HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 2354

BYRepresentatives G. Fisher, Betrozoff, Peery, Holland, Dorn, Brumsickle, P. King, Basich, Ferguson, Jacobsen, Wineberry, Winsley, Schoon, Wang and Van Luven; by request of  Superintendent of Public Instruction

Creating the Pacific Rim language teachers conditional scholarship program.

House Committe on Higher Education

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (11)

      Signed by Representatives Jacobsen, Chair; Spanel, Vice Chair; Van Luven, Ranking Republican Member; Bennett, Doty, Fraser, Heavey, Jesernig, Miller, Prince and Rector.

House Staff:Susan Hosch (786-7120)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION JANUARY 31, 1990

BACKGROUND:

Washington has one program designed to attract outstanding students into the teaching profession. Participants in the Future Teachers Conditional Scholarship Program receive $3,000 per year, for a maximum of five years.  These students must be enrolled in a program that will permit them to receive either initial teaching certification or an additional endorsement.

Participants must repay the scholarship amounts, with interest, unless they teach for 10 years in the public schools of the state.  Recipients who teach have one year of the required repayment forgiven for each year that they teach.

Using this program as a model, the Legislature created a program to attract outstanding people into the state's nursing profession.  Other legislation has been proposed to create forgivable loan and conditional scholarship programs designed to attract outstanding students into the teaching and health care professions.

SUMMARY:

SUBSTITUTE BILL:  The Pacific Rim Language Teachers Conditional Scholarship Program is established.  The program will be administered by the Higher Education Coordinating Board.  The board's program responsibilities include selecting recipients, adopting rules and guidelines, and publicizing the program.  The board will collect and manage repayments from students who do not teach, and solicit and accept donations and grants.

The board will convene a committee to develop criteria for screening and selecting scholarship recipients. The criteria will emphasize the recipient's proficiency in a Pacific Rim language.  They will also emphasize the student's expressed intention to teach in one of several areas.  These areas include teaching either a Pacific Rim language, or English as a second language.  Recipients may also choose to teach in a migrant education program, or teach classes to students who speak Pacific Rim languages.

Conditional scholarships may be granted from appropriated funds, private donations, or from moneys received from any source for the program.  Conditional scholarships are limited to $3,000 per student per year. Students are eligible to continue receiving conditional scholarships for a maximum of five years.

Student eligibility criteria is outlined. Recipients must be resident students taking 10 or more credit hours at an institution of higher education that is accredited by the board and is located in the state.  Recipients must have a declared intention to complete a program leading to initial teaching certification or to an additional endorsement.  Recipients must also either be proficient in or majoring in a Pacific Rim language.  Pacific Rim language includes, but is not limited to Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Spanish.

Students awarded a conditional scholarship under this program incur an obligation to repay it one of two ways.  Recipients must either teach for 10 years in the public schools of the state, or repay the award, with interest, over a 10 year period.  The repayment period begins nine months after the participant finishes or discontinues his or her education.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction is directed to encourage school districts to establish teacher exchange programs with schools in Pacific Rim nations.

SUBSTITUTE BILL COMPARED TO ORIGINAL:  Students will teach for 10 years, rather than five years, to meet their repayment obligation.

Appropriation:    $150,000 to the Higher Education Coordinating Board for the program.

Fiscal Note:      Available.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Rep. Greg Fisher, prime sponsor; and Perry Keithley, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

House Committee - Testified Against:      No one.

House Committee - Testimony For:    Many school districts would like to offer their students a greater selection of Pacific Rim languages, but teachers who can help students to learn those languages are not available. Creation of this program will increase the number of teachers who can teach the languages of Pacific Rim nations.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None.