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| Public Act 100-0235 | ||||
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AN ACT concerning education.
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Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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represented in the General Assembly:
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Section 5. The Higher Education Student Assistance Act is | ||||
amended by changing Section 50 as follows: | ||||
(110 ILCS 947/50)
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Sec. 50. Minority Teachers of Illinois scholarship | ||||
program.
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(a) As used in this Section:
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"Eligible applicant" means a minority student who has | ||||
graduated
from high school or has received a high school | ||||
equivalency certificate
and has
maintained a cumulative | ||||
grade point average of
no
less than 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, and | ||||
who by reason thereof is entitled to
apply for scholarships | ||||
to be awarded under this Section.
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"Minority student" means a student who is any of the | ||||
following: | ||||
(1) American Indian or Alaska Native (a person | ||||
having origins in any of the original peoples of North | ||||
and South America, including Central America, and who | ||||
maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment). | ||||
(2) Asian (a person having origins in any of the | ||||
original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or | ||||
the Indian subcontinent, including, but not limited | ||
to, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, | ||
Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and | ||
Vietnam). | ||
(3) Black or African American (a person having | ||
origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa). | ||
Terms such as "Haitian" or "Negro" can be used in | ||
addition to "Black or African American". | ||
(4) Hispanic or Latino (a person of Cuban, Mexican, | ||
Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other | ||
Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race). | ||
(5) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (a | ||
person having origins in any of the original peoples of | ||
Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands).
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"Qualified student" means a person (i) who is a | ||
resident of this State
and a citizen or permanent resident | ||
of the United States; (ii) who is a
minority student, as | ||
defined in this Section; (iii) who, as an eligible
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applicant, has made a timely application for a minority | ||
teaching
scholarship under this Section; (iv) who is | ||
enrolled on at least a
half-time basis at a
qualified | ||
Illinois institution of
higher learning; (v) who is | ||
enrolled in a course of study leading to
teacher licensure | ||
certification, including alternative teacher licensure, | ||
or, if the student is already licensed to teach, in a | ||
course of study leading to an additional teaching | ||
endorsement or a master's degree in an academic field in | ||
which he or she is teaching or plans to teach | ||
certification; (vi)
who maintains a grade point average of | ||
no
less than 2.5 on a 4.0 scale;
and (vii) who continues to | ||
advance satisfactorily toward the attainment
of a degree.
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(b) In order to encourage academically talented Illinois | ||
minority
students to pursue teaching careers at the preschool | ||
or elementary or
secondary
school
level, each qualified student | ||
shall be awarded a minority teacher
scholarship to any | ||
qualified Illinois institution of higher learning.
However, | ||
preference may be given to qualified applicants enrolled at or | ||
above
the
junior level.
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(c) Each minority teacher scholarship awarded under this | ||
Section shall
be in an amount sufficient to pay the tuition and | ||
fees and room and board
costs of the qualified Illinois | ||
institution of higher learning at which the
recipient is | ||
enrolled, up to an annual maximum of $5,000;
except that
in
the | ||
case of a recipient who does not reside on-campus at the | ||
institution at
which he or she is enrolled, the amount of the | ||
scholarship shall be
sufficient to pay tuition and fee expenses | ||
and a commuter allowance, up to
an annual maximum of $5,000.
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(d) The total amount of minority teacher scholarship | ||
assistance awarded by
the Commission under this Section to an | ||
individual in any given fiscal
year, when added to other | ||
financial assistance awarded to that individual
for that year, | ||
shall not exceed the cost of attendance at the institution
at | ||
which the student is enrolled. If the amount of minority | ||
teacher
scholarship to be awarded to a qualified student as | ||
provided in
subsection (c) of this Section exceeds the cost of | ||
attendance at the
institution at which the student is enrolled, | ||
the minority teacher
scholarship shall be reduced by an amount | ||
equal to the amount by which the
combined financial assistance | ||
available to the student exceeds the cost
of attendance.
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(e) The maximum number of academic terms for which a | ||
qualified
student
can receive minority teacher scholarship | ||
assistance shall be 8 semesters or
12 quarters.
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(f) In any academic year for which an eligible applicant | ||
under this
Section accepts financial assistance through the | ||
Paul Douglas Teacher
Scholarship Program, as authorized by | ||
Section 551 et seq. of the Higher
Education Act of 1965, the | ||
applicant shall not be eligible for scholarship
assistance | ||
awarded under this Section.
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(g) All applications for minority teacher scholarships to | ||
be awarded
under this Section shall be made to the Commission | ||
on forms which the
Commission shall provide for eligible | ||
applicants. The form of applications
and the information | ||
required to be set forth therein shall be determined by
the | ||
Commission, and the Commission shall require eligible | ||
applicants to
submit with their applications such supporting | ||
documents or recommendations
as the Commission deems | ||
necessary.
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(h) Subject to a separate appropriation for such purposes, | ||
payment of
any minority teacher scholarship awarded under this | ||
Section shall be
determined by the Commission. All scholarship | ||
funds distributed in
accordance with this subsection shall be | ||
paid to the institution and used
only for payment of the | ||
tuition and fee and room and board expenses
incurred by the | ||
student in connection with his or her attendance as an
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undergraduate student at a qualified Illinois institution of | ||
higher
learning. Any minority teacher scholarship awarded | ||
under this Section
shall be applicable to 2 semesters or 3 | ||
quarters of enrollment. If a
qualified student withdraws from | ||
enrollment prior to completion of the
first semester or quarter | ||
for which the minority teacher scholarship is
applicable, the | ||
school shall refund to the Commission the full amount of the
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minority teacher scholarship.
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(i) The Commission shall administer the minority teacher | ||
scholarship aid
program established by this Section and shall | ||
make all necessary and proper
rules not inconsistent with this | ||
Section for its effective implementation.
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(j) When an appropriation to the Commission for a given | ||
fiscal year is
insufficient to provide scholarships to all | ||
qualified students, the
Commission shall allocate the | ||
appropriation in accordance with this
subsection. If funds are | ||
insufficient to provide all qualified students
with a | ||
scholarship as authorized by this Section, the Commission shall
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allocate the available scholarship funds for that fiscal year | ||
on the basis
of the date the Commission receives a complete | ||
application form.
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(k) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (j) or any | ||
other
provision of this Section, at least 30% of the funds | ||
appropriated for
scholarships awarded under this Section in | ||
each fiscal year shall be reserved
for qualified male minority | ||
applicants.
If the Commission does not receive enough | ||
applications from qualified male
minorities on or before
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January 1 of each fiscal year to award 30% of the funds | ||
appropriated for these
scholarships to qualified
male minority | ||
applicants, then the Commission may award a portion of the
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reserved funds to qualified
female minority applicants.
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(l) Prior to receiving scholarship assistance for any | ||
academic year,
each recipient of a minority teacher scholarship | ||
awarded under this Section
shall be required by the Commission | ||
to sign an agreement under which the
recipient pledges that, | ||
within the one-year period following the
termination
of the | ||
program for which the recipient was awarded a minority
teacher | ||
scholarship, the recipient (i) shall begin teaching for a
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period of not less
than one year for each year of scholarship | ||
assistance he or she was awarded
under this Section; and (ii) | ||
shall fulfill this teaching obligation at a
nonprofit Illinois | ||
public, private, or parochial preschool, elementary school,
or | ||
secondary school at which no less than 30% of the enrolled | ||
students are
minority students in the year during which the | ||
recipient begins teaching at the
school; and (iii) shall, upon | ||
request by the Commission, provide the Commission
with evidence | ||
that he or she is fulfilling or has fulfilled the terms of the
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teaching agreement provided for in this subsection.
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(m) If a recipient of a minority teacher scholarship | ||
awarded under this
Section fails to fulfill the teaching | ||
obligation set forth in subsection
(l) of this Section, the | ||
Commission shall require the recipient to repay
the amount of | ||
the scholarships received, prorated according to the fraction
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of the teaching obligation not completed, at a rate of interest | ||
equal to
5%, and, if applicable, reasonable collection fees.
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The Commission is authorized to establish rules relating to its | ||
collection
activities for repayment of scholarships under this | ||
Section. All repayments
collected under this Section shall be | ||
forwarded to the State Comptroller for
deposit into the State's | ||
General Revenue Fund.
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(n) A recipient of minority teacher scholarship shall not | ||
be considered
in violation of the agreement entered into | ||
pursuant to subsection (l) if
the recipient (i) enrolls on a | ||
full time basis as a graduate student in a
course of study | ||
related to the field of teaching at a qualified Illinois
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institution of higher learning; (ii) is serving, not in excess | ||
of 3 years,
as a member of the armed services of the United | ||
States; (iii) is
a person with a temporary total disability for | ||
a period of time not to exceed 3 years as
established by sworn | ||
affidavit of a qualified physician; (iv) is seeking
and unable | ||
to find full time employment as a teacher at an Illinois | ||
public,
private, or parochial preschool or elementary or | ||
secondary school that
satisfies the
criteria set forth in | ||
subsection (l) of this Section and is able to provide
evidence | ||
of that fact; (v) becomes a person with a permanent total | ||
disability as
established by sworn affidavit of a qualified | ||
physician; (vi) is taking additional courses, on at least a | ||
half-time basis, needed to obtain licensure certification as a | ||
teacher in Illinois; or (vii) is fulfilling teaching | ||
requirements associated with other programs administered by | ||
the Commission and cannot concurrently fulfill them under this | ||
Section in a period of time equal to the length of the teaching | ||
obligation.
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(o) Scholarship recipients under this Section who withdraw | ||
from
a program of teacher education but remain enrolled in | ||
school
to continue their postsecondary studies in another | ||
academic discipline shall
not be required to commence repayment | ||
of their Minority Teachers of Illinois
scholarship so long as | ||
they remain enrolled in school on a full-time basis or
if they | ||
can document for the Commission special circumstances that | ||
warrant
extension of repayment.
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(Source: P.A. 98-718, eff. 1-1-15; 99-143, eff. 7-27-15.)
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Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect June 1, | ||
2018.
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