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2002 SESSION

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SB 172 Teaching Scholarship Loan Program; state and local awards.

Introduced by: Charles J. Colgan | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE: (all summaries)

Virginia Teaching Scholarship Loan Program; combination state and local awards. Adds a sixth component to the Virginia Teaching Scholarship Loan Program relating to combination state and local awards. The new set of awards is established to assist local school boards in resolving teacher shortages and will consist of one-third state funds, one-third local government funds, and one-third local private funds that have been specifically designated as accruing for a named local school division as funding for combination state and local awards. To the extent funds are adequate, the combination state and local awards will cover the costs of the student's tuition and fees for no more than four years at a Virginia institution of higher education that has an approved teacher education program in a discipline identified by the relevant local school board as a teacher shortage discipline in its schools. Local government and local private funds will be deposited into the Virginia Teaching Scholarship Loan Fund and earmarked for the relevant school division. However, upon graduation, the scholarship recipient must begin teaching in the public schools of the school division of the locality contributing the one-third local funds in the first full academic year after graduating from college and becoming eligible for a teaching license, and must teach continuously in such school division for at least a three-year period. The three-year teaching commitment will be required regardless of the number of state and local combination awards received by the scholarship recipient. Further, upon failure to teach in the relevant school division for three years, the scholarship recipient must repay the total scholarship funds. Any repaid funds will be deposited into the Virginia Teaching Scholarship Loan Fund to be used for combination state and local awards. The new provision must not be construed to guarantee any initial or continuing scholarship award to any student or applicant or to ensure eligibility of any student for an award because there is a teacher shortage in the student's teacher education discipline. Further, awards will only be made to the extent funds are available and for students agreeing to teach in the designated local school division. Local school boards and local governing bodies will be responsible for soliciting and obtaining local private funds. Although other scholarship loan recipients are chosen by the institution of higher education in which they are enrolled, the relevant local governments of the jurisdictions providing the one-third local government funding will nominate the recipients for the combination state and local awards designated as accruing for named local school divisions. All recipients of combination state and local awards for teaching scholarship loans will be subject to all other requirements of law, including the contract provisions. The provisions of this act will not become effective unless an appropriation effectuating its purposes is included in the 2002 Appropriation Act passed during the 2002 Session of the General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor.


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