This bill would amend Part 7 of Article 7 of Chapter 3 of Title 20 of the O.C.G.A. to restore the former HOPE teacher’s scholarship, the PROMISE teacher’s scholarship and the PROMISE II teacher’s scholarship. Teachers would qualify for scholarships to earn a master’s, a specialist’s, or a doctorate in an approved postsecondary institution (approved by the PSC). It adds to exiting definitions a “critical shortage field,” “HOPE teacher’s scholarship,” “Mandatory fees,” “PROMISE teacher’s scholarship,” and “PROMISE II teacher’s scholarship.”

Eligibility for PROMISE undergraduates would consist of:

1. Being admitted and enrolled as a full-time or part-time undergraduate in an eligible postsecondary institution maintaining satisfactory progress according to Title IV programs;

2. Having earned a cumulative 3.0 as a junior or senior;

3. Being accepted into an approved teacher education program in Georgia leading to initial certification;

4. Agreeing to teach in a public school, K-12, for one academic year for each $1,500 in a PROMISE scholarship, with repayment in cash if not completed;

A student would lose eligibility for any of the scholarships if enrollment is terminated. The program would be subject to funding by the General Assembly and provisions regarding the shortfall reserve, and no student would receive more than $6,000.00 for the junior and senior years, as defined in the bill.

Eligibility for PROMISE graduate programs would include:

1. Meeting Georgia residency requirements;

2. Being admitted into graduate school and into an advanced degree or approved critical shortage field leading to certification;

3. Being one of the following:

a. Working in a public or private accredited school in Georgia, holding a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, and seeking an advanced degree in his/her current field or a critical shortage field;

b. Working in a public or private accredited school in Georgia, seeking to complete an approved program in a critical shortage field for which degree programs are not generally offered;

4. Agreeing to each in a public K-12 school for one academic year for each $2,500.00 in HOPE funds awarded, with repayment in cash if not completed.

The program must be completed in 5 years of the beginning of the scholarship, and a teacher cannot be absent for the program for more than 12 months. The maximum amount toward the advanced degree could not 4exceed $10,000.00.

The following persons would not be eligible:

1. Holding an advanced degree in a critical shortage field and seeking an advanced degree in a new critical shortage field;

2. Holding a doctorate recognized by the PSC as Level 7; or

3. Being ineligible to hold a certificate by the PSC.

Paraprofessionals could be eligible for a PROMISE II scholarship in much the same way as an undergraduate, but the scholarship could not exceed the cost of tuition, mandatory fees, and a book allowance not to exceed $100.00 per quarter or $150 per semester in a University System institution and not to exceed $3000.00 for students attending private colleges or universities. A maximum of 30 semester or 45 quarter hours would be eligible, pending General Assembly appropriations.