Text: HF00624 Text: HF00626 Text: HF00600 - HF00699 Text: HF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. COLLEGE STUDENT AID COMMISSION. There is 1 2 appropriated from the general fund of the state to the college 1 3 student aid commission for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1 4 1999, and ending June 30, 2000, the following amount, or so 1 5 much thereof as is necessary, to be used for the purpose 1 6 designated: 1 7 For the teacher shortage forgivable loan program 1 8 established in section 261.111: 1 9 .................................................. $ 250,000 1 10 Sec. 2. Section 256.9, Code 1999, is amended by adding the 1 11 following new subsection: 1 12 NEW SUBSECTION. 49. Conduct an ongoing study, in 1 13 consultation with the board of educational examiners, to 1 14 enable the director to project future teacher and endorsement 1 15 shortage areas. 1 16 Sec. 3. Section 261.25, subsection 4, Code 1999, is 1 17 amended by striking the subsection. 1 18 Sec. 4. Section 261.111, Code 1999, is amended by striking 1 19 the section and inserting in lieu thereof the following: 1 20 261.111 TEACHER SHORTAGE FORGIVABLE LOAN PROGRAM. 1 21 1. A teacher shortage forgivable loan program is 1 22 established to be administered by the college student aid 1 23 commission. An individual is eligible for the forgivable loan 1 24 program if the individual is a resident of this state who is 1 25 enrolled as a sophomore, junior, senior, or graduate student 1 26 in an approved practitioner preparation program in a 1 27 designated area in which teacher shortages are anticipated, at 1 28 an institution of higher learning under the control of the 1 29 state board of regents or an accredited private institution as 1 30 defined in section 261.9. 1 31 2. The director of the department of education shall 1 32 annually designate the areas in which teacher shortages are 1 33 anticipated. The director shall periodically conduct a survey 1 34 of school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and 1 35 approved practitioner preparation programs to determine 2 1 current shortage areas and predict future shortage areas. 2 2 3. Each applicant shall, in accordance with the rules of 2 3 the commission, do the following: 2 4 a. Complete and file an application for a teacher shortage 2 5 forgivable loan. The individual shall be responsible for the 2 6 prompt submission of any information required by the 2 7 commission. 2 8 b. File a new application and submit information as 2 9 required by the commission annually on the basis of which the 2 10 applicant's eligibility for the renewed forgivable loan will 2 11 be evaluated and determined. 2 12 4. Forgivable loans to eligible students shall not become 2 13 due until after the student graduates or leaves school. The 2 14 individual's total loan amount, including principal and 2 15 interest, shall be reduced by twenty percent for each year in 2 16 which the individual remains an Iowa resident and is employed 2 17 in Iowa by a school district or an accredited nonpublic school 2 18 as a practitioner in the teacher shortage area for which the 2 19 loan was approved. If the commission determines that the 2 20 person does not meet the criteria for forgiveness of the 2 21 principal and interest payments, the commission shall 2 22 establish a plan for repayment of the principal and interest 2 23 over a ten-year period. If a person required to make the 2 24 repayment does not make the required payments, the commission 2 25 shall provide for payment collection. 2 26 5. The amount of a teacher shortage forgivable loan shall 2 27 not exceed three thousand dollars annually, or the amount of 2 28 the student's established financial need, whichever is less. 2 29 6. The commission shall prescribe by rule the interest 2 30 rate for the forgivable loan. 2 31 7. A teacher shortage forgivable loan repayment fund is 2 32 created for deposit of payments made by forgivable loan 2 33 recipients who do not fulfill the conditions of the forgivable 2 34 loan program and any other moneys appropriated to or received 2 35 by the commission for deposit in the fund. Notwithstanding 3 1 section 8.33, moneys deposited in the fund shall not revert to 3 2 the general fund of the state at the end of any fiscal year 3 3 but shall remain in the forgivable loan repayment fund and be 3 4 continuously available to make additional loans under the 3 5 program. Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2, 3 6 interest or earnings on moneys deposited in the fund shall be 3 7 credited to the fund. 3 8 8. For purposes of this section, unless the context 3 9 otherwise requires, "teacher" means the same as defined in 3 10 section 272.1. 3 11 Sec. 5. Section 272.3, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 1999, 3 12 is amended to read as follows: 3 13 The board of educational examiners consists ofeleven3 14 thirteen members.TwoFour must be members of the general 3 15 public and the remaining nine must be licensed practitioners. 3 16One of the publicPublic members shallalso beinclude the 3 17 director of the department of education, or the director's 3 18 designee.,The other public member shall bea person who does 3 19 not hold a practitioner's license, but has a demonstrated 3 20 interest in education, a person from a list of nominees 3 21 submitted to the governor by the state board of regents, and a 3 22 person from a list of nominees submitted to the governor by 3 23 the Iowa association of independent colleges and universities. 3 24 The nine practitioners shall be selected from the following 3 25 areas and specialties of the teaching profession: 3 26 Sec. 6. Section 272.3, unnumbered paragraph 2, Code 1999, 3 27 is amended to read as follows: 3 28 A majority of the licensed practitioner members shall be 3 29 nonadministrative practitioners. Four of the members shall be 3 30 administrators. Membership of the board shall comply with the 3 31 requirements of sections 69.16 and 69.16A. A quorum of the 3 32 board shall consist ofsixseven members. The director of the 3 33 department of education shall serve as the chairperson of the 3 34 board. Members, except for the director of the department of 3 35 education, shall be appointed by the governor and the 4 1 appointments are subject to confirmation by the senate. 4 2 Sec. 7. Section 272.4, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 1999, 4 3 is amended to read as follows: 4 4 Members, except for the director of the department of 4 5 education, shall be appointed to serve staggered terms of four 4 6 years. A member shall not serve more than two consecutive 4 7 terms, except for the director of the department of education, 4 8 who shall serve until the director's term of office expires. 4 9 A member of the board, except for thetwofour public members, 4 10 shall hold a valid practitioner's license during the member's 4 11 term of office. A vacancy exists when any of the following 4 12 occur: 4 13 Sec. 8. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STUDY. The director of 4 14 the department of education shall appoint a task force to 4 15 study the issues and feasibility of establishing a volunteer 4 16 program to encourage retired teachers and administrators to 4 17 return to education as mentors and aides in school districts. 4 18 The chairperson of the task force shall be the director of the 4 19 department of education, or the director's designee. The task 4 20 force shall report its findings and recommendations to the 4 21 chairpersons and the ranking members of the senate and house 4 22 standing committees on education by January 15, 2000. 4 23 Sec. 9. FINDINGS. The general assembly finds that the 4 24 state suffers severe teacher shortages in certain fields, and 4 25 is concerned that within five years, the nation will face an 4 26 overall shortage of teachers. The general assembly therefore 4 27 encourages school districts to ensure their future ability to 4 28 hire qualified professional practitioners by establishing 4 29 future teacher associations and by supporting teachers and 4 30 secondary school students who participate in these 4 31 associations. 4 32 Sec. 10. STUDY REQUEST. The general assembly hereby 4 33 requests the Iowa association of colleges of teacher education 4 34 to study and report its findings to the standing senate 4 35 committee on education and house committee on education by 5 1 January 15, 2000, on the following: field experiences, 5 2 including the current number of hours required by each of the 5 3 approved practitioner programs within the state, whether the 5 4 institutions expect to increase or decrease the required 5 5 hours, and the characteristics of the experiences provided; 5 6 the method of collaboration between approved practitioner 5 7 preparation programs and local school districts, and between 5 8 approved practitioner preparation programs and other content 5 9 area-related colleges within their institutions; and faculty 5 10 interaction, including the current number of contact hours 5 11 with school districts and beginning teachers that each of the 5 12 approved practitioner programs within the state requires of 5 13 its faculty members, whether the institutions expect to 5 14 increase or decrease the required hours, and the 5 15 characteristics of the professional contact. 5 16 Sec. 11. REMAINING INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY FORGIVABLE LOAN 5 17 PROGRAM BALANCE. Notwithstanding section 8.33 or section 5 18 261.25, subsection 4, Code 1999, or any other provision to the 5 19 contrary, unencumbered or unobligated funds remaining on June 5 20 30, 1999, for purposes of the industrial technology forgivable 5 21 loan program established in section 261.111, shall be 5 22 available to the college student aid commission for 5 23 expenditure for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1999, and 5 24 for succeeding fiscal years for the purposes of the teacher 5 25 shortage forgivable loan program established in section 5 26 261.111. 5 27 Sec. 12. Section 261.112, Code 1999, is repealed. 5 28 Sec. 13. EFFECTIVE DATE. This section and section 11 of 5 29 this Act, relating to the remaining industrial technology 5 30 forgivable loan program balance, being deemed of immediate 5 31 importance, take effect upon enactment. 5 32 EXPLANATION 5 33 5 34 This bill related to teacher preparation and recruitment 5 35 and includes the following: 6 1 Code section 256.9, subsection 49: Requires the director 6 2 of the department of education to conduct an ongoing study, in 6 3 consultation with the board of educational examiners, to 6 4 enable the director to project future teacher and endorsement 6 5 shortage areas. 6 6 Code sections 261.111 and 261.112 and section 261.25, 6 7 subsection 4: Strike and repeal language creating the 6 8 industrial technology forgivable loan program and fund and 6 9 establish a teacher shortage forgivable loan program to be 6 10 administered by the college student aid commission. The 6 11 program will be available to Iowa residents who are enrolled 6 12 in approved practitioner preparation programs in a designated 6 13 area in which teacher shortages are anticipated, at a regents 6 14 university or an accredited private institution. 6 15 The bill requires the director of the department of 6 16 education to annually designate the areas in which teacher 6 17 shortages are anticipated. 6 18 Forgivable loans to eligible students shall not become due 6 19 until after the student graduates or leaves school. The 6 20 individual's total loan amount, including principal and 6 21 interest, shall be reduced by 20 percent for each year in 6 22 which the individual remains an Iowa resident and is employed 6 23 by a school district or an accredited nonpublic school as a 6 24 teacher in the teacher shortage area for which the loan was 6 25 approved. If the commission determines that the person does 6 26 not meet the criteria for forgiveness of the principal and 6 27 interest payments, the commission shall establish a plan for 6 28 repayment of the principal and interest over a 10-year period. 6 29 If a person required to make the repayment does not make the 6 30 required payments, the commission shall provide for payment 6 31 collection. 6 32 The amount of a teacher shortage area forgivable loan shall 6 33 not exceed $3,000 annually, or the amount of the student's 6 34 established financial need, whichever is less. The interest 6 35 rate for the forgivable loan shall be determined by the 7 1 commission by rule. 7 2 A teacher shortage forgivable loan repayment fund is 7 3 created for deposit of payments made by forgivable loan 7 4 recipients who do not fulfill the conditions of the forgivable 7 5 loan program. Moneys deposited in the forgivable loan 7 6 repayment fund shall not revert to the general fund of the 7 7 state at the end of any fiscal year. 7 8 The bill includes an appropriation of $250,000 from the 7 9 general fund of the state for FY 1999-2000 for the forgivable 7 10 loan program, and requires that money remaining in the 7 11 industrial technology forgivable loan fund from FY 1998-1999, 7 12 carries over for the teacher shortage forgivable loan program 7 13 for FY 1999-2000 and for succeeding fiscal years. This 7 14 provision takes effect upon enactment. The bill strikes a 7 15 standing appropriation for the industrial technology 7 16 forgivable loan program. 7 17 Code sections 272.3, unnumbered paragraphs 1 and 2, and 7 18 section 272.4, unnumbered paragraph 1: Increase from 11 to 13 7 19 the membership of the board of educational examiners. One new 7 20 member will be a person from a list of nominees submitted to 7 21 the governor by the state board of regents, and the other will 7 22 be a person from a list of nominees submitted to the governor 7 23 by the Iowa association of independent colleges and 7 24 universities. 7 25 The bill also includes session law requiring or requesting, 7 26 as appropriate, the following: 7 27 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TASK FORCE. The director of the 7 28 department of education to appoint a task force to study the 7 29 issues and feasibility of establishing a volunteer program to 7 30 encourage retired teachers and administrators to return to 7 31 education as mentors and aides in school districts. The task 7 32 force is to report its findings and recommendations to the 7 33 chairpersons and the ranking members of the senate and house 7 34 standing committees on education by January 15, 2000. 7 35 FINDINGS. The bill includes the findings of the general 8 1 assembly and its concerns relating to current severe teacher 8 2 shortages in certain fields and a future overall shortage of 8 3 teachers. The general assembly encourages school districts to 8 4 ensure their future ability to hire qualified professional 8 5 practitioners by establishing future teacher associations and 8 6 by supporting teachers and secondary school students who 8 7 participate in these associations. 8 8 STUDY REQUEST. The Iowa association of colleges of teacher 8 9 education is requested to study and report its findings to the 8 10 standing senate committee on education and house committee on 8 11 education by January 15, 2000, on the following: field 8 12 experiences; the method of collaboration between approved 8 13 practitioner preparation programs and local school districts, 8 14 and between approved practitioner preparation programs and 8 15 other content area-related colleges within their institutions; 8 16 and faculty interaction. 8 17 LSB 2091HV 78 8 18 kh/sc/14
Text: HF00624 Text: HF00626 Text: HF00600 - HF00699 Text: HF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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