HB 419

Abstract

Virginia Diverse Educator Scholarship Fund and Program established. Establishes the Virginia Diverse Educator Scholarship Fund and Program, to be administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, for the purpose of annually providing to each Historically Black College or University in the Commonwealth (Hampton University, Norfolk State University, Virginia State University, and Virginia Union University) such sums as are necessary for each such institution to annually provide scholarships on a competitive basis to no more than two students who (i) identify as African American, Asian, Hispanic or Latino, Native American or Native Alaskan, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; (ii) are accepted to or enrolled in such institution's education preparation program; and (iii) are eligible for a federal Pell Grant to attend such institution. The bill provides that each such scholarship would consist of the following sums: (a) the cost of tuition, mandatory fees, room and board, and textbooks at such institution; (b) the recipient's teacher licensure fees; (c) $5,000 toward teacher professional development activities for the recipient, including coursework, seminars, and conferences; and (d) $10,000 toward mentorship of the recipient by an experienced teacher who is deemed by the relevant school board to be highly effective and able to provide high quality mentorship. The bill requires each student who is awarded a scholarship pursuant to the Program to agree in writing to (1) teach in a public elementary or secondary school in the Commonwealth in which at least 75 percent of the enrolled students qualify for free or reduced price lunch or are members of families whose income is below the federal poverty guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services upon graduation for a period that is at least as long as the period during which the recipient used scholarship funds to attend a Historically Black College or University and (2) be mentored by an experienced teacher, as described in clause (d), during such period of employment.

Virginia Diverse Educator Scholarship Fund and Programestablished. Establishes the Virginia Diverse Educator Scholarship Fund andProgram, to be administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia,for the purpose of annually providing to each Historically Black College orUniversity in the Commonwealth (Hampton University, Norfolk State University,Virginia State University, and Virginia Union University) such sums as arenecessary for each such institution to annually provide scholarships on acompetitive basis to no more than two students who (i) identify as AfricanAmerican, Asian, Hispanic or Latino, Native American or Native Alaskan, orNative Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; (ii) are accepted to or enrolled in suchinstitution's education preparation program; and (iii) are eligible for afederal Pell Grant to attend such institution. The bill provides that each suchscholarship would consist of the following sums: (a) the cost of tuition,mandatory fees, room and board, and textbooks at such institution; (b) therecipient's teacher licensure fees; (c) $5,000 toward teacher professionaldevelopment activities for the recipient, including coursework, seminars, andconferences; and (d) $10,000 toward mentorship of the recipient by anexperienced teacher who is deemed by the relevant school board to be highlyeffective and able to provide high quality mentorship. The bill requires eachstudent who is awarded a scholarship pursuant to the Program to agree inwriting to (1) teach in a public elementary or secondary school in theCommonwealth in which at least half of the enrolled students qualify for freeor reduced price lunch or are members of families whose income is below thefederal poverty guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Health andHuman Services upon graduation for a period that is at least as long as theperiod during which the recipient used scholarship funds to attend aHistorically Black College or University and (2) be mentored by an experiencedteacher, as described in clause (d), during such period of employment.