PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 125 PRINTER'S NO. 2217
No. 63 Session of 2005
INTRODUCED BY ROEBUCK, CURRY, GRUCELA, KIRKLAND, STURLA, BEBKO-
JONES, BIANCUCCI, BISHOP, BLACKWELL, CALTAGIRONE, DALEY,
DONATUCCI, FABRIZIO, FRANKEL, FREEMAN, GEIST, GOODMAN,
HARPER, JAMES, KOTIK, LEACH, LEDERER, MANDERINO, MANN,
McGEEHAN, MELIO, PISTELLA, PRESTON, READSHAW, B. SMITH,
STETLER, TIGUE, WANSACZ, WASHINGTON, WHEATLEY, WOJNAROSKI,
DeLUCA, YOUNGBLOOD, THOMAS, JOSEPHS, BROWNE AND GERGELY,
JANUARY 31, 2005
AS AMENDED ON THIRD CONSIDERATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
JUNE 14, 2005
AN ACT
1 Providing for Commonwealth support for an Urban Teacher AND <--
2 EMPOWERMENT DISTRICT EDUCATOR Loan Forgiveness Program for
3 Pennsylvania residents who graduate from institutions of
4 higher education and who apply their degrees to teaching in
5 urban public schools in this Commonwealth.
6 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
7 hereby enacts as follows:
8 Section 1. Short title.
9 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Urban Teacher
10 AND EMPOWERMENT DISTRICT EDUCATOR Loan Forgiveness Act. <--
11 Section 2. Findings and declaration of intent.
12 The General Assembly finds and declares that:
13 (1) The number of college students planning to enter the
14 teaching profession appears to be inadequate to meet the need
15 for teachers in our public schools.
16 (2) Demand from industry and other opportunities attract
1 existing and potential teachers away from the profession.
2 (3) The pool of qualified teachers, especially those in
3 math and science, has diminished.
4 (4) Economically hard-pressed urban school districts AND <--
5 EMPOWERMENT DISTRICTS find it difficult to attract qualified
6 teachers from the diminished pool.
7 (5) Payment of a portion of student loans for certified
8 teachers serves the important public purpose of encouraging
9 new teachers to teach in economically hard-pressed areas AND <--
10 ACADEMICALLY DISTRESSED SCHOOL DISTRICTS of this
11 Commonwealth.
12 Section 3. Definitions.
13 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
14 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
15 context clearly indicates otherwise:
16 "Agency." The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance
17 Agency.
18 "DEPARTMENT." THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OF THE <--
19 COMMONWEALTH.
20 "Designated Commonwealth urban public school district." An
21 eligible urban public school district which the Secretary of
22 Education has certified as having a need for teacher loan
23 forgiveness assistance because of difficulty in attracting
24 qualified teachers.
25 "EDUCATION EMPOWERMENT LIST." A LIST PREPARED ANNUALLY BY <--
26 THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CONTAINING SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT
27 FALL BELOW CERTAIN ACADEMIC ASSESSMENTS AS PROVIDED IN SECTION
28 1703-B OF THE ACT OF MARCH 10, 1949 (P.L.30, NO.14), KNOWN AS
29 THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CODE OF 1949.
30 "Eligible urban public school district." A public school
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1 district that has a population greater than 850 per square mile.
2 "EMPOWERMENT DISTRICT." A SCHOOL DISTRICT CERTIFIED BY THE <--
3 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AS AN EMPOWERMENT DISTRICT UNDER ARTICLE
4 XVII-B OF THE ACT OF MARCH 10, 1949 (P.L.30, NO.14), KNOWN AS
5 THE PUBLIC SCHOOL CODE OF 1949.
6 "PROGRAM." THE LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM FOR EMPOWERMENT
7 DISTRICT EDUCATORS.
8 "QUALIFIED EMPOWERMENT DISTRICT EDUCATOR APPLICANT." A
9 PERSON WHO, IN THAT PERSON'S FIRST YEAR OF FULL-TIME TEACHING
10 AND IN EACH SUBSEQUENT YEAR, MEETS ALL OF THE FOLLOWING
11 CRITERIA:
12 (1) HAS GRADUATED FROM AN UNDERGRADUATE OR GRADUATE
13 INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.
14 (2) IS CERTIFIED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO
15 TEACH.
16 (3) EXECUTES A SWORN AFFIDAVIT, UNDER PENALTY OF
17 PERJURY, THAT THE PERSON DOES NOT HAVE A DELINQUENT PAYMENT
18 OWING TO ANY COMMONWEALTH AGENCY.
19 (4) WAS HIRED FOR EMPLOYMENT SUBSEQUENT TO THE EFFECTIVE
20 DATE OF THIS ACT TO BE A FULL-TIME PERMANENT TEACHER IN A
21 SCHOOL DISTRICT WHICH HAS BEEN PLACED ON THE EDUCATION
22 EMPOWERMENT LIST.
23 (5) IS AN APPLICANT FOR THE LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM FOR
24 EMPOWERMENT DISTRICT EDUCATORS IN THE FIRST YEAR OF FULL-TIME
25 TEACHING.
26 "Qualified URBAN TEACHER applicant." A person who meets all <--
27 of the following criteria in his or her first year of full-time
28 teaching and in subsequent years:
29 (1) Is certified by the Department of Education to
30 teach.
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1 (2) Is an applicant for the Urban Teacher Loan
2 Forgiveness Program in the first year of full-time teaching.
3 (3) Is teaching at a Commonwealth-designated urban
4 public school district.
5 (4) Has borrowed through and has a current outstanding
6 balance with a Federally Insured Student Loan Program or
7 consolidation loan program.
8 (5) Is a Pennsylvania resident.
9 "Renewal applicant." A qualified applicant who has received
10 after the effective date of this act an award under the program
11 in the last program year in which money was appropriated for the
12 program.
13 "Secretary." The Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth.
14 Section 4. Urban Teacher AND EMPOWERMENT DISTRICT EDUCATOR Loan <--
15 Forgiveness Program.
16 Qualified (A) URBAN TEACHER LOANS.--QUALIFIED URBAN TEACHER <--
17 applicants who are selected for the Urban Teacher Loan
18 Forgiveness Program in accordance with this act shall be
19 eligible for payment by the agency of a portion of the debt
20 incurred by the applicant through the agency-administered
21 Federally Insured Student Loan Programs or a consolidated loan
22 program for the education necessary to be certified to teach in
23 Pennsylvania.
24 (B) QUALIFIED EMPOWERMENT DISTRICT APPLICANTS.--QUALIFIED <--
25 EMPOWERMENT DISTRICT APPLICANTS SHALL BE ELIGIBLE FOR PAYMENTS
26 BY THE AGENCY OF A PORTION OF THE DEBT INCURRED BY THE APPLICANT
27 THROUGH AGENCY-ADMINISTERED FEDERALLY INSURED LOAN PROGRAMS FOR
28 THE EDUCATION NECESSARY TO BE CERTIFIED TO TEACH IN
29 PENNSYLVANIA.
30 Section 5. Loan forgiveness awards.
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1 (a) General rule.--Except as otherwise provided in
2 subsection (b), recipients of the loan forgiveness awards shall
3 be those teachers who are certified by the Department of
4 Education and who have received a satisfactory rating by the
5 district for the academic year. Each teacher shall be required
6 to submit such documentation of continued eligibility as the
7 agency may require. If the qualified A QUALIFIED URBAN TEACHER <--
8 OR EMPOWERMENT DISTRICT EDUCATOR applicant is a full-time
9 teacher for four consecutive academic years in the same approved
10 Commonwealth urban public school district, the agency may <--
11 forgive a THE qualified applicant's loan of up to $15,000. <--
12 Payments of these awards shall be made in accordance with the
13 procedures established by the agency. Qualified applicants may
14 receive loan forgiveness awards as follows:
15 (1) First academic year of full-time teaching in an
16 amount up to $2,000.
17 (2) Second academic year of full-time teaching in an
18 amount up to $3,000.
19 (3) Third academic year of full-time teaching in an
20 amount up to $4,000.
21 (4) Fourth academic year of full-time teaching in an
22 amount up to $6,000.
23 (b) Ineligibility.--A loan forgiveness recipient under the
24 teacher recruitment assistance program established under Article
25 XXVI-I of the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as
26 the Public School Code of 1949, shall not be eligible to receive
27 loan forgiveness awards under this act concurrently.
28 Section 6. Funding.
29 Loan forgiveness awards may be made to the extent that funds
30 are appropriated by the General Assembly and are sufficient to
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1 cover administration of the program. Preference shall be given
2 to renewal applicants. In the event that funding is insufficient
3 to fully fund administration and awards to all qualified
4 applicants, the agency shall utilize a random lottery system for
5 determining which applicants receive loan forgiveness awards.
6 Section 7. Responsibility of agency.
7 It shall be the responsibility of the agency to administer
8 the Urban TEACHER AND EMPOWERMENT DISTRICT EDUCATOR Loan <--
9 Forgiveness Program established by this act and to adopt such
10 regulations, policies, procedures and forms as are necessary and
11 not inconsistent with the provisions of this act.
12 Section 8. Effective date.
13 This act shall take effect July 1, 2005, or immediately,
14 whichever is later.
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