HB 1213 2003
1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to student financial assistance; amending
3	s. 1009.57, F.S.; requiring the Florida Teacher
4	Scholarship and Forgivable Loan Program to provide
5	scholarship assistance to education paraprofessionals and
6	substitute teachers seeking certification to teach in
7	critical teacher shortage areas; establishing a
8	scholarship loan program to provide scholarship loans to
9	students who teach in poor or underperforming areas in the
10	state; providing eligibility requirements; providing for
11	loan forgiveness; amending s. 1009.58, F.S.; expanding the
12	critical teacher shortage tuition reimbursement program;
13	authorizing tuition reimbursement for courses needed for
14	recertification; authorizing certain tuition-free courses
15	on a space-available basis; amending s. 1009.59, F.S.;
16	specifying that the Critical Teacher Shortage Student Loan
17	Forgiveness Program applies to personnel seeking
18	employment in certain high priority location areas;
19	increasing the amount of loan principal repayments;
20	amending s. 1003.52, F.S.; conforming language; providing
21	an appropriation; providing an effective date.
22
23	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
24
25	Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 1009.57, Florida
26	Statutes, is amended, and subsection (4) is added to said
27	section, to read:
28	1009.57 Florida Teacher Scholarship and Forgivable Loan
29	Program.--
30	(1) There is created the Florida Teacher Scholarship and
31	Forgivable Loan Program to be administered by the Department of
32	Education. The program shall provide scholarship assistance to
33	eligible students for lower-division undergraduate study and
34	loan assistance to eligible students for upper-division
35	undergraduate and graduate study. The program shall also provide
36	scholarship assistance for lower-division or upper-division
37	undergraduate study to education paraprofessionals and
38	substitute teachers to attain certification to teach in a
39	subject area or a high priority location area pursuant to s.
40	1009.59.The primary purpose of the program is to attract
41	capable and promising students to the teaching profession,
42	attract teachers to areas of projected or current critical
43	teacher shortage, attract liberal arts and science graduates to
44	teaching, and provide opportunity for persons making midcareer
45	decisions to enter the teaching profession. The State Board of
46	Education shall adopt rules necessary to administer the program
47	and shall annually identify critical teacher shortage areas.
48	(4) Within the Florida Teacher Scholarship and Forgivable
49	Loan Program is established a scholarship loan program to
50	provide 4-year scholarship loans of up to $5,000 per year to
51	Florida high school seniors interested in preparing to teach in
52	the public schools of the state. The scholarship loan program
53	shall be administered by the Department of Education.
54	(a) To be eligible for a scholarship loan, a student must:
55	1. Have maintained a minimum cumulative grade point
56	average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent in high school
57	and have scored at least 1100 on the SAT or 27 on the ACT.
58	2. Have declared the intent to teach for at least 3 years
59	in a public school in a poor or underperforming area identified
60	by the department. For purposes of this subsection, the
61	department shall annually identify poor or underperforming areas
62	in the state.
63	3. Meet the general requirements for student eligibility
64	as provided in s. 1009.40, except as otherwise provided in this
65	subsection.
66	(b) A scholarship loan may be used for attendance at a
67	state university, a community college, or an independent
68	institution as defined in s. 1009.89. The scholarship loan shall
69	be used for tuition and fees and may be used to purchase books
70	and housing.
71	(c) A scholarship loan may be renewed annually if the
72	student meets the eligibility criteria established by the
73	department.
74	(d) All scholarship loans shall be evidenced by notes made
75	payable to the Department of Education that shall bear interest
76	at the rate of 8 percent annually beginning after termination of
77	the scholarship loan. The scholarship loan may be terminated by
78	the recipient withdrawing from school or by the recipient not
79	meeting the standards set by the department.
80	(e) The Department of Education shall forgive the loan if,
81	within 7 years after graduation, the recipient teaches for 3
82	consecutive years in a public school in a poor or
83	underperforming area. The department shall also forgive the loan
84	if it finds that it is impossible for the recipient to meet the
85	teaching requirements due to death or permanent disability of
86	the recipient.
87	(f) Funds appropriated by the Legislature for the
88	scholarship loan program shall be deposited in the State Student
89	Financial Assistance Trust Fund to be used for scholarship
90	loans.
91	Section 2. Section 1009.58, Florida Statutes, is amended
92	to read:
93	1009.58 Critical teacher shortage tuition assistance and
94	reimbursement program.--
95	(1) A critical teacher shortage tuition assistance and
96	reimbursement program shall be established for the purpose of
97	improving the skills and knowledge of current teachers or
98	persons preparing to teach in critical teacher shortage areas.
99	(2) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules to
100	implement the critical teacher shortage tuition assistance and
101	reimbursement program. Any full-time public school employee or
102	developmental research school employee certified to teach in
103	this state is eligible for the program. For the purposes of this
104	program, tuition reimbursement shall be limited to courses in
105	critical teacher shortage areas as determined by the State Board
106	of Education. Such courses shall be:
107	(a) Graduate-level courses leading to a master's,
108	specialist, or doctoral degree;
109	(b) Graduate-level courses leading to a new certification
110	area; or
111	(c) State-approved undergraduate courses leading to an
112	advanced degree or new certification area; or.
113	(d) Graduate-level courses or state-approved undergraduate
114	courses leading to recertification.
115	(3) Participants may receive tuition reimbursement
116	payments for up to 9 semester hours, or the equivalent in
117	quarter hours, per year, at a rate not to exceed $78 per
118	semester hour, up to a total of 36 semester hours. All tuition
119	reimbursements shall be contingent on passing an approved course
120	with a minimum grade of 3.0 or its equivalent.
121	(4) Participants may enroll in tuition-free courses on a
122	space-available basis at state universities when such courses
123	lead to certification in a new critical teacher shortage subject
124	area or to recertification by a teacher employed in a critical
125	teacher shortage area.
126	(5)(4)This section shall be implemented only to the
127	extent specifically funded and authorized by law.
128	Section 3. Subsections (1) and (2) of section 1009.59,
129	Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
130	1009.59 Critical Teacher Shortage Student Loan Forgiveness
131	Program.--
132	(1) The Critical Teacher Shortage Student Loan Forgiveness
133	Program is established to encourage qualified personnel to seek
134	employment in subject areas in which critical teacher shortages
135	exist and in high priority location areas in which at least 50
136	percent of the students receive free or reduced-price school
137	lunches, as identified annually by the State Board of Education.
138	The primary function of the program is to make repayments toward
139	loans received by students from federal programs or commercial
140	lending institutions for the support of postsecondary education
141	study. Repayments are intended to be made to qualified
142	applicants who begin teaching for the first time in designated
143	subject areas, and who apply during their first year of teaching
144	as certified teachers in these subject areas, and to qualified
145	applicants who begin teaching for the first time in a high
146	priority location area in which at least 50 percent of the
147	students receive free or reduced-price school lunches.
148	(2) From the funds available, the Department of Education
149	may make loan principal repayments as follows:
150	(a) Up to $5,000$2,500a year for up to 4 years on behalf
151	of selected graduates of state-approved undergraduate
152	postsecondary teacher preparation programs, persons certified to
153	teach pursuant to any applicable teacher certification
154	requirements, or selected teacher preparation graduates from any
155	state participating in the Interstate Agreement on the
156	Qualification of Educational Personnel.
157	(b) Up to $7,500$5,000a year for up to 2 years on behalf
158	of selected graduates of state-approved graduate postsecondary
159	teacher preparation programs, persons with graduate degrees
160	certified to teach pursuant to any applicable teacher
161	certification requirements, or selected teacher preparation
162	graduates from any state participating in the Interstate
163	Agreement on the Qualification of Educational Personnel.
164	(c) All repayments shall be contingent on continued proof
165	of employment in the designated subject areas or high priority
166	location areasin this state and shall be made directly to the
167	holder of the loan. The state shall not bear responsibility for
168	the collection of any interest charges or other remaining
169	balance. In the event that designated critical teacher shortage
170	subject areas or high priority location areasare changed by the
171	State Board of Education, a teacher shall continue to be
172	eligible for loan forgiveness as long as he or she continues to
173	teach in the subject area or high priority location areafor
174	which the original loan repayment was made and otherwise meets
175	all conditions of eligibility.
176	Section 4. Subsection (10) of section 1003.52, Florida
177	Statutes, is amended to read:
178	1003.52 Educational services in Department of Juvenile
179	Justice programs.--
180	(10) The district school board shall recruit and train
181	teachers who are interested, qualified, or experienced in
182	educating students in juvenile justice programs. Students in
183	juvenile justice programs shall be provided a wide range of
184	educational programs and opportunities including textbooks,
185	technology, instructional support, and other resources available
186	to students in public schools. Teachers assigned to educational
187	programs in juvenile justice settings in which the district
188	school board operates the educational program shall be selected
189	by the district school board in consultation with the director
190	of the juvenile justice facility. Educational programs in
191	juvenile justice facilities shall have access to the substitute
192	teacher pool utilized by the district school board. Full-time
193	teachers working in juvenile justice schools, whether employed
194	by a district school board or a provider, shall be eligible for
195	the critical teacher shortage tuition assistance and
196	reimbursement program as defined by s. 1009.58.
197	Section 5. There is hereby appropriated from the General
198	Revenue Fund to the Department of Education the sum of $12
199	million to be divided evenly among the Florida Teacher
200	Scholarship and Forgivable Loan Program, the critical teacher
201	shortage tuition assistance and reimbursement program, and the
202	Critical Teacher Shortage Student Loan Forgiveness Program for
203	the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act.
204	Section 6. This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.