SB 517,
as amended, Wyland. begin deleteStudent Opportunity and Access Program. end deletebegin insertInvigorating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (iSTEM) Teacher Preparation Grant Program.end insert
Existing law establishes various programs that provide financial aid for qualifying students attending postsecondary educational institutions, including, among others, the Cal Grant T Program, which provides for the award of funds for tuition and student fees for attendance in a program of professional preparation. As a condition of receiving a Cal Grant T award, a recipient is required to teach for one year in a high-priority school, as defined.
end insertbegin insertThis bill would establish the Invigorating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (iSTEM) Teacher Preparation Grant Program, to be administered by the Student Aid Commission, to award grants to eligible applicants for tuition and student fees for programs of professional preparation to the extent that funds are appropriated for this purpose in the annual Budget Act. The bill would require an applicant to meet eligibility requirements, including, among others, obtaining a baccalaureate degree in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics field, as defined by the commission, and agreeing to teach in a high-priority school, as defined, for 2 years after the person obtains a teaching credential. The bill would require a recipient who fails to meet the requirements for receiving the grant to repay the commission the amount of the grant, and would authorize the commission to initiate a civil action against the recipient for repayment of the grant plus interest and costs incurred in recovering the funds.
end insertExisting law establishes the Student Opportunity and Access Program administered by the Student Aid Commission to apportion funds on a progress payment schedule for the support of projects designed to increase the accessibility of postsecondary educational opportunities for specified elementary and secondary school pupils and community college students. Existing law requires allocation of funds appropriated for this program to be limited to those consortia meeting requirements of the program that will provide equal matching resources from existing or budgeted increases in federal, state, local, and private funds.
end deleteThis bill would make nonsubstantive changes to that provision.
end deleteVote: majority.
Appropriation: no.
Fiscal committee: begin deleteno end deletebegin insertyesend insert.
State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
begin insertArticle 10 (commencing with Section 69700) is
2added to Chapter 2 of Part 42 of
Division 5 of Title 3 of the end insertbegin insert3Education Codeend insertbegin insert, to read:end insert
4
The Invigorating Science, Technology, Engineering
9and Mathematics (iSTEM) Teacher Preparation Grant Program
10is hereby established to award grants to eligible applicants for
11tuition and student fees for programs of professional preparation,
12and shall be administered by the Student Aid Commission.
For purposes of this article, the following definitions
14apply:
15(a) “Commission” means the Student Aid Commission.
16(b) “STEM” means science, technology, engineering, and
17mathematics.
P3 1(c) “High-priority school” means any school ranked in deciles
21 to 5, inclusive, of the Academic Performance Index, pursuant to
3Section 52056.
4(d) “Program of professional preparation” means a program
5that has been accredited by the committee on accreditation on the
6basis of standards of program quality and effectiveness that have
7been adopted by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, as
8
described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 44259.
The duties of the commission shall be as follows:
10(a) To adopt rules and regulations necessary for the
11administration of the program, including, but not limited to, the
12following:
13(1) Identify STEM fields for qualifying baccalaureate degrees,
14as described in subdivision (a) of Section 69704.
15(2) Identify STEM subjects that qualify for obtaining a single
16subject teaching credential, as described in paragraph (2) of
17subdivision (d) of Section 69704, and for identifying classes that
18qualify under subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) of subdivision
19(d) of Section 69704.
20(b) Make applications for grants available to applicants by
21March 15, 2015.
22(c) Commencing with the 2015-16 academic year, to the extent
23that funds have been appropriated for this purpose in the annual
24Budget Act, award grants of four thousand dollars ($4,000) to
25eligible applicants.
A grant awarded pursuant to this article shall be paid
27to the program of professional preparation in which the recipient
28of the grant is enrolled, and shall be used only for tuition and
29student fees.
To be eligible to receive a grant pursuant to this article,
31a person shall meet all of the following requirements:
32(a) The person has obtained, or is in the process of obtaining
33a baccalaureate degree in an eligible STEM field, as established
34by the commission, from an accredited postsecondary educational
35institution.
36(b) The person has a college grade point average, as defined
37in subdivision (d) of Section 69432.7, of at least 2.75.
38(c) The person has been accepted into an accredited program
39of professional preparation in the state.
40(d) The person agrees to all of the following:
P4 1(1) To complete the program of professional preparation within
2one academic year.
3(2) Within six months of completing the program of professional
4preparation, to receive a multiple subject teaching credential or
5a single subject teaching credential in a STEM subject, as identified
6by the commission.
7(3) To teach at a high-priority school in the state for the first
8two consecutive years after the person receives a teaching
9credential as follows:
10(A) He or she shall teach any subject in any of grades 4 to 6,
11inclusive.
12(B) He or she shall teach a STEM subject, as identified by the
13commission, in any of grades 7 to 12, inclusive.
(a) If the recipient of a grant awarded pursuant to this
15article fails to meet any of the conditions for the receipt of funds
16pursuant to this article, the recipient shall repay to the commission
17the amount of the grant within a period of time specified by the
18commission.
19(b) If a person fails to repay the commission the amount of the
20grant within the allocated period of time, the commission may
21initiate a civil action against the person for repayment of the grant
22plus interest and costs incurred in recovering the funds.
23(c) Any money recovered pursuant to this section shall be
24deposited in the General Fund.
Section 69564 of the Education Code is amended
26to read:
Allocation of funds appropriated for purposes of this
28article shall be limited to those consortia meeting requirements of
29this article that will provide equal matching resources from existing
30or budgeted increases in federal, state, local, and private funds.
31The goal of this program shall be that the total resources provided
32by the Student Opportunity and Access Program shall match state
33funding on at least a 1.5 to 1 ratio. Any new projects approved
34through expansion of the program shall provide equal matching
35resources for the first three years of operation and shall be
36encouraged to increase the matching resources to a 1.5 to 1 ratio
37with the state grant thereafter.
O
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