Relating to the establishment of the Texas Teacher Recruitment Scholarship Program.

89(R) HB 2249 - Engrossed version - Bill Text

By: Bernal, Buckley

H.B. No. 2249

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the establishment of the Texas Teacher Recruitment

Scholarship Program.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Education Code, is amended by adding

Subchapter QQ to read as follows:

SUBCHAPTER QQ. TEXAS TEACHER RECRUITMENT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Sec.

61.9981.

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM; SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT. (a)

The board shall establish and administer, in accordance with this

subchapter and board rules, the Texas Teacher Recruitment

Scholarship Program under which the board provides an annual

conditional scholarship to a student who meets the eligibility

criteria prescribed by Section 61.9983 and is nominated to receive

a scholarship.

(b)

The total amount of a scholarship awarded under this

subchapter may not exceed the lesser of:

(1)

$40,000, to be disbursed at a rate of $10,000 per

academic year for four academic years; or

(2)

an amount equivalent to the tuition and fees for

four academic years, to be disbursed at a rate of one quarter of

the

amount per academic year for four academic years.

Sec.

61.9982.

REPAYMENT ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED.

If a

student awarded a scholarship under this subchapter receives a

baccalaureate degree before receiving the total amount of the

scholarship, the board shall use the student's remaining

scholarship funds to provide assistance in the repayment of the

student's outstanding education loans, if applicable.

Sec.

61.9983.

ELIGIBILITY; NOMINATION AND SELECTION. (a)

To receive an initial scholarship under this subchapter, a student

must:

(1)

be enrolled at a public or private institution of

higher education in this state;

(2)

be enrolled in a university program that

culminates in a baccalaureate degree and prepares a student for the

examination required to obtain an educator certification issued

under Subchapter B, Chapter 21;

(3)

be nominated to receive a scholarship by the

institution of higher education at which the student is enrolled

under Subdivision (1); and

(4)

enter into an agreement with the board under

Section 61.9984.

(a-1)

A nomination of a student to receive a scholarship

under this subchapter shall be made without regard to the race,

color, disability, sex, religion, age, or national origin of the

student.

(b)

For a student to continue to receive a scholarship

awarded under this subchapter, the student must maintain

satisfactory academic progress as determined by the institution at

which the student is enrolled.

Sec.

61.9984.

AGREEMENT REQUIREMENTS. (a)

To receive a

scholarship under this subchapter, a student must enter into an

agreement with the board as provided by this section.

The agreement

must require the student to:

(1)

enroll in and complete a university program that

culminates in a baccalaureate degree and prepares a student for the

examination required to obtain an educator certification issued

under Subchapter B, Chapter 21;

(2)

obtain an educator certification issued under

Subchapter B, Chapter 21;

(3)

graduate not later than five years after the date

the student first enrolls at a public or private institution of

higher education in this state;

(4)

after graduation, maintain employment as an

educator with a school district or open-enrollment charter school

for the period described by Subsection (b) and annually provide to

the board verification of employment during the applicable period;

and

(5) agree to repay the scholarship if the student:

(A)

fails to maintain satisfactory academic

progress;

(B) withdraws from the scholarship program; or

(C)

fails to fulfill the employment requirement

described by Subdivision (4) and Subsection (b).

(b)

Each student who receives a scholarship under this

subchapter is required to maintain employment as an educator in

accordance with Subsection (a)(4) for a period of five years,

except that a student who completes the teacher residency program

established under Subchapter Q, Chapter 21, is required to maintain

employment as an educator in accordance with that subdivision for a

period of only four years.

(c)

The board shall adopt rules to exempt a student from the

repayment of a scholarship under an agreement entered into under

this section if the student is unable to meet the obligations of the

agreement due to extraordinary circumstances.

Sec.

61.9985.

RULES. The board shall adopt rules as

necessary for the administration of this subchapter, including

rules regarding the eligibility criteria, the selection of

scholarship recipients, and the repayment of student loans under

Section 61.9982.

Sec.

61.9986.

LIMITATION ON SCHOLARSHIP. A person may not

receive a scholarship under this subchapter after earning a

cumulative total of 150 credit hours or after being awarded a

baccalaureate degree, whichever occurs first.

Sec.

61.9987.

FUNDING. The board shall administer this

subchapter using available appropriations and gifts, grants, and

donations made for the purposes of this subchapter.

SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

shall award scholarships under Subchapter QQ, Chapter 61, Education

Code, as added by this Act, beginning with the 2026-2027 academic

year. The coordinating board shall adopt the rules required by that

subchapter as soon as practicable after this Act takes effect.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives

a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as

provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this

Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this

Act takes effect September 1, 2025.