PRINTER'S NO. 1592
No. 1282 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY STAIRS, BROWNE, CLYMER, CREIGHTON, FLEAGLE,
HERMAN, McILHATTAN, O'NEILL, GRUCELA, SHANER, SURRA, ADOLPH,
BAKER, BEBKO-JONES, BELFANTI, BIANCUCCI, BUNT, CAWLEY,
CIVERA, COSTA, DALEY, DeWEESE, J. EVANS, FAIRCHILD, FRANKEL,
GEIST, GEORGE, HARHAI, HERSHEY, JAMES, KELLER, KOTIK,
LAUGHLIN, LEACH, LEVDANSKY, MELIO, PETRARCA, PISTELLA,
RAYMOND, REED, SAINATO, SATHER, SEMMEL, B. SMITH, SOLOBAY,
R. STEVENSON, TANGRETTI, E. Z. TAYLOR, THOMAS, WALKO,
WASHINGTON, WOJNAROSKI AND YOUNGBLOOD, MAY 5, 2003
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MAY 5, 2003
AN ACT
1 Establishing the Excellent Students Make Excellent Teachers
2 Award to recognize and reward excellence in academic
3 achievement.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Short title.
7 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Excellent
8 Students Make Excellent Teachers Award Act.
9 Section 2. Definitions.
10 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
11 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
12 context clearly indicates otherwise:
13 "Agency." The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance
14 Agency.
15 "Award." The Excellent Students Make Excellent Teachers
1 Award established under this act.
2 "Board." The board of school directors of a school district,
3 a joint board or an area vocational-technical school or the
4 board of trustees of a charter school.
5 "Eligible institution." A State-owned, State-related or
6 private institution of higher education or a community college
7 in this Commonwealth.
8 "School entity." A public school district, joint school,
9 charter school or area vocational-technical school.
10 Section 3. Excellent Students Make Excellent Teachers Award.
11 The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency shall
12 issue the Excellent Students Make Excellent Teachers Award which
13 is hereby established to recognize and reward excellence in
14 academic achievement and performance by selected public
15 secondary school seniors in this Commonwealth in order to
16 encourage such students to enter a teacher education program at
17 an institution of higher education within this Commonwealth. The
18 award shall be used to encourage students to pursue a teaching
19 career in a field determined by the Department of Education as
20 an area where additional teachers are necessary or will be
21 necessary in the future.
22 Section 4. Selection process.
23 (a) General rule.--Each school entity shall annually select
24 for each of its secondary schools a student as the recipient of
25 the award.
26 (b) Criteria and procedures.--Each board shall adopt a
27 policy setting the criteria and procedures to be used in
28 selecting its award recipient which shall, at a minimum, comply
29 with the requirements of section 5. The award shall be made
30 without regard to the student's race, creed, color, sex,
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1 national origin or ancestry.
2 (c) Presentation of award.--The award shall be presented to
3 the recipient at the school entity's annual commencement
4 exercises.
5 Section 5. Minimum qualifications.
6 In addition to any criteria established by a school entity
7 for the award, a candidate for the award must:
8 (1) Be a current 12th-grade student enrolled at a public
9 secondary school, charter school or area vocational-technical
10 school in this Commonwealth.
11 (2) Be a legal resident of this Commonwealth.
12 (3) Hold a 3.5 grade point average or higher on a scale
13 of 4.0 by the end of the student's junior year.
14 (4) Rank academically in the top 5% of the student's
15 graduating class.
16 (5) Have been accepted for admission in the fall term
17 immediately following secondary school graduation as a full-
18 time student in an eligible institution.
19 (6) Have a history of participation in extracurricular
20 activities, community service or work experience while
21 enrolled at the public secondary school.
22 (7) Have a desire to pursue a career as an educator in
23 one of the fields which the Department of Education has
24 specified as an area in immediate or future need of
25 additional teachers.
26 Section 6. Nature of award.
27 (a) Amount.--Each student selected by a school entity to
28 receive the award shall be presented an annual payment of
29 $2,500, not to exceed a maximum of $10,000 over four years, and
30 shall be designated as an Excellent Student-Excellent Teacher
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1 Scholar.
2 (b) Use of award.--The award recipient may attend any
3 eligible institution of the recipient's choice and must apply
4 the award toward the tuition, room, board, books and fees of
5 that institution.
6 Section 7. Renewal of award.
7 (a) Renewal period.--Each award is renewable annually for a
8 period not to exceed an additional three academic years beyond
9 the first year of the award.
10 (b) Qualifications for renewal.--Qualifications for annual
11 renewal of the award shall include the following:
12 (1) Maintaining a minimum grade point average of 3.0 or
13 higher on a scale of 4.0 or its equivalent.
14 (2) Making normal progress toward completion of a
15 teaching degree.
16 (3) Continued eligibility as determined by the agency,
17 including continued legal residency and enrollment in an
18 eligible institution.
19 Section 8. Powers and duties of agency.
20 (a) Public information.--The agency shall prepare and
21 supervise the issuance of public information concerning the
22 provisions of the award.
23 (b) Submission of information.--The agency shall prescribe
24 the form, set time lines and regulate the submission of
25 information from each school entity regarding the selection of
26 its recipient of the award.
27 (c) Award procedures.--The agency shall establish procedures
28 for making the initial award to the recipients and for annual
29 renewal of the awards.
30 (d) Disbursement of funds.--The agency may disburse awards
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1 from funds specifically appropriated for the purposes of this
2 act.
3 (e) Recovery of funds.--If an award recipient violates the
4 requirements for continued receipt of the award and fails to
5 complete a degree program in education within this Commonwealth,
6 the funds allocated to that student shall be converted to a loan
7 administered by the agency, which must be repaid by the award
8 recipient.
9 (f) Rules and regulations.--The agency shall have the power
10 to adopt rules and regulations to implement, administer and
11 enforce this act.
12 Section 8. Miscellaneous provisions.
13 (a) Exclusion from taxable income.--An award received by a
14 student under this act shall not be considered taxable income
15 for purposes of Article III of the act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6,
16 No.2), known as the Tax Reform Code of 1971.
17 (b) Eligible institution unaffected.--An award received by a
18 student under this act shall not be considered financial
19 assistance or appropriations to the eligible institutions.
20 (c) Construction.--Nothing in this act shall be construed as
21 a promise or guarantee by the agency that a person will be
22 admitted to an eligible institution, will be allowed to continue
23 to attend an eligible institution after having been admitted or
24 will be graduated from an eligible institution.
25 Section 9. Effective date.
26 This act shall take effect in 90 days.
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