Bill Text: TX SB657 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the establishment of the Texas Teacher Recruitment Scholarship Program and the Texas Teacher Retention Incentive Program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-02-17 - Referred to Education [SB657 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-SB657-Introduced.html
| By: Menéndez | S.B. No. 657 | |
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| relating to the establishment of the Texas Teacher Recruitment | ||
| Scholarship Program and the Texas Teacher Retention Incentive | ||
| Program. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding | ||
| Subchapter QQ to read as follows: | ||
| SUBCHAPTER QQ. TEXAS TEACHER RECRUITMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM | ||
| Sec. 61.9970. SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM; SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT. | ||
| (a) The board shall establish and administer, in accordance with | ||
| this subchapter and board rules, the Texas Teacher Recruitment | ||
| Scholarship Program under which the board provides an annual | ||
| conditional scholarship to a student who meets the eligibility | ||
| criteria prescribed by Section 61.9972 and is nominated to received | ||
| a scholarship. | ||
| (b) The amount of a scholarship under this subchapter is the | ||
| lesser of: | ||
| (1) $40,000 to be disbursed at a rate of $10,000 per | ||
| academic year for four academic years; or | ||
| (2) the amount equivalent to tuition and fees for an | ||
| academic year for four academic years. | ||
| (c) If a student nominated to receive a scholarship under | ||
| this subchapter is awarded a baccalaureate degree prior to | ||
| receiving the scholarship in its entirety, any remaining | ||
| scholarship shall be used to repay any outstanding student loans. | ||
| Sec. 61.9971. REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED. The board | ||
| shall provide in accordance with this subchapter and board rules, | ||
| assistance in the repayment of student loans for certified teachers | ||
| who are entitled to assistance under Section 61.9970 (c). | ||
| Sec. 61.9972. ELIGIBILITY; NOMINATION AND SELECTION. (a) | ||
| To receive an initial scholarship under this subchapter, a student | ||
| must: | ||
| (1) be enrolled in a public or private institution of | ||
| higher education in this state; | ||
| (2) enroll in a university sponsored teacher | ||
| preparation program; | ||
| (3) be nominated to receive a scholarship by the | ||
| university in which the student is enrolled; and | ||
| (4) enter into an agreement with the board under | ||
| Section 61.9973. | ||
| (b) In each year, the number of new students awarded a | ||
| scholarship shall not exceed 2 percent of the current teacher | ||
| workforce as reported by the Texas Education Agency. | ||
| (c) For a student to continue to receive a scholarship | ||
| awarded under this subchapter, the student must maintain | ||
| satisfactory academic progress as determined by the institution in | ||
| which the student is enrolled. | ||
| Sec. 61.9973. AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS. (a) To receive a | ||
| scholarship under this subchapter, a student must enter into an | ||
| agreement with the board as provided by this section. The agreement | ||
| must require the student to: | ||
| (1) complete a university sponsored teacher | ||
| preparation program; | ||
| (2) satisfactorily complete the requirements | ||
| necessary to obtain a teacher certification; | ||
| (3) graduate not later than five years after the date | ||
| the student first enrolls in a public or private institution of | ||
| higher education in this state; | ||
| (4) after graduation, enter into a contract with a | ||
| school district or open-enrollment charter school to serve as a | ||
| teacher for four years; and | ||
| (5) agree to repay the scholarship if the student: | ||
| (A) fails to maintain satisfactory academic | ||
| progress; | ||
| (B) withdraws from the scholarship program; or | ||
| (C) fails to fulfill a commitment described by | ||
| Subdivision (4). | ||
| (b) The board shall adopt rules to exempt a student from the | ||
| repayment of a scholarship under an agreement entered into under | ||
| this section if the student is unable to meet the obligations of the | ||
| agreement as a result of extraordinary circumstances. | ||
| Sec. 61.9974. RULES. (a) The board shall adopt rules as | ||
| necessary for the administration of this subchapter, including | ||
| rules regarding the eligibility criteria and the selection of | ||
| scholarship recipients. | ||
| Sec. 61.9975. LIMITATION ON SCHOLARSHIP. A person may not | ||
| receive a scholarship under this subchapter after earning a | ||
| cumulative total of 150 credit hours or after being awarded a | ||
| baccalaureate degree, whichever occurs first. | ||
| Sec. 61.9976. FUNDING. The board shall administer this | ||
| subchapter using available appropriations and gifts, grants, and | ||
| donations made for the purposes of this subchapter. | ||
| SECTION 2. Chapter 21, Education Code, is amended by adding | ||
| Subchapter R to read as follows: | ||
| SUBCHAPTER R. TEXAS TEACHER RETENTION INCENTIVE PROGRAM | ||
| Sec. 21.901. INITIAL ELIGIBILITY. A person is eligible for | ||
| this program if they are currently: | ||
| (1) a certified teacher employed by a school district | ||
| or open-enrollment charter school; and | ||
| (2) not eligible for designation under Section 48.112. | ||
| Sec. 21.902. CONTINUING ELIGIBILITY. After initially | ||
| qualifying for the incentive program under Section 21.901, a person | ||
| may continue to receive the award in subsequent years if: | ||
| (1) the individual is employed by the same school | ||
| district or open-enrollment charter school in which they were | ||
| nominated initially to receive the incentive; | ||
| (2) the individual continues to hold a teacher | ||
| certification in good standing with the Texas Education Agency; and | ||
| (3) the individual is not eligible for designation | ||
| under Section 48.112. | ||
| Sec. 21.903. AWARD. An eligible person is entitled to | ||
| receive an annual retention incentive of $10,000 for a period of | ||
| four years. | ||
| Sec. 21.904. NOMINATION. (a) A school district or | ||
| open-enrollment charter school shall determine which individuals | ||
| are eligible for nomination. | ||
| (b) an individual may not be nominated if: | ||
| (1) the have already been nominated at their current | ||
| or prior school district or open-enrollment charter school and the | ||
| current school district or open-enrollment charter school has | ||
| eligible individuals, under Section 21.901, who have not been | ||
| nominated; or | ||
| (2) they have received a scholarship under Chapter 61, | ||
| Subchapter QQ, and their current school district or open-enrollment | ||
| charter school has eligible individuals, under Section 21.901, who | ||
| have not been nominated. | ||
| (c) A school district or open-enrollment charter school | ||
| must nominate annually a number of teachers to receive the award | ||
| equal to 8 percent of the teacher workforce as reported by the Texas | ||
| Education Agency. | ||
| Sec. 21.905. AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS. (a) To receive an | ||
| incentive under this subchapter, a teacher must enter into an | ||
| agreement with the agency as provided by this section. The | ||
| agreement must require the teacher to: | ||
| (1) be continuously employed by the same school | ||
| district or open-enrollment charter school for four years; | ||
| (2) hold a teacher certification in good standing with | ||
| the Texas Education Agency; and | ||
| (3) not receive a designation under Section 48.112; | ||
| (4) agree to repay the incentive if the teacher: | ||
| (A) withdraws from the scholarship program; or | ||
| (B) fails to fulfill a commitment described by | ||
| Subdivisions (1) and (2). | ||
| (b) The agency shall adopt rules to exempt a teacher from | ||
| the repayment of an incentive under an agreement entered into under | ||
| this section if the teacher is unable to meet the obligations of the | ||
| agreement as a result of extraordinary circumstances. | ||
| Sec. 21.906. FUNDING. The agency shall administer this | ||
| subchapter using available appropriations and gifts, grants, and | ||
| donations made for the purposes of this subchapter. | ||
| SECTION 3. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board | ||
| shall award scholarships under Subchapter QQ, Chapter 61, Education | ||
| Code, as added by this Act, beginning with the 2023-2024 academic | ||
| year. The coordinating board shall adopt the rules required by that | ||
| subchapter as soon as practicable after this Act takes effect. | ||
| SECTION 4. The Texas Education Agency shall award | ||
| incentives under Subchapter R, Chapter 21, Education Code, as added | ||
| by this Act, beginning with the 2023-2024 academic year. The agency | ||
| shall adopt the rules required by that subchapter as soon as | ||
| practicable after this Act takes effect. | ||
| SECTION 5. This Act does not make an appropriation. A | ||
| provision in this Act that creates a new governmental program, | ||
| creates a new entitlement, or imposes a new duty on a governmental | ||
| entity is not mandatory during a fiscal period for which the | ||
| legislature has not made a specific appropriation to implement the | ||
| provision. | ||
| SECTION 6. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2023. | ||
