).) Awards will be made within the relevant group in order of increasing EFC. Those applicants who did not apply for federal student financial aid, and therefore do not have an EFC, are eligible to receive this scholarship but will be ranked last in their relevant group.

c)         An applicant shall receive a scholarship renewal provided s/he  continues to meet the requirements of Section 2762.20, Applicant  Eligibility.  No recipient may receive more than eight semesters/twelve quarters of scholarship assistance.  A recipient shall not receive a scholarship renewal if s/he remains at the same academic level for more than two years.

d)         The total number of recipients selected is contingent upon the available funds and the number of scholarship renewals.  All scholarships and scholarship renewals are contingent upon sufficient appropriation.

e)         ISAC applications for the Paul Douglas Teacher Scholarship Program are available for distribution to students from: approved high schools in Illinois; offices of Congressional Representatives from the State of Illinois; offices of ISAC in Springfield, Chicago, and Deerfield; and postsecondary institutions throughout Illinois.

f)         A completed application must be received in ISAC's Deerfield office on or before August 1 preceding the academic year for which the scholarship is being requested in order to receive priority consideration for an award.

1)         All applicants who had not previously been designated as recipients should also apply for federal student financial aid to determine EFC for the purpose of determining their rank within their relevant group. (See: 20 U.S.C.A. 1070a.)

2)         First-time applicants must also provide their postsecondary institution a copy of their high school transcripts, any other documentation which verifies rank in class upon high school graduation, or documentation showing their GED test scores.  The institution shall certify to ISAC whether the applicant meets the eligibility criteria listed in Section 2762.20, Applicant Eligibility.

g)         A congratulatory letter shall be sent to each qualified applicant who is selected as a recipient.  A listing of recipients shall be made available to institutions, members of Congress, and to the media.

h)         Renewal applications are mailed annually to recipients and must be submitted to ISAC on or before August 1 preceding the academic year for which the scholarship is being requested in order to receive priority consideration for an award.

i)          Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any academic year, the recipient must sign a Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note that is submitted to ISAC.

1)         The Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note shall require the recipient to either:

A)        fulfill the teaching requirements within ten years after completing the postsecondary education degree program for which the scholarship was awarded, or

B)        repay all or part of the scholarship, plus interest, as provided by federal regulations.  (See: 34 CFR 653.62(c)(1).)  The teaching requirement is prorated based upon whether the student received the scholarship for a semester or quarter rather than a full academic year.

2)         The Teaching Agreement/Promissory Note shall include:

A)        a stipulation that:

i)          the recipient teach on a full-time basis for a period of not less than two years, for each year of assistance received, in a public or private nonprofit preschool, elementary, or secondary school, or

ii)         the recipient teach, on a full-time basis, children with disabilities or children with limited English proficiency in a private non-profit school, and

B)        a stipulation that teaching time shall be reduced to one-half if performed in a geographic area or an academic discipline certified as a "teacher shortage area" by the U.S. Secretary of Education, and

C)        a further stipulation that the recipient agrees to provide ISAC with evidence of compliance with program requirements (e.g., responses to annual follow-up questionnaires, etc.).

j)          A recipient will be entitled to defer payments due, as outlined in subsection (i)(1)(B) of this Section, during any period in which the recipient meets the conditions outlined in Section 528 of the Higher Education Act, as amended, or applicable federal regulations (see:  34 CFR 653.62(g)).

k)         A recipient shall be excused from repayment, for any scholarship assistance received under this Part, if the recipient becomes permanently totally disabled as established by the sworn affidavit of a qualified physician or if his or her representative provides ISAC with a death certificate or other evidence that the recipient has died.