PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 834, 1712 PRINTER'S NO. 2026
No. 750 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY ROEBUCK, BEBKO-JONES, BUNT, BUXTON, CALTAGIRONE,
CAPPELLI, L. I. COHEN, COLAFELLA, COSTA, CREIGHTON, CRUZ,
CURRY, DeWEESE, FLICK, FREEMAN, GEORGE, GRUCELA, HALUSKA,
HENNESSEY, JAMES, JOSEPHS, LAUGHLIN, LEDERER, MAHER,
MANDERINO, McILHATTAN, MELIO, ORIE, PIPPY, PISTELLA,
READSHAW, SAINATO, SCHULER, SHANER, SOLOBAY, STABACK,
STEELMAN, STETLER, E. Z. TAYLOR, THOMAS, TRELLO, WALKO,
WANSACZ, WATERS, C. WILLIAMS, J. WILLIAMS, WOGAN, WOJNAROSKI,
YOUNGBLOOD, YUDICHAK, BARD, BISHOP, BELFANTI, KIRKLAND AND
STURLA, FEBRUARY 14, 2001
AS AMENDED ON THIRD CONSIDERATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
MAY 22, 2001
AN ACT
1 Providing for Commonwealth support for an Urban Teacher Loan
2 Forgiveness Program for Pennsylvania residents who graduate
3 from institutions of higher education and who apply their
4 degrees to teaching in urban public schools in this
5 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 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.
1 (2) Demand from industry and other opportunities attract
2 existing and potential teachers away from the profession.
3 (3) The pool of qualified teachers, especially those in
4 math and science, has diminished.
5 (4) Economically hard-pressed urban school districts
6 find it difficult to attract qualified teachers from the
7 diminished pool.
8 (5) Payment of a portion of student loans for certified
9 teachers serves the important public purpose of encouraging
10 new teachers to teach in economically hard-pressed areas of
11 this 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 "Designated Commonwealth urban school district." An eligible
19 urban public school district or a nonprofit nonpublic school in
20 such district at which students may fulfill compulsory
21 attendance requirements which the Secretary of Education has
22 certified as having a need for teacher loan forgiveness
23 assistance because of difficulty in attracting qualified
24 teachers.
25 "Eligible urban public school district." A public school
26 district that has a population greater than 850 per square mile
27 and either:
28 (1) more than 8% of the pupils in average daily
29 membership are low-income pupils as defined in section
30 2502.11 of the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
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1 as the Public School Code of 1949; or
2 (2) the market value/income aid ratio, as defined in
3 section 2501 of the Public School Code of 1949, is greater
4 than seven-tenths.
5 The term shall also apply to an intermediate unit or area
6 vocational-technical school if the composite data for all
7 participating school districts meet the criteria specified
8 herein.
9 "Qualified applicant." A person who meets all of the
10 following criteria in his or her first year of full-time
11 teaching and in subsequent years:
12 (1) Is certified by the Department of Education to
13 teach.
14 (2) Is an applicant for the Urban Teacher Loan
15 Forgiveness Program in the first year of full-time teaching.
16 (3) Is teaching at a Commonwealth-designated urban
17 school district.
18 (4) Has borrowed through the agency-administered
19 Federally Insured Student Loan Programs.
20 "Renewal applicant." A qualified applicant who has received
21 after the effective date of this act an award under the program
22 in the last program year in which money was appropriated for the
23 program.
24 "Secretary." The Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth.
25 Section 4. Urban Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program.
26 Qualified applicants who are selected for the Urban Teacher
27 Loan Forgiveness Program in accordance with this act shall be
28 eligible for payment by the agency of a portion of the debt
29 incurred by the applicant through the agency-administered
30 Federally Insured Student Loan Programs for the education
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1 necessary to be certified to teach in Pennsylvania.
2 Section 5. Loan forgiveness awards.
3 Recipients of the loan forgiveness awards shall be those
4 teachers who are certified by the Department of Education and
5 who have received a satisfactory rating by the district or
6 nonpublic school for the academic year. Each teacher shall be
7 required to submit such documentation of continued eligibility
8 as the agency may require. If the qualified applicant is a full-
9 time teacher for four consecutive academic years in an approved
10 Commonwealth urban school district, the agency may forgive a
11 qualified applicant's loan of up to $15,000. Payments of these
12 awards shall be made in accordance with the procedures
13 established by the agency. Qualified applicants may receive loan
14 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 Section 6. Funding.
24 Loan forgiveness awards may be made to the extent that funds
25 are appropriated by the General Assembly and are sufficient to
26 cover administration of the program. Preference shall be given
27 to renewal applicants. In the event that funding is insufficient
28 to fully fund administration and awards to all qualified
29 applicants, the agency shall utilize a random lottery system for
30 determining which applicants receive loan forgiveness awards.
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1 Section 7. Responsibility of agency.
2 It shall be the responsibility of the agency to administer
3 the Urban Loan Forgiveness Program established by this act and
4 to adopt such regulations, policies, procedures and forms as are
5 necessary and not inconsistent with the provisions of this act.
6 SECTION 8. REPORT TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY. <--
7 THE AGENCY, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION,
8 SHALL TAKE COMMENTS, ANALYZE DATA AND ISSUE A REPORT TO THE
9 GENERAL ASSEMBLY WITHIN 12 MONTHS OF THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS
10 ACT, ON THE NECESSITY, EFFECTIVENESS AND VALUE OF EXTENDING THE
11 URBAN TEACHER LOAN FORGIVENESS PROGRAM TO RURAL SCHOOL
12 DISTRICTS.
13 Section 8 9. Effective date. <--
14 This act shall take effect July 1, 2001, OR IMMEDIATELY, <--
15 WHICHEVER IS LATER.
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