School administrators loan fund.

WORKING DRAFT
2006
STATE OF WYOMING
06LSO-0472.E1

SENATE FILE
NO.
SF0109

School administrators loan fund.

Sponsored by:
Senator(s) Job and Representative(s) Wasserburger

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to higher education; establishing a loan program for teachers to pursue education at the University of Wyoming to be certified as school administrators; specifying terms and conditions of the loan program; requiring annual report from loan recipients; providing an appropriation; and providing for an effective date.

Be it Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.

W.S. 21
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116 is created to read:

21
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17
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116.

Wyoming school administrators loan fund created; eligibility criteria; procedures; reports.

(a)

There is created the Wyoming school administrators loan fund which shall be administered by the Wyoming community college commission. The purpose of the loan fund is to increase the number of persons qualified to serve as administrators in Wyoming public education. Eligible loan applicants shall be residents of this state who are employed by a Wyoming school district, who have at least three (3) years of experience in Wyoming public education and who were not enrolled in a program specified under paragraphs (b)(i) through (iii) of this section before summer semester 2006.

(b)

To qualify for a loan under this section, the applicant shall be accepted into one (1) of the following programs within the college of education at the university:

(i)

Principal endorsement program;

(ii)

Master's degree program for principal preparation; or

(iii)

Doctoral degree program in education leadership.

(c)

Subject to the availability of funds appropriated for this program, loans shall be granted to applicants subject to the following:

(i)

Loans shall be awarded by the commission upon the decision of a committee appointed by the dean of the university's college of education for that purpose. The committee in making its decision shall consider the extent of the applicant's employment experience in education and the applicant's interest in pursuing a career in educational administration in Wyoming as demonstrated by relevant experience and activities;

(ii)

The amount of each loan shall be one hundred dollars ($100.00) for each course credit hour in which the recipient is enrolled in a program specified under paragraphs (b)(i) through (iii) of this section, but shall not exceed:

(A)

For the principal endorsement program, eighteen (18) credit hours during a two (2) year period;

(B)

For the master's degree program for principal preparation, thirty-three (33) credit hours during a three (3) year period; and

(C)

For the doctoral degree program in education leadership, forty-five (45) credit hours during a five (5) year period.

(iii)

Recipients shall be required to make continual satisfactory progress toward completion of the selected degree program.

(d)

Funding of the loan program established under this section shall be by appropriation of the legislature. The commission shall make commitments of the loan funds to students only to the extent that the available appropriations are sufficient to fund all anticipated annual loan payments to the student for the periods specified in paragraph (c)(ii) of this section.

(e)

Students who receive a loan under this section shall report annually not later than July 1 to the commission for two (2) calendar years for endorsement program students, three (3) calendar years for master's degree students and five (5) calendar years for doctoral students, following the calendar year in which the recipient completes the program, regarding the extent to which the program has enabled the recipient to provide benefits to the students in the Wyoming school district in which they are employed. During the applicable reporting period required under this subsection, loan recipients shall report their failure to be employed by a Wyoming school district not later than thirty (30) days after such employment ceases.

(f)

A recipient of a loan under this section shall commence cash repayment of the loan within forty-five (45) days after:

(i)

Leaving the academic program without completion of the degree program for which the loan was provided;

(ii)

Failing to submit the required report under subsection (e) of this section; or

(iii)

Failure to remain employed by a Wyoming school district during the applicable reporting period required under subsection (e) of this section.

(g)

Loan repayment options under this section may be deferred for a period not to exceed five (5) years while a loan recipient is serving on full-time active duty with any military branch of the military services of the United States.

(h)

The Wyoming community college commission shall have the powers and duties specified under W.S. 21
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202 to implement this section and shall establish terms and conditions of loans issued under this section, including:

(i)

Interest rates and loan terms;

(ii)

The form and process for loan application, review and award;

(iii)

Criteria under which students may be relieved from having to repay loans and interest thereon, in whole or in part, where the requirement to repay would cause undue hardship.

(j)

The commission shall transfer approved loan amounts to the University of Wyoming for administration by its financial aid office.

(k)

Cash repayment of loans and interest shall be credited to an account administered by the commission and are continuously appropriated to the commission to be used exclusively for loans and the cost of loan administration under this section.

(m)

The commission shall annually review the loan program established under this section and report to the governor and the legislature in accordance with W.S. 9
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1014, regarding program results, funds received and the status of all outstanding loan commitments and repayments under the program.

Section 2.

There is appropriated two hundred forty thousand dollars ($240,000.00) from the general fund to the Wyoming community college commission to implement this act. Not more than five percent (5%) of the amount appropriated under this section may be used by the Wyoming community college commission for the administration of the program, including expenses of the commission and loan administration fees.

Section 3.

This act is effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.

(END)

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SF0109