Pending Regulation

Title 5 - DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

Division 80 - Teacher Quality and Urban Education

Chapter 860 - Scholarships and Financial Aid

PROPOSED RULE

Comments about this proposed rule must be submitted by April 2, 2008, to the
Assistant Commissioner of Teacher Quality and Urban Education, PO Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0480;
or by e-mail to this address: webreplyqual@dese.mo.gov .

5 CSR 80-860.050 Urban Flight and Rural Needs Scholarship Program

PURPOSE:   Section 173.232, RSMo, establishes a program that makes scholarships available for eligible students who make a commitment to a teaching career and who enroll in a college program leading to certification to teach in public schools of Missouri, the population of which includes a higher than average “at-risk student population.”  This rule sets forth the qualifications required of applicants for the scholarships, the criteria to be used in selecting scholarship recipients, terms to which a scholarship recipient must agree and repayment procedures to be followed by recipients who fail to fulfill their commitment to become certificated to teach or to teach in the public schools of Missouri, with a population which includes a higher than average “at-risk student population.”

(1) Eligible applicants are defined as a United States citizen and residents of Missouri who:

(A) Are high school seniors, students in a four (4)-year college or university located in Missouri, or students enrolled in a junior or community college located in Missouri with approved teacher education programs;

(B) Make a commitment to pursue an approved teacher education program and enroll as full-time students in an approved two (2) or four (4)-year college or university located in Missouri;

(C) Have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 and demonstrates financial need; and

(D) Meet the requirements for entry into an approved teacher education program in Missouri.

(2) Each student wishing to apply for a scholarship shall submit an application to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) on a form required by DESE by April 15 in order to be considered for the award of a scholarship for the fall and spring semesters.   The application for Urban Flight and Rural Needs Scholarship is included herein.

(3) Each application shall contain information as may be required to enable DESE to select recipients under the provisions of this rule.

(4) Each eligible applicant will be notified by June 1 whether the applicant has or has not been selected as a recipient, pending legislative funding.

(5) Recipients will be selected from the group of eligible applicants on the basis of each applicant's qualifying GPA and financial need. 

(6) Annually, DESE shall appoint a selection committee whose assignment shall be to review the eligible applicants on the basis of the criteria.

(7) In the event that there are more eligible applicants than can be granted scholarships because insufficient funds have been appropriated, scholarships shall be awarded ranking eligible applicants regarding cumulative GPA after seventh semester and financial need.

(8) In the event that a designated recipient declines to accept a scholarship, the scholarship shall be offered to the next highest ranked eligible applicant, if any.

(9) Following notification that the applicant has been selected to receive a scholarship, the applicant shall respond to DESE to accept or decline the scholarship.    The recipient (and parents or guardians, if the recipient is under eighteen (18) years of age) shall sign an agreement form which obligates the student to fulfill the commitment to be made by recipients with the provision that funds received under the terms of this rule shall be repaid according to the terms of this rule if the student defaults on the commitments.  The Urban Flight and Rural Needs Scholarship agreement form is included herein.  

(10) After a recipient has completed admission and registration procedures at the college or university and is ready to attend class at the beginning of the fall semester of the program year (fiscal year), a copy of the student’s schedule must be sent to DESE within thirty (30) days after the start of the semester.  Following completion of the semester coursework, the student must submit a DESE invoice form with official transcripts within thirty (30) days of the semester end.  Upon receipt of the official transcripts, a check will be issued to the student for the eligible students’ tuition and fees, if a GPA of 2.5 or higher has been obtained.  A similar procedure shall occur for each concurrent semester until a total of eight (8) semesters or four (4) years have occurred.

(11) On the two (2) occasions, at the beginning of the first and second semesters after the recipient has completed all enrollment requirements and is ready to attend class, the recipient (and parents or guardians, if the recipient is under eighteen (18) years of age) shall sign an agreement form which obligates the student to fulfill the commitment to be made by recipients with the provision that funds received under the terms of this rule shall be repaid according to the terms of this rule if the student defaults on the commitments.  The agreement form for the Urban Flight and Rural Needs Scholarship is included herein.

(12) Eligible colleges or universities must:

(A) Be located in Missouri; and

(B) Offer a teacher education program approved by DESE.

(13) Before receiving any funds from the state under terms of the Urban Flight and Rural Needs Scholarship Program, each designated recipient must agree to the following terms and conditions:

(A) To enroll in and complete a college program designed to qualify the recipient for a Missouri teaching certificate within five (5) years from the date of receiving funds under the scholarship program (three (3) years in the case of students transferring from a junior or community college);

(B) To teach on a full-time basis for a period of up to eight (8) years (two (2) years for each year of scholarship funding) in a Missouri public elementary or secondary school, the population of which includes a higher than average “at-risk student population” after receiving a teaching certificate;

(C) To notify DESE each fall and spring semester, on the Urban Flight and Rural Needs Form A of the applicant’s current status as a student during years of college attendance.  Form A is included herein;  

(D) To notify DESE annually of their teaching status for a period of up to eight (8) years in a Missouri public school with a higher than average “at-risk student population;”  

(E) To repay the scholarship funds received from the state in accordance with terms set forth in this rule if any one (1) of the following events occurs:

1. The recipient ceases study leading to teacher certification for any reason, including, but not limited to:

A.  Failure to maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5;

B.  Enrollment and attendance during any fall or spring semester with less than twelve (12) semester hours (less than full-time) in a program leading to certification to teach in Missouri public schools;

C.  Change of career goal as evidenced by the nature of courses selected in colleges;

D.  Discontinuance of college attendance; or

E. Dismissal, suspension or expulsion from college for any reason;

2. The recipient fails to be hired for or to accept a full-time teaching position in a Missouri public school, the population of which includes a higher than average “at-risk student population” within ten (10) months of receiving certification to teach in Missouri public schools; or

3. The recipient fails to teach on a full-time basis for a period of eight (8) years in a Missouri public elementary or secondary school with a higher than average “at-risk student population” or two (2) years for each one (1) year of scholarship funding.

(14) If a recipient does not complete requirements for certification to teach in public elementary and secondary schools in Missouri in accordance with the terms of this rule, the scholarship amount shall be considered as a loan to the recipient and interest at the rate of nine and one-half percent (9.5%) per year shall be charged on the unpaid balance of the amount received from the state from the date the recipient ceased study leading to teacher certification until the amount received has been paid back to the state.

(15) If a recipient fails to be hired for or to accept a full-time teaching position in a Missouri public elementary or secondary school with a population that includes a higher than average “at-risk student population” within ten (10) months after receiving certification to teach in Missouri public elementary or secondary schools, the scholarship amount shall be considered as a loan to the recipient and interest at the rate of nine and one-half percent (9.5%) per year shall be charged on the unpaid balance of the amount received from the state from the date ten (10) months after receiving certification until the amount has been paid back to the state.

(16) If a recipient does not continue to teach on a full-time basis in a Missouri public elementary or secondary school for a period of eight (8) years after receiving a degree (or two (2)  years of teaching for each year of scholarship funding), the scholarship amount shall be considered as a loan to the recipient and interest at the rate of nine and one-half percent (9.5%) per year shall be charged on the unpaid balance of the amount received from the date the recipient ceases to teach until the amount received has been paid back to the state. For each year, up to eight (8) years, that the recipient teaches in a Missouri public elementary or secondary school, one-eighth (1/8) of the amount received under the scholarship program shall be applied against the total amount received and shall not be subject to repayment.

(17) The amount received (plus interest) shall be repaid to the state within five (5) years of the date of default; except that repayment shall not be triggered for a period of not more than:

(A) One (1) year by a recipient's returning to full-time study after two (2) years of teaching in a Missouri public elementary or secondary school; or

(B) One (1) semester by a recipient's requesting and receiving maternity leave from a Missouri public school district if the recipient returns to a teaching position in a Missouri public elementary or secondary school following this interruption of employment.

(18) The obligation to teach on a full-time basis in a Missouri public elementary or secondary school with a higher than average “at-risk student population” for a period of eight (8) years following certification shall not be altered by any such moratorium on the requirement to repay the scholarship funds.

AUTHORITY:  sections 161.092 and 173.232, RSMo Supp. 2007.  Original rule filed Jan. 18, 2008.

PUBLIC COST:  This proposed rule is estimated to cost the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education one hundred sixty-nine thousand seven hundred fifty dollars ($169,750), after the governor’s three percent (3%) reserve, with the cost recurring annually for the life of the rule based upon yearly appropriations from the General Assembly.

PRIVATE COST:  This proposed rule will not cost private entities more than five hundred dollars ($500) in the aggregate. 

NOTICE TO SUBMIT COMMENTS:  Anyone may file a statement in support of or in opposition to this proposed rule with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Educator Recruitment and Retention, ATTN:  Rosalyn Wieberg, PO Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0480.  To be considered, comments must be received within thirty (30) days after publication of this notice in the Missouri Register.  No public hearing is scheduled. 

FISCAL NOTE
PUBLIC COST

I.  RULE NUMBER

Department Title: 5 - Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Division Title:      80 - Teacher Quality and Urban Education                     

Chapter Title:       860 - Scholarships and Financial Aid

II.  SUMMARY OF FISCAL IMPACT

III.  WORKSHEET

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education administers the Urban Flight and Rural Needs Scholarship Program.  The scholarship program provides financial assistance to students who make a commitment to a teaching career and who enroll in a college program leading to certification to teach in a Missouri public school with a population which includes a higher than average “at-risk student population.”

IV.  ASSUMPTIONS

Program costs will grow significantly until year four (4) when the costs should begin to level out.  These calculations assume all one hundred (100) scholarships are appropriated each year and that each scholar continues through the program until the fourth year, meeting all requirements for eligibility.  We have chosen the University of Missouri-Columbia to represent an average of tuition and fees for Missouri’s eligible two (2)-year and four (4)-year colleges and universities; although it should be noted that costs can greatly exceed or be somewhat below this level.  We further assume a three percent (3%) increase in tuition and fees in subsequent years.

PDF Forms that are included in rule:

Agreement Form for the Urban Flight and Rural Needs Scholarship

For more information regarding this rule, please contact
Educator Recruitment and Retention Section at (573) 751-1668.