PRINTER'S NO. 125
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 AND THOMAS, JANUARY 31, 2005
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, JANUARY 31, 2005
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.
1 (3) The pool of qualified teachers, especially those in
2 math and science, has diminished.
3 (4) Economically hard-pressed urban school districts
4 find it difficult to attract qualified teachers from the
5 diminished pool.
6 (5) Payment of a portion of student loans for certified
7 teachers serves the important public purpose of encouraging
8 new teachers to teach in economically hard-pressed areas of
9 this Commonwealth.
10 Section 3. Definitions.
11 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
12 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
13 context clearly indicates otherwise:
14 "Agency." The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance
15 Agency.
16 "Designated Commonwealth urban public school district." An
17 eligible urban public school district which the Secretary of
18 Education has certified as having a need for teacher loan
19 forgiveness assistance because of difficulty in attracting
20 qualified teachers.
21 "Eligible urban public school district." A public school
22 district that has a population greater than 850 per square mile.
23 "Qualified applicant." A person who meets all of the
24 following criteria in his or her first year of full-time
25 teaching and in subsequent years:
26 (1) Is certified by the Department of Education to
27 teach.
28 (2) Is an applicant for the Urban Teacher Loan
29 Forgiveness Program in the first year of full-time teaching.
30 (3) Is teaching at a Commonwealth-designated urban
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1 public school district.
2 (4) Has borrowed through and has a current outstanding
3 balance with a Federally Insured Student Loan Program or
4 consolidation loan program.
5 (5) Is a Pennsylvania resident.
6 "Renewal applicant." A qualified applicant who has received
7 after the effective date of this act an award under the program
8 in the last program year in which money was appropriated for the
9 program.
10 "Secretary." The Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth.
11 Section 4. Urban Teacher Loan Forgiveness Program.
12 Qualified applicants who are selected for the Urban Teacher
13 Loan Forgiveness Program in accordance with this act shall be
14 eligible for payment by the agency of a portion of the debt
15 incurred by the applicant through the agency-administered
16 Federally Insured Student Loan Programs or a consolidated loan
17 program for the education necessary to be certified to teach in
18 Pennsylvania.
19 Section 5. Loan forgiveness awards.
20 (a) General rule.--Except as otherwise provided in
21 subsection (b), recipients of the loan forgiveness awards shall
22 be those teachers who are certified by the Department of
23 Education and who have received a satisfactory rating by the
24 district for the academic year. Each teacher shall be required
25 to submit such documentation of continued eligibility as the
26 agency may require. If the qualified applicant is a full-time
27 teacher for four consecutive academic years in the same approved
28 Commonwealth urban public school district, the agency may
29 forgive a qualified applicant's loan of up to $15,000. Payments
30 of these awards shall be made in accordance with the procedures
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1 established by the agency. Qualified applicants may receive loan
2 forgiveness awards as follows:
3 (1) First academic year of full-time teaching in an
4 amount up to $2,000.
5 (2) Second academic year of full-time teaching in an
6 amount up to $3,000.
7 (3) Third academic year of full-time teaching in an
8 amount up to $4,000.
9 (4) Fourth academic year of full-time teaching in an
10 amount up to $6,000.
11 (b) Ineligibility.--A loan forgiveness recipient under the
12 teacher recruitment assistance program established under Article
13 XXVI-I of the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as
14 the Public School Code of 1949, shall not be eligible to receive
15 loan forgiveness awards under this act concurrently.
16 Section 6. Funding.
17 Loan forgiveness awards may be made to the extent that funds
18 are appropriated by the General Assembly and are sufficient to
19 cover administration of the program. Preference shall be given
20 to renewal applicants. In the event that funding is insufficient
21 to fully fund administration and awards to all qualified
22 applicants, the agency shall utilize a random lottery system for
23 determining which applicants receive loan forgiveness awards.
24 Section 7. Responsibility of agency.
25 It shall be the responsibility of the agency to administer
26 the Urban Loan Forgiveness Program established by this act and
27 to adopt such regulations, policies, procedures and forms as are
28 necessary and not inconsistent with the provisions of this act.
29 Section 8. Effective date.
30 This act shall take effect July 1, 2005, or immediately,
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1 whichever is later.
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