Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman PAMELA R. LAMPITT
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Assemblyman BENJIE E. WIMBERLY
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblywoman MILA M. JASEY
District 27 (Essex and Morris)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Benson, Assemblywomen Reynolds-Jackson and McKnight
SYNOPSIS
Establishes New Jersey Educator Scholarship Program.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Assembly Education Committee on May 19, 2022, with amendments.
An Act establishing the New Jersey Educator Scholarship Program, and supplementing chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. There is established in the 1Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, in coordination with the1 Department of Education 1,1 the New Jersey Educator Scholarship Program. The purpose of the program shall be to provide incentives for 1[high-achieving]1 students to pursue careers in education.
a. Under the program, the 1[department] authority1 shall award 50 scholarships annually to eligible recipients enrolled in 1[an] a public1 institution of higher education in the State. Students shall receive a 1[tuition waiver] scholarship in an amount up to the amount of tuition1 for each semester of study 1[and be awarded] plus1 a stipend in the amount of $5,000 annually.
b. A student shall be eligible to receive a stipend and 1[tuition waiver] scholarship1 under the program for a maximum of four academic years, or until receipt of a bachelor’s degree and completion of an educator preparation program, whichever occurs first.
c. Within the first five full school years immediately following receipt of a bachelor’s degree and completion of an educator preparation program, a student who received a scholarship under the program shall seek and accept full time employment as a teaching staff member with a public school district in the State of New Jersey for no less than three full school years, during which time the student shall receive mentoring coordinated by the department. For the purposes of fulfilling the requirements of this subsection, the three years of employment with a public school district may be nonconsecutive and may be divided between multiple public school districts in the State of New Jersey. A student who fails to meet the requirements of this subsection shall be subject to the provisions of paragraph (3) of subsection d. of section 2 of this act.
d. Nothing in this section shall be construed to exempt a student from meeting teacher certification requirements in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the State Board of Education.
2. a. In order to be eligible for a scholarship under the program, a student shall:
(1) be
a United States citizen 1[or] ,1 permanent resident alien 1, or any student eligible to complete the New Jersey
Alternative Financial Aid Application1;
(2) be a resident of the State of New Jersey; and
(3) be enrolled full time in an approved program of study at 1[an] a public1 institution of higher education in the State.
b. The 1Higher Education Student Assistance Authority, in coordination with the1 Department of Education 1,1 may establish additional eligibility requirements and minimum qualifications for the program, 1including limiting the program to students seeking degrees in math, science, special education, world languages, bilingual education, or other subjects determined to be in high demand for teachers by the department,1 as well as a process for assessing eligible individuals for consideration for appointment as a student.
c. A student’s scholarship shall remain in effect only during such period as the student achieves satisfactory academic progress as defined by the institution and continues to meet the eligibility requirements and minimum qualifications established pursuant to subsections a. and b. of this section.
d. (1) The scholarship shall not remain in effect for a student who is dismissed from the 1public1 institution of higher education or educator preparation program for academic or disciplinary reasons, is disqualified from employment by a school district due to the detection of criminal history record information pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1986, c.116 (C.18A:6-7.1), or otherwise becomes ineligible to receive a certificate of eligibility with advanced standing from the Board of Examiners, and the student shall be required to repay 1[to the department]1 in full the amount of any stipend and the value of any 1[tuition waiver] scholarship1 received 1as a debt to the State1.
(2) The scholarship shall not remain in effect for a student who does not obtain a bachelor’s degree within the first four years of the scholarship or who withdraws from an approved program of study due to the student’s illness, the illness of a member of the student’s immediate family, or a family emergency but the student shall not be required to repay 1[to the department]1 the amount of any stipend or the value of any 1[tuition waiver] scholarship1 received.
(3) A student who received a scholarship under the program who does not complete three full years of employment as a teaching staff member with a public school district in the State of New Jersey within five years of receiving a bachelor’s degree and completing an educator preparation program shall repay 1[to the department]1 the amount of any stipend and the value of any 1[tuition waiver] scholarship1 received under the 1[scholarship]1 program 1as a debt to the State1, prorated against the duration of employment with a public school district in the State as follows: a student who completes two full years of employment shall repay one-third of the amount of any financial support received, a student who completes one full year of employment shall repay two-thirds of the amount of any financial support received, and a student who fails to complete a full year of employment shall repay the full amount of any financial support received. 1Any amount a student is required to pay shall be treated as a debt to the State, not a student loan.1
(4) A student who fails to make repayment 1[to the department]1 pursuant to this subsection who is the holder of any certification issued by the Board of Examiners shall be subject to disciplinary action by the board which may include, but need not be limited to, the revocation or suspension of the certification until such time as repayment is made 1[to the department]1.
3. The State shall appropriate funds in each fiscal year to finance the 1scholarships and1 stipends provided to students pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as this bill), in such sums as may be necessary, and to effectuate the purposes of the program established in accordance with section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. )(pending before the Legislature as this bill).
4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the first full academic year following the date of enactment.