105 ILCS 30/ Illinois Peace Corps Fellowship Program Law.

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105 ILCS 30/2-1

(105 ILCS 30/2-1) (from Ch. 122, par. 2001)

Sec. 2-1.

Short title.

This Article may be cited as the Illinois Peace Corps Fellowship Program Law.

(Source: P.A. 86-1467.)

105 ILCS 30/2-2

(105 ILCS 30/2-2) (from Ch. 122, par. 2002)

Sec. 2-2.

Purpose.

In the spirit of improving educational standards and
providing alternative routes into teaching at public elementary and secondary schools,
and in an effort to enhance and reform troubled public school systems,
including but
not limited to the public school systems within the City of Chicago and the
City of East St. Louis, there is
hereby created the Illinois Peace Corps Fellowship Program.  The purpose of
this program shall be: (i) to help reduce the shortage of qualified teachers at
both inner-city and rural public schools by placing qualified United States
Peace Corps veterans into
salaried teacher aide and certificated teaching positions in underserved
school districts, while at the
same time providing fellowships to those former Peace Corps volunteers
under cooperative agreements established between
or among school districts, Illinois' public universities and colleges, the United States
Peace Corps and the private
sector; and (ii) to facilitate the collaboration required among such
entities to effectively implement the provisions of this Article.

(Source: P.A. 86-1467.)

105 ILCS 30/2-3

(105 ILCS 30/2-3) (from Ch. 122, par. 2003)

Sec. 2-3. Program description.

The University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University, the several
universities and colleges under the governance of the Board of Governors of
State Colleges and Universities, and the several Regency Universities under
the jurisdiction of the Board of Regents are hereby authorized to become
participants in the Illinois Peace Corps Fellowship Program.  Any such
participating public institution of higher education may conduct and
administer this program to augment the number of Illinois public school
teachers by bringing the teaching skills of recently returned United States
Peace Corps volunteers to those school districts, including the school
districts situated within the City of Chicago and the City of East St.
Louis or any other school district designated by the State Board of
Education, which enter into cooperative agreements required for
implementation of the program.  In designating such school districts, the
State Board of Education may consider districts that have a high proportion
of drop-out students, a high percentage of minority students, a high
proportion of low income families and high truancy rates.  The program
shall utilize former United States Peace Corps volunteers with two years of
Peace Corps experience by placing them in the designated cooperating school
districts as full time teachers or teacher aides.  In return for making a
two-year commitment to teaching and being placed in a full-time salaried
teacher aide or certificated teaching position at a public school located
in a designated cooperating school district, the former Peace Corps
volunteer may be awarded a fellowship to the participating public
institution of higher education to complete (in the case of teacher aides
who are not yet certificated) the courses required for issuance of a
teaching certificate under Article 21 of The School Code, or to pursue a
master's degree program in education.  The fellowships may consist of
tuition waivers applicable toward enrollment at the participating public
institution of higher education to complete required courses for teacher
certification and to pursue a master's degree program in education; and the
award of such tuition waivers may be supported by funds and grants made
available to the participating university or universities through private
or public sources.  A participating university may also consider an
authorization under which all fellowship recipients are allowed to pay
in-state tuition rates while enrolled for credit in a master's degree program.

An annual salary for the fellowship recipient to teach in a designated
school district for a period of two years may be provided by the designated
cooperating school district at which the fellowship recipient shall teach,
and may be set at an amount equal to that paid to other teacher aides and
certificated teachers in a comparable position.

(Source: P.A. 95-331, eff. 8-21-07.)

105 ILCS 30/2-4

(105 ILCS 30/2-4) (from Ch. 122, par. 2004)

Sec. 2-4.

Eligibility.

To be eligible to receive a Peace Corps
Fellowship an applicant shall:

(a) have been a United States Peace Corps volunteer for two years with
an outstanding record of
service in the Peace Corps;

(b) have been awarded a baccalaureate degree from a recognized
institution of higher learning;

(c) have a genuine commitment to teaching students in underserved areas; and

(d) be admitted to the participating
public institution of higher education on the same conditions as to
educational qualifications as are applicable to other candidates for
admission to a
master's degree program in education at that institution.

(Source: P.A. 86-1467.)