AN ACT relating to teacher scholarships.

UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 342
Page 1 of 4
XXXX 2/25/2026 7:10 PM Jacketed
AN ACT relating to teacher scholarships. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
SECTION 1. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 164 IS CREATED TO 3
READ AS FOLLOWS: 4
(1) The General Assembly hereby establishes the Promise Program to assist 5
individuals to become certified Kentucky teachers and render teaching service in 6
Kentucky schools. 7
(2) For purposes of this section, the terms listed below shall have the following 8
meanings: 9
(a) "Authority" means the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority; 10
(b) "Eligible program of study" means an undergraduate or graduate program 11
of study which is preparatory to teacher certification; 12
(c) "Eligible student" means a student who: 13
1. Is a citizen or permanent resident of the United States; 14
2. Is a Kentucky resident , as determined by the participating institution 15
in accordance with criteria established by the Council on 16
Postsecondary Education for the purposes of admission and tuition 17
assessment; 18
3. Is enrolled at a participating institution; 19
4. Scored in the top twe nty-five percent (25%) of all Kentucky students 20
on the college admissions examination administered in the spring of 21
grade eleven (11) as required by KRS 158.6453; and 22
5. Meets any other criteria established in administrative regulation 23
promulgated by the authority; 24
(d) "Participating institution" means an institution of higher education located 25
in Kentucky which offers an eligible program of study and has in force an 26
agreement with the authority providing for administration of this program; 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 342
Page 2 of 4
XXXX 2/25/2026 7:10 PM Jacketed
and 1
(e) "Qualified teaching service" means teaching the major portion of each 2
school day for at least eighty (80) days each semester in a public school of 3
the Commonwealth while satisfying a one (1) year contract, except that an 4
individual having a disability as defined i n Title II of the Americans with 5
Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. sec. 12131 et seq., or serious and extended 6
illness, whose disability or illness, certified by a licensed physician, prevents 7
that individual from teaching a major portion of each school day, sha ll be 8
deemed to perform qualified teaching service by teaching the maximum 9
time permitted by their attending physician. 10
(3) The authority may, to the extent of appropriations and other funds available to it 11
pursuant to subsection (8) of this section, award promise awards to eligible 12
students pursuant to subsection (4) of this section, who initially demonstrate 13
financial need in accordance with standards and criteria established by the 14
authority. Each promise award shall be evidenced by a promissory note tha t 15
requires repayment or cancellation pursuant to subsection (5) of this section. 16
(4) Promise awards shall be provided to eligible students accepted into an eligible 17
program of study. To the extent funds are available, the authority shall provide 18
eligible s tudents a maximum award of up to the highest tuition charged by a 19
Kentucky public university for full -time enrollment in an undergraduate 20
program, not to exceed the applicant's total cost of attendance minus other 21
financial assistance received or expected to be received by the applicant during 22
the academic period. 23
(5) (a) The authority shall disburse promise awards to eligible students who agree 24
to render qualified teaching service as certified teachers and are 25
unconditionally admitted and enrolled in an eligible program of study. 26
(b) A promise award shall not be provided or a promissory note cancellation 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 342
Page 3 of 4
XXXX 2/25/2026 7:10 PM Jacketed
shall not be granted to any person who is in default on any obligation to the 1
authority under any program administered by the authority pursuant to 2
KRS 164 .740 to 164.7870 until financial obligations to the authority are 3
satisfied, except that ineligibility for this reason may be waived by the 4
authority for cause. 5
(c) Recipients shall render five (5) years of qualified teaching service with no 6
accrual of interest or payment due on the amount of promise awards. At the 7
completion of each year of qualified teaching service, twenty percent (20%) 8
of the initial promise award shall be cancelled. 9
(d) If the recipient of a promise award fails to complete an eligible program of 10
study at a participating institution or fails to render qualified teaching 11
service, unless the failure is temporarily waived for cause by the authority, 12
the recipient shall immediately become liable to the authority for repayment 13
of the sum of a ll outstanding promissory notes and interest accrued. 14
Persons liable for repayment of awards under this paragraph shall be liable 15
for interest accruing from the date on which the recipient ceases to be 16
enrolled in an eligible program of study and ceases qu alified teaching 17
service. 18
(e) The authority shall establish, by administrative regulation, the terms and 19
conditions for the award, cancellation, and repayment of promise 20
scholarships, including but not limited to the selection criteria, eligibility for 21
renewal awards, amount of scholarship payments, deferments, the rate of 22
repayment, and the interest rate thereon. 23
(f) Notwithstanding any other statute to the contrary, the maximum interest 24
rate applicable to repayment of a promissory note under this section shall be 25
eight percent (8%) per annum, except that if a judgment is rendered to 26
recover payment, the judgment shall bear interest at the rate of five percent 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 342
Page 4 of 4
XXXX 2/25/2026 7:10 PM Jacketed
(5%) greater than the rate actually charged on the promissory note. 1
(6) A repayment obligation imposed by this section shall not be voidable by reason of 2
the age of the recipient at the time of receiving the promise award. 3
(7) Failure to meet repayment obligations imposed by this section shall be cause for 4
the revocation of a person's teaching certific ate, subject to the procedures set 5
forth in KRS 161.120. 6
(8) All moneys repaid to the authority under this section shall be added to the 7
appropriations made for purposes of this section, and the funds and unobligated 8
appropriations shall not lapse. 9
(9) The authority may execute appropriate contracts and promissory notes for 10
administering this section. 11
(10) (a) Notwithstanding any other statute to the contrary, if available funds are 12
insufficient for all requested awards for eligible students during any fisc al 13
year, the authority shall give priority consideration to eligible students who 14
previously received promise awards. If funds are insufficient to make all 15
requested renewal awards to eligible students, the authority shall reduce all 16
awards to the extent n ecessary to provide awards to all qualified renewal 17
students. 18
(b) If after awarding to all eligible renewal students, funds are not depleted, 19
initial eligible students shall be ranked according to regulatory selection 20
criteria, which may include applicati on date, and awards shall be made to 21
eligible students until funds are depleted. 22
(11) The authority shall submit a report on the number of promise awards provided in 23
each fiscal year, the program of study in which recipients are enrolled, recipient 24
retention rates, total number of applications, and scholarship recruitment 25
strategies to the Legislative Research Commission for referral to the Interim 26
Joint Committee on Postsecondary Education by December 1 of each year. 27