WEST virginia legislature
2019 FIRST EXTRAORDINARY session
Introduced
House Bill 197
By Delegate C. Thompson
[Introduced June 17,
2019; Referred
to the Select Committee on Education Reform D]
A BILL to amend and reenact §18C-4A-1, §18C-4A-2, and §18C-4A-3 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, all relating to the Teacher Education Loan Repayment Program; reforming the Underwood-Smith Teacher Loan Assistance Program into a new program; requiring that applicants be currently employed within the state school system; specifying the school years to which the amendments will apply; and establishing a minimum annual level of award.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
ARTICLE 4A. UNDERWOOD-SMITH
TEACHER LOAN ASSISTANCE TEACHER EDUCATION LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM.
§18C-4A-1. Selection criteria and procedures for loan assistance; effective date.
(a) The Governor shall
designate the Higher Education Student Financial Aid Advisory Board created
by §18C-1-5 of this code to shall select recipients to receive Underwood-Smith Teacher
Loan Assistance Teacher Education
Loan Repayment Program awards. The advisory board shall make decisions
regarding loan repayment awards pursuant to §18C-4-1 of this code and rules of
the commission.
(b) To be eligible for a
loan repayment award, a teacher shall agree to teach shall agree to
teach, or an applicant shall currently be teaching a subject area
of critical need or employed in a public school in this state as a
teacher in a school or geographic area of the state identified as an area
of critical need for such field. at the preschool elementary, middle
or secondary levels. The advisory board shall make decisions regarding loan
assistance pursuant to section one, article four of this chapter
(c) In accordance with the rule promulgated pursuant to §18C-4-1 of this code, the Vice Chancellor for Administration shall develop additional eligibility criteria and procedures for the administration of the loan repayment program.
(d) The Vice Chancellor for Administration shall make available program application forms to public and private schools in the state via the website of the commission and the State Department of Education and in other locations convenient to potential applicants.
(e) The amendments to this article during the 2019 First Extraordinary Session of the Legislature shall be effective for school years beginning on or after July 1, 2020, and the provisions of this article existing immediately prior to the 2019 First Extraordinary Session of the Legislature remain in effect for school years beginning prior to July 1, 2020.
§18C-4A-2. Teacher
Education Loan assistance Repayment agreement.
(a) Before receiving an
a loan repayment award, each eligible teacher applicant
shall enter into an agreement with the Vice Chancellor for Administration and
shall meet the following criteria:
(1) Provide the commission
with evidence of compliance with subsection (b), section four, article four
of this chapter §18C-4-4 of this code;
(2) Teach in a subject
area of critical need or Agree to be employed full time under contract
with a county board of education for a period of two school years as a teacher
in a school or geographic area of critical need full time under contract
with a county board for a period of two school years for such field
for each year for which a loan repayment assistance award
is received pursuant to this article. The Vice Chancellor for Administration
may grant a partial award to an eligible recipient whose contract term is for
less than a full school year pursuant to criteria established by commission
rule;
(3) Acknowledge that an award is to be paid to the recipient's student loan institution, not directly to the recipient, and only after the commission determines that the recipient has complied with all terms of the agreement; and
(4) Repay Agree
to repay all or part of an award received pursuant to this article if the
award is not paid to the student loan institution or if the recipient does not
comply with the other terms of the agreement.
(b) Each loan repayment agreement shall disclose fully the terms and conditions under which an award may be granted pursuant to this article and under which repayment may be required. The agreement also is subject to and shall include the terms and conditions established by §18C-4-5 of this code.
§18C-4A-3. Amount and
duration of loan assistance repayment awards; limits.
(a) Each award recipient is
eligible to receive loan assistance of up to in an amount determined
annually by the commission based upon available funds, but not less than
$3,000 annually in an amount determined annually by the commission based
upon available funds, and subject to limits set forth in subsection (b) of
this section, if the recipient:
(1) If the recipient has
taught Has been employed for a full school year under contract with
a county board of education in a subject area of critical need or
as a teacher in a school or geographic area of critical need; and
(2) If the recipient
otherwise Otherwise has complied with the terms of the agreement and
with applicable provisions of this article and §18C-4-1 et seq.
of this code, and any rules promulgated pursuant thereto.
(b) The recipient is
eligible for renewal of a loan repayment assistance award
only during periods when the recipient complies with other criteria and
conditions established by rule, and is under contract with a county board to
teach in a subject area of critical need or of education as a teacher
in a school or geographic area of critical need in such field. and
complies with other criteria and conditions established by rule, except
that a teacher who is teaching under a contract in a position that no longer
meets the definition of critical need under rules established in accordance
with section one, article four of this chapter is eligible for renewal of loan
assistance until the teacher leaves his or her current position.
(c) A recipient may not
receive loan assistance pursuant to this article which accumulates in excess of
$15,000
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to establish the Teacher Education Loan Repayment Program to provide financial relief for teachers.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.