PRINTER'S NO. 1566
No. 1274 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY ROEBUCK, DeWEESE, BUNT, BUXTON, GRUCELA,
CREIGHTON, GEORGE, STURLA, CAWLEY, HENNESSEY, LEACH, LEDERER,
MANN, McGEEHAN, THOMAS, WALKO, WANSACZ, WEBER, PRESTON, FLICK
AND J. WILLIAMS, APRIL 30, 2003
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, APRIL 30, 2003
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.
16 (2) Demand from industry and other opportunities attract
17 existing and potential teachers away from the profession.
18 (3) The pool of qualified teachers, especially those in
1 math and science, has diminished.
2 (4) Economically hard-pressed urban school districts
3 find it difficult to attract qualified teachers from the
4 diminished pool.
5 (5) Payment of a portion of student loans for certified
6 teachers serves the important public purpose of encouraging
7 new teachers to teach in economically hard-pressed areas of
8 this Commonwealth.
9 Section 3. 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 "Designated Commonwealth urban public school district." An
16 eligible urban public school district which the Secretary of
17 Education has certified as having a need for teacher loan
18 forgiveness assistance because of difficulty in attracting
19 qualified teachers.
20 "Eligible urban public school district." A public school
21 district that has a population greater than 850 per square mile
22 and either:
23 (1) more than 8% of the pupils in average daily
24 membership are low-income pupils as defined in section
25 2502.11 of the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
26 as the Public School Code of 1949; or
27 (2) the market value/income aid ratio, as referred to in
28 section 2501(9.1) of the Public School Code of 1949, is
29 greater than seven-tenths.
30 The term shall also apply to an intermediate unit or area
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1 vocational-technical school if the composite data for all
2 participating school districts meet the criteria specified
3 herein.
4 "Qualified applicant." A person who meets all of the
5 following criteria in his or her first year of full-time
6 teaching and in subsequent years:
7 (1) Is certified by the Department of Education to
8 teach.
9 (2) Is an applicant for the Urban Teacher Loan
10 Forgiveness Program in the first year of full-time teaching.
11 (3) Is teaching at a Commonwealth-designated urban
12 public school district.
13 (4) Has borrowed through and has a current outstanding
14 balance with a Federally Insured Student Loan Program or
15 consolidation loan program.
16 (5) Is a Pennsylvania resident.
17 "Renewal applicant." A qualified applicant who has received
18 after the effective date of this act an award under the program
19 in the last program year in which money was appropriated for the
20 program.
21 "Secretary." The Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth.
22 Section 4. Urban Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program.
23 Qualified applicants who are selected for the Urban Teacher
24 Loan Forgiveness Program in accordance with this act shall be
25 eligible for payment by the agency of a portion of the debt
26 incurred by the applicant through the agency-administered
27 Federally Insured Student Loan Programs or a consolidated loan
28 program for the education necessary to be certified to teach in
29 Pennsylvania.
30 Section 5. Loan forgiveness awards.
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1 Recipients of the loan forgiveness awards shall be those
2 teachers who are certified by the Department of Education and
3 who have received a satisfactory rating by the district for the
4 academic year. Each teacher shall be required to submit such
5 documentation of continued eligibility as the agency may
6 require. If the qualified applicant is a full-time teacher for
7 four consecutive academic years in the same approved
8 Commonwealth urban public school district, the agency may
9 forgive a qualified applicant's loan of up to $15,000. Payments
10 of these awards shall be made in accordance with the procedures
11 established by the agency. Qualified applicants may receive loan
12 forgiveness awards as follows:
13 (1) First academic year of full-time teaching in an
14 amount up to $2,000.
15 (2) Second academic year of full-time teaching in an
16 amount up to $3,000.
17 (3) Third academic year of full-time teaching in an
18 amount up to $4,000.
19 (4) Fourth academic year of full-time teaching in an
20 amount up to $6,000.
21 Section 6. Funding.
22 Loan forgiveness awards may be made to the extent that funds
23 are appropriated by the General Assembly and are sufficient to
24 cover administration of the program. Preference shall be given
25 to renewal applicants. In the event that funding is insufficient
26 to fully fund administration and awards to all qualified
27 applicants, the agency shall utilize a random lottery system for
28 determining which applicants receive loan forgiveness awards.
29 Section 7. Responsibility of agency.
30 It shall be the responsibility of the agency to administer
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1 the Urban Loan Forgiveness Program established by this act and
2 to adopt such regulations, policies, procedures and forms as are
3 necessary and not inconsistent with the provisions of this act.
4 Section 8. Report to General Assembly.
5 The agency, in conjunction with the Department of Education,
6 shall take comments, analyze data and issue a report to the
7 General Assembly within 12 months of the effective date of this
8 act, on the necessity, effectiveness and value of extending the
9 Urban Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program to rural school
10 districts.
11 Section 9. Effective date.
12 This act shall take effect July 1, 2003, or immediately,
13 whichever is later.
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