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2000 SESSION
006231460Patrons-- Marsh, Edwards, Maxwell, Miller, Y.B., Ticer and Whipple; Delegates: Baskerville and Jones, J.C.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That § 22.1-212.2:1 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§ 22.1-212.2:1. Virginia Teaching Scholarship Loan Program established; purpose; Diversity in Teaching Initiative Awards and Fund created; Board of Education to administer Program; eligibility requirements for scholarship and awards; collaboration and consultation with State Council of Higher Education; repayment of scholarship required.
A. With such funds as may be appropriated for this purpose and any gifts,
donations, grants, bequests, and other funds that may be received on its behalf
by the Board of Education, there is hereby established the Virginia Teaching
Scholarship Loan Program, hereinafter referred to as the "Program," to increase the number of
students pursuing careers in teaching, to assist paraprofessionals in the
classroom in becoming in completing undergraduate programs to become fully
licensed teachers, to assist students transferring from accredited public and
private two-year institutions of higher education to approved teacher education
programs at four-year institutions of higher education who have committed to completing
undergraduate programs to become fully licensed teachers, and to increase the
diversity of persons pursuing careers in teaching. The Program shall consist of
three four components: (i) awards to students pursuing teaching degrees in
critical teacher shortage areas disciplines; (ii) awards to students committing
to teach in high-poverty areas in the Commonwealth; (iii) awards to assist
paraprofessionals in becoming completing undergraduate programs to become
fully licensed teachers; and (iii) (iv) awards to at-risk and
disadvantaged students to pursue teaching careers, pursuant to subsection B.
B. There In addition, there is hereby established, within the Virginia Teaching
Scholarship Loan Program, a program component focused solely on increasing
diversity among teachers by providing incentives for at-risk and disadvantaged
students to pursue careers in teaching, which shall be known as the Diversity in
Teaching Program Initiative Awards. The Diversity in Teaching Program
Initiative Awards shall provide scholarships awards to at-risk and
disadvantaged students enrolled in approved undergraduate teacher education
programs and shall be funded with such moneys as may be appropriated for this purpose, and any
gifts, donations, grants, bequests, and other funds as may be received on its
behalf by the Board of Education and deposited in the Diversity in Teaching
Virginia Teaching Scholarship Loan Fund and designated for the
Diversity in Teaching Initiative Awards, pursuant to subsection G. The Board
shall establish a procedure and criteria, in consultation with the Office of
the Attorney General, for awarding the Diversity in Teaching
scholarships Initiative Awards.
C. The Board of Education shall establish, in regulation, criteria for
determining, biennially, high-poverty areas in the Commonwealth and critical
teacher shortage areas for awarding scholarships pursuant to this section, and
for defining disciplines. The Board's criteria for determining high-poverty
areas shall include, but shall not be limited to, "high concentrations" of
at-risk and disadvantaged students, as defined by the Board, and the
concentrations of residents with incomes at or below 150 percent of
the federal poverty level. The criteria shall reflect the research findings
pertaining to the characteristics and effects of socioeconomic
deprivation and the lack of cultural enrichment on learning and the
educational outcomes of at-risk and disadvantaged students. The criteria shall
also include such factors as the needs in teacher endorsement areas and among
the several school divisions of the Commonwealth, teacher shortages at the
elementary and secondary grade levels, underserved teacher shortages in various
geographical regions of the Commonwealth, and teacher shortages among school
divisions with high concentrations of at-risk and disadvantaged students.
The Program shall be administered by the Board of Education, which shall
promulgate such regulations as may be necessary for the implementation of the
Program. The Board shall, before implementing the Program, document in writing
the basis for any preferences for at-risk and disadvantaged students in any
component of the Program, or in the regulations and policies governing such Program,
and , upon making awards, that awards and scholarships have been awarded
conferred in accordance with constitutional principles. The Board
shall consult with the State Council of Higher Education in the development and
implementation of the Program.
D. The Program shall consist of awards and scholarships awarded given annually
to undergraduate students in the junior or senior year of college at an accredited public or private four-year
institution of higher education in the Commonwealth, who (i) are enrolled full time in an approved teacher
education program in a critical teacher shortage area discipline, as may be
determined by the Board of Education biennially; (ii) are enrolled full time or
part time as paraprofessionals, regardless of their academic classification, to
complete undergraduate programs to become fully licensed teachers; (iii) have
committed to teaching in an area with a high concentration of at-risk or
disadvantaged students or in a high-poverty area in the Commonwealth; (iv) have
and maintain a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.7 on a 4.0 scale or
its equivalent; and (iii) (v) are nominated for such scholarship by the
institution where they are enrolled.
At-risk and disadvantaged students enrolled full time in any endorsement area
of an approved teacher education program in elementary or middle school who meet
the program Program requirements may shall be eligible for such award
scholarships and awards.
Paraprofessionals who are enrolled or accepted as part-time or full-time undergraduate students in an accredited four-year institution of higher education in the Commonwealth, regardless of their academic classification, and who meet Program requirements pertaining to paraprofessionals shall be eligible to compete for and receive such scholarships and awards.
E. Before any teaching scholarship or award is awarded conferred in accordance
with the provisions of this section, the scholarship or award recipient shall
sign a promissory note under which he agrees (i) to pursue an approved teacher
education program full time at an accredited public or private four-year institution of
higher education in Virginia until his graduation and (ii) upon graduation, to
begin teaching in the public schools of the Commonwealth in a critical teaching
shortage discipline or, regardless of teaching discipline, in an area with a
high concentration of at-risk or disadvantaged students or in a high-poverty
area in the Commonwealth.
An eligible paraprofessional shall also sign a promissory note under which he agrees (i) to pursue an approved teacher education program until graduation, either part time or full time, and (ii) upon graduation from an approved teacher education program, to begin teaching in the public schools of the Commonwealth in a critical teaching shortage discipline or, regardless of teaching discipline, in an area with a high concentration of at-risk or disadvantaged students or in a high-poverty area in the Commonwealth.
Upon graduation, the scholarship or award recipient shall begin teaching in the
public schools of the Commonwealth in the first full academic year after
graduating from college and becoming eligible for a teaching license, and shall
thereafter teach continuously in Virginia for the same number of years that he
was the beneficiary of such scholarship or award. Such scholarship or award
recipient may fulfill the teaching obligation by accepting a teaching position in one of the
critical teacher shortage areas disciplines as determined by the Board of
Education, or, regardless of teaching discipline, in a school division with
high concentrations of at-risk or disadvantaged students or in a high-poverty
area of the Commonwealth, or at grade levels or in a geographical region of the
state where teachers who have been at-risk or disadvantaged students are
under-represented. The Board of Education may recover the total amount of funds
awarded conferred as a scholarship or award, or the appropriate proportion
thereof, including any accrued interest, if the scholarship or award recipient
fails to honor the teaching obligation.
F. To ensure a more diverse representation among classroom teachers,
particularly especially at the elementary and middle grade level levels,
the Program shall consist of no more than five pilot projects, geographically
distributed across the Commonwealth, and shall be designed to attract and
encourage elementary and secondary school students, particularly at-risk,
disadvantaged, and male students, to pursue an approved teacher education
program a career in teaching. The Program pilot projects shall be developed in
accordance with the provisions of the appropriation act governing the
administration of the Better Information Project and the Pre-Collegiate Program
under the Virginia Plan for Equal Educational Opportunity in Higher Education.
The Program pilot projects may include outreach activities such as
student-teacher mentorship programs, linkages between public schools and
institutions of higher education, and other programs and activities designed to
generate interest in the teaching profession. The Board may provide for shall
require the evaluation of each pilot programs program before
statewide implementation implementing this component of the Program statewide.
G. There is hereby created in the Department of the Treasury a special
nonreverting fund known as the Diversity in Teaching Virginia Teaching
Scholarship Loan Fund, hereinafter referred to as the "Fund." The Fund shall be
established on the books of the Comptroller, and any moneys remaining in the Fund at
the end of the biennium shall not revert to the general fund but shall remain
in the Fund. The Fund shall consist of such moneys as may be appropriated for
the Diversity in Teaching Virginia Teaching Scholarship Loan Program and such
gifts, donations, grants, bequests, and other funds as may be received on its behalf by the Board of
Education. The Fund shall be used solely to fund the Diversity in Teaching
Virginia Teaching Scholarship Loan Program for the purpose of
increasing diversity in teaching by providing incentives for at-risk students to pursue
careers as teachers. Interest earned on such moneys shall remain in the Fund
and be credited to it. Moneys in the Fund shall be used solely to award confer
scholarships and awards pursuant to the Diversity in Teaching Virginia
Teaching Scholarship Loan Program as provided in this section.
Disbursements from the Fund for such scholarships and awards shall be made by
the State Treasurer on warrants issued by the Comptroller upon written request of the
President of the Board of Education. The State Treasurer shall ensure that any
moneys appropriated or provided to the Fund through gifts, donations, grants, and
bequests designated for the Diversity in Teaching Initiative Awards shall be
accounted for separately and distributed only for awards conferred pursuant to
the Diversity in Teaching Initiative Awards.
H. For the purposes of this section, "at-risk and disadvantaged students" means
students having socioeconomic or cultural risk factors which that research
indicates may negatively influence educational success.
2. That funds appropriated to support the Virginia Teaching Scholarship Loan Program pursuant to Item 137 B of House Bill 30 (2000) and Item 133 B of Senate Bill 29 (2000) shall be deemed to include funding for the Diversity in Teaching Initiative Awards and Fund.
3. That the Board of Education shall, regardless of the amount of funding or whether any appropriation is increased, promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of this act to be effective within 280 days of its enactment.