Section 23.295 - [Effective 11/14/2024] Provisions Specific to Teachers Who Established Eligibility for the Program Based on an Application Submitted Prior to September 1, 2023(a) Applicant Eligibility. Notwithstanding § 23.288(a) of this subchapter (relating to Applicant Eligibility), to be eligible to receive loan repayment assistance funds, a teacher who first established eligibility for the Program based on an application submitted prior to September 1, 2023, must: (1) submit a completed application, including any requested documents, to the Coordinating Board by the established deadline posted on the Program web page;(3) have completed an undergraduate or graduate program in mathematics or science;(4) have earned a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a four-point scale, or the equivalent, at the institution from which the teacher graduated;(5) be certified under the Texas Education Code, chapter 21, subchapter B, to teach mathematics or science in a Texas public school;(6) have been employed as either: (A) a full-time classroom teacher teaching mathematics or science in a Title I school for one to eight consecutive service periods, unless a break in service periods has occurred as a result of the circumstances described in subsection (b) of this section; or(B) a full-time classroom teacher teaching math or science in a public school for one to four consecutive service periods following, with no break in service periods, four or more consecutive service periods of employment as a full-time classroom teacher teaching mathematics or science in a Title I school, unless a break in service periods has occurred as a result of the circumstances described in subsection (b) of this section; and (7) enter into an agreement or have an agreement on file with the Coordinating Board that includes the following provisions: (A) the applicant will accept an offer of continued employment to teach mathematics or science, as applicable based on the teacher's certification, for an average of at least four hours each school day in a Title I school, for four consecutive years, beginning with the previous school year at the time of the application for enrollment in the Program;(B) the applicant may complete up to four additional consecutive school years teaching mathematics or science, as applicable based on the teacher's certification, for an average of at least four hours each school day in any Texas public school, beginning with the school year immediately following the last of the four consecutive school years described by paragraph (6)(A) of this subsection; and(C) the applicant understands that loan repayment assistance grants are contingent on available funding received, the Coordinating Board may make a financial commitment only based on funds that have been appropriated for each two-year state budget period, and the teacher will be released from the teaching obligation for any year of employment for which funds are not available.(b) Although funding limitations may require the Coordinating Board to exercise the ranking priorities established in § 23.289 of this title (relating to Applicant Ranking Priorities) a teacher who established eligibility for the Program based on an application submitted prior to September 1, 2023, shall not lose Program eligibility due to failure to meet the consecutive years of qualifying employment requirement if the break in employment service is a result of the person's: (1) full-time enrollment in a course of study related to the field of teaching that is approved by the State Board for Educator Certification and provided by a Texas institution of higher education, as defined in Texas Education Code, § 61.003;(2) service on active duty as a member of the armed forces of the United States, including as a member of a reserve or National Guard unit called for active duty;(3) temporary total disability for a period of not more than thirty-six months as established by the affidavit of a qualified physician;(4) inability to secure employment as required in a Title I school for a period not to exceed twelve months, because of care required by a disabled spouse or child; or (5) inability, despite reasonable efforts, to secure, for a single period not to exceed twelve months, employment in a Title I school.(c) Limitation. A teacher who first established eligibility for the Program based on an application submitted prior to September 1, 2023, who transfers to a Texas public school that is not a Title I school after completing four consecutive years of employment at a Title I school may qualify for no more than 75 percent of the annual award amount established for the fiscal year.19 Tex. Admin. Code § 23.295
Adopted by Texas Register, Volume 49, Number 45, November 8, 2024, TexReg 8910, eff. 11/14/2024