164.771 Teacher Recruitment Student Loan Forgiveness Pilot Program --
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/ky/164-771A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Procedures -- Repayment obligations -- Reporting requirements -- Fund.
(1)The General Assembly hereby establishes the Teacher Recruitment Student Loan
Forgiveness Pilot Program to encourage and assist individuals in becoming certified
teachers in Kentucky public schools.
(2)As used in this section:
(a)"Authority" means the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority;
(b)"Eligible program of study" means an undergraduate or graduate program of
study which is preparatory to teacher certification, as determined by the
authority;
(c)"Eligible student" means a student who:
1. Is a citizen or permanent resident of the United States;
2. Is a Kentucky resident, as determined by the participating institution in
accordance with criteria established by the Council on Postsecondary
Education for the purposes of admission and tuition assessment;
3. Is enrolled at a participating institution; and
4. Meets any other criteria established in administrative regulation
promulgated by the authority;
(d)"Participating institution" means an institution of higher education located in
Kentucky that offers an eligible program of study and has an agreement in
force with the authority providing for administration of the pilot program
established by this section;
(e)"Qualified teaching service" means teaching in a classroom the majority of
each school day for at least eighty
(80)days each semester in a public school
of the Commonwealth while satisfying a one
(1)year contract, except that an
individual having a disability defined by Title II of the Americans with
Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. sec. 12131 et seq., or serious and extended illness,
whose disability or illness, certified by a licensed physician, prevents that
individual from teaching a major portion of each school day, shall be deemed
to perform qualified teaching service by teaching the maximum time
permitted by the attending physician;
(f)"Semester" means a period of about eighteen
(18)weeks, which usually
makes up one-half (1/2) of a school year or one-half (1/2) of a participating
institution's academic year; and
(g)"Summer term" means an academic period consisting of one
(1)or more
sessions of instruction between a spring and a fall semester.
(3)The authority may, to the extent of appropriations and other funds available to it
pursuant to subsection
(9)of this section, provide teacher recruitment awards to
eligible students pursuant to subsection
(4)of this section, who initially demonstrate
financial need in accordance with standards and criteria established by the
authority. Each teacher recruitment award shall be evidenced by a promissory note
that requires repayment or cancellation pursuant to subsection
(6)of this section.
(4)Teacher recruitment awards shall first be provided to eligible students accepted into
an eligible program of study and then to eligible students who have declared a
major that is an eligible program of study in pursuit of initial teacher certification.
(5)To the extent funds are available, the authority shall provide to eligible students:
(a)Accepted into an eligible program of study, a maximum award of up to five
thousand dollars ($5,000) per semester or summer term; or
(b)Having declared a major that is an eligible program of study, a maximum
award of up to two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) per semester or
summer term.
(a)The authority shall disburse teacher recruitment awards to eligible students
who agree to render qualified teaching service as certified teachers, are
unconditionally admitted and enrolled in a participating institution, and have
declared a major that is an eligible program of study.
(b)A teacher recruitment award shall not be provided, or a promissory note
cancellation shall not be granted, to any person who is in default on any
obligation to the authority under any program administered by the authority
pursuant to KRS 164.740 to 164.7891 until financial obligations to the
authority are satisfied, except that ineligibility for this reason may be waived
by the authority for cause.
(c)Recipients shall render one
(1)year of qualified teaching service for each
semester of award received. The authority shall cancel a promissory note upon
completion of each year of qualified teacher service beginning with the oldest
promissory note.
(d)If the recipient of a teacher recruitment award fails to complete an eligible
program of study at a participating institution or fails to render qualified
teaching service in any semester following certification or recertification,
unless the failure is temporarily waived for cause by the authority, the
recipient shall immediately become liable to the authority for repayment of
the sum of all outstanding promissory notes and accrued interest. Persons
liable for repayment of awards under this paragraph shall be liable for interest
accruing from the dates on which the teacher recruitment awards were
disbursed.
(e)The authority shall establish, by administrative regulation, the terms and
conditions for the award and cancellation and repayment of teacher
recruitment awards, including but not limited to the selection criteria,
eligibility for renewal awards, amount of award payments, deferments, the
rate of repayment, and the interest rate thereon.
(f)Notwithstanding any other statute to the contrary, the maximum interest rate
applicable to repayment of a promissory note under this section shall be eight
percent (8%) per annum, except that if a judgment is rendered to recover
payment, the judgment shall bear interest at the rate of five percent (5%)
greater than the rate actually charged on the promissory note.
(7)A repayment obligation imposed by this section shall not be voidable by reason of
the age of the recipient at the time of receiving the teacher recruitment award.
(8)Failure to meet repayment obligations imposed by this section shall be cause for the
revocation of a person's teaching certificate, subject to the procedures set forth in
KRS 161.120.
(9)All moneys repaid to the authority under this section shall be deposited into the
Teacher Recruitment Student Loan Forgiveness Pilot Program fund created in
subsection
(13)of this section.
(10)The authority may execute appropriate contracts and promissory notes for
administering this section.
(a)Notwithstanding any other statute to the contrary, if available funds are
insufficient for all requested awards for eligible applicants during any fiscal
year, the authority shall give priority consideration to eligible applicants who
previously received teacher recruitment awards.
(b)If funds are insufficient to make all requested renewal awards to eligible
applicants, the authority shall reduce all awards to the extent necessary to
provide awards to all qualified renewal applicants.
(c)If, after awarding all eligible renewal applicants, funds are not depleted, initial
applications shall be ranked according to regulatory selection criteria, and
awards shall be made to eligible applicants until funds are depleted.
(12)The authority shall submit a report on the number of teacher awards provided in
each fiscal year, the program of study in which recipients are enrolled, recipient
retention rates, total number of applications, and award recruitment strategies to the