Sec. 10a-168a. Minority teacher incentive program.
Sec. 10a-168b. Minority educator loan reimbursement grant program.
Sec. 10a-174. Debt-free community college program.
Sec. 10a-168a. Minority teacher incentive program. (a) There is established a Connecticut minority teacher incentive program administered by the Office of Higher Education, of which the minority educator loan reimbursement grant program established pursuant to section 10a-168b shall be a component part.
(b) Within available appropriations, the program shall provide grants to minority students (1) in teacher education programs for their junior or senior year, or both such years, at any four-year institution of higher education, (2) completing the requirements of such a teacher education program as a graduate student, provided such student received a grant pursuant to this section for one year at the undergraduate level, or (3) enrolled in the alternate route to certification program administered through the Office of Higher Education or the Department of Education. No student shall receive a grant under the program for more than two years. Maximum grants shall not exceed five thousand dollars per year. The office shall ensure that at least ten per cent of the grant recipients are minority students who transfer from a Connecticut regional community-technical college.
(c) The Office of Higher Education may accept gifts, grants and donations, from any source, public or private, for the Connecticut minority teacher incentive program.
(P.A. 98-168, S. 13, 26; 98-252, S. 65, 80; P.A. 00-220, S. 37, 43; P.A. 01-173, S. 37, 67; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-1, S. 8, 54; P.A. 11-48, S. 268; 11-61, S. 109; P.A. 12-156, S. 56; P.A. 19-117, S. 263.)
History: P.A. 98-168 effective July 1, 1998; P.A. 98-252 removed the limitation on the program to students in “public” institutions of higher education, effective June 8, 1998; P.A. 00-220 amended Subsec. (b) to remove a cap on the number of students who may receive grants, effective July 1, 2000; P.A. 01-173 amended Subsec. (e) to extend the use of funds to the fiscal years ending June 30, 2001, and June 30, 2002, and to reduce percentage from 5% to 2%, effective July 6, 2001; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 01-1 amended Subsec. (b) to designate portions of existing provisions as Subdivs. (1) and (3), to add Subdiv. (2) re graduate students and to make technical changes, effective July 1, 2001; P.A. 11-48 amended Subsecs. (a), (b) and (e) to replace “Department of Higher Education” and “department” with “Office of Financial and Academic Affairs for Higher Education” and “office”, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 11-61 deleted former Subsec. (e) re use of up to 2% of appropriated funds for program administration, effective July 1, 2011; pursuant to P.A. 12-156, “Office of Financial and Academic Affairs for Higher Education” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Office of Higher Education” in Subsecs. (a) and (b), effective June 15, 2012; P.A. 19-117 amended Subsec. (a) by adding “, of which the minority educator loan reimbursement grant program established pursuant to section 10a-168b shall be a component part”, amended Subsec. (b) by adding “or the Department of Education”, deleted former Subsecs. (c) and (d) re reimbursement of educational loans and combined dollar value of grants and loans, respectively, and added new Subsec. (c) re office may accept gifts, grants and donations for program, effective July 1, 2019.
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Sec. 10a-168b. Minority educator loan reimbursement grant program. (a) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Office of Higher Education, in collaboration with the Minority Teacher Recruitment Policy Oversight Council, established pursuant to section 10-156bb, and the minority teacher recruitment task force, established pursuant to section 10-156aa, shall, within available appropriations, administer a minority educator loan reimbursement grant program for persons who meet the eligibility requirements described in subsection (b) of this section.
(b) The program shall provide student loan reimbursement grants to any person who (1) is defined as a minority pursuant to section 10-155l, (2) holds professional certification pursuant to chapter 166, and (3) is employed as an administrator or a teacher by a local or regional board of education.
(c) Any person who satisfies the eligibility requirements prescribed in subsection (b) of this section may receive an annual grant for reimbursement of federal or state educational loans (1) in an amount up to ten per cent of such person's federal or state educational loans but that does not exceed five thousand dollars in any year, and (2) for a period not to exceed ten years. Such person shall only be reimbursed for loan payments made while such person is employed by a local or regional board of education.
(d) Persons may apply to the Office of Higher Education for grants under this section at such time and in such manner as the executive director of the Office of Higher Education prescribes.
(e) Any unexpended funds appropriated for purposes of this section shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal year but shall be available for expenditure during the next fiscal year.
(f) The Office of Higher Education may accept gifts, grants and donations, from any source, public or private, for the minority educator loan reimbursement grant program.
(P.A. 19-117, S. 262.)
History: P.A. 19-117 effective July 1, 2019.
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Sec. 10a-174. Debt-free community college program. (a) As used in this section:
(1) “Award” means the greater of: (A) The unpaid portion, if any, of a qualifying student's eligible institutional costs after subtracting his or her financial aid, or (B) a minimum award of two hundred fifty dollars;
(2) “Eligible institutional costs” means the tuition and required fees incurred each semester by an individual student that are established by the Board of Regents for Higher Education for the regional community-technical colleges;
(3) “Financial aid” means the sum of all scholarships, grants and federal, state and institutional aid received by a qualifying student. “Financial aid” does not include any federal, state or private student loans received by a qualifying student;
(4) “Qualifying student” means any person who (A) graduated from a public or nonpublic high school in the state, (B) enrolls as a full-time student for the fall semester of 2020, or any semester thereafter, for the first time at a regional community-technical college in a program leading to a degree or certificate and continues to be enrolled as a full-time student at a regional community-technical college, (C) is classified as an in-state student pursuant to section 10a-29, (D) is making satisfactory academic progress while enrolled at a regional community-technical college, (E) has completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and (F) has accepted all available financial aid;
(5) “Full-time student” means a student who is enrolled at a regional community-technical college and (A) is carrying twelve or more credit hours in a semester, or (B) has a learning disability documented with the regional community-technical college in which he or she is enrolled and is enrolled in the maximum number of credit hours that is feasible for such student to attempt in a semester, as determined by such student's academic advisor; and
(6) “Semester” means the fall or spring semester of an academic year. “Semester” does not include a summer semester or session.
(b) Not later than January 1, 2020, the Board of Regents for Higher Education shall (1) establish a debt-free community college program to make awards to qualifying students each semester, (2) adopt rules, procedures and forms necessary to implement the debt-free community college program, and (3) submit a report outlining such rules, procedures and forms, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher education.
(c) For the fall semester of 2020, and each semester thereafter, the Board of Regents for Higher Education shall make awards to qualifying students within available appropriations. An award shall be available to a qualifying student for the first seventy-two credit hours earned by the qualifying student during the first thirty-six months that such student is enrolled at a regional community-technical college, provided the qualifying student meets and continues to meet the requirements of this section. The board shall not use an award to supplant any financial aid, including, but not limited to, state or institutional aid, otherwise available to a qualifying student.
(d) (1) Any qualifying student who takes an administratively approved medical or personal leave of absence from a regional community-technical college may continue to qualify for the debt-free community college program upon resuming his or her enrollment as a full-time student at a regional community-technical college, provided such student continues to meet the requirements of this section upon reenrollment and the total amount of time of all approved leaves of absence does not exceed six months.
(2) Any qualifying student who is a member of the armed forces called to active duty during any semester may continue to qualify for the debt-free community college program upon resuming his or her enrollment as a full-time student at a regional community-technical college, provided such student (A) continues to meet the requirements of this section upon reenrollment, and (B) reenrolls not later than four years after the date on which such student is released from active duty.
(e) Not later than March 1, 2021, and October 1, 2021, and each semester thereafter, the Board of Regents for Higher Education shall report, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to higher education and employment advancement and appropriations regarding the debt-free community college program, including, but not limited to, (1) the number of qualifying students enrolled at the regional community-technical colleges during each semester, (2) the number of qualifying students receiving minimum awards and the number of qualifying students receiving awards for the unpaid portion of eligible institutional costs, (3) the average number of credit hours the qualifying students enrolled in each semester and the average number of credit hours the qualifying students completed each semester, (4) the average amount of the award made to qualifying students under this section for the unpaid portion of eligible institutional costs, and (5) the completion rates of qualifying students receiving awards under this section by degree or certificate program.
(P.A. 19-117, S. 362.)
History: P.A. 19-117 effective July 1, 2019.
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