US Laws, Codes, Statutes & Cases

§ 3416. Purpose.

It is the intent and purpose of the General Assembly through this subchapter to enable and encourage academically talented Delawareans to pursue careers in specific fields identified as areas of need and to encourage students to practice their profession in Delaware. (65 Del. Laws, c. 437, § 1; 73 Del. Laws, c. 188, § 1.)

§ 3417. Awards.

(a) Awards shall be made based on academic merit using criteria established by the Commission.

(b) For the purpose of this section, an award is a loan the repayment of which is forgiven when the borrower is employed in the specified profession required in each program for the specified period of time in accordance with the conditions specified in this section.

(c) Renewal of awards shall be limited to the number of years that constitute the standard full-time completion rate. To be eligible for renewal of an award, the recipient must meet the academic progress standards set by the Commission and communicated in writing to the recipient at the time the initial award is granted.

(d) The Commission may establish and modify interest rates to achieve purposes of the program, but in no case shall the interest rate be less than that charged to students in the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) or its successor.

(e) The interest rate charged to a recipient for his or her initial award shall be constant for subsequent awards for study toward the same degree or certification. (73 Del. Laws, c. 188, § 1.)

§ 3418. Repayment and forgiveness.

(a) The Commission shall determine payment amounts, length of repayment period, and the rate and type of interest to accrue on awards, within the limitations specified in this chapter.

(b) The Commission shall communicate the terms of repayment and interest accrual to the recipient and secure a promissory note from the recipient attesting to the recipient's agreement to such terms at the time the award is made.

(c) Repayment or forgiveness will commence following completion of the program of study and a grace period not to exceed 12 months, or immediately after the student discontinues full-time enrollment or discontinues the specified program of study.

(d) If after 12 months following graduation the recipient is engaged in qualifying employment, no repayment of award principal or interest will be required. The recipient's awards will be forgiven in accordance with the service repayment ratios specified in this chapter and in the order in which they were made.

(e) If during the period of service repayment, the recipient terminates qualifying employment, the recipient will be required to commence repayment of the awards or portions thereof which have not been forgiven at the time qualifying employment was terminated.

(f) If after 12 months following graduation the recipient is not engaged in qualifying employment, the recipient shall be obligated to make monthly payments until the amount of the award and interest on the award from the date of disbursement is paid in full.

(g) If during the period of cash repayment the recipient begins qualifying employment, payments will be deferred and the service repayment ratio specified in this chapter will be applied. Under no circumstances will payments already made by the recipient be reimbursed as a result of obtaining qualifying employment.

(h) The Commission may, in its discretion, grant deferments from repayment in cases of economic hardship, inability to secure qualifying employment, severe or prolonged illness, or other circumstances that can be documented to the satisfaction of the Commission. Such deferments will be limited to periods not to exceed 1 year and only 1 deferment may be granted. The length and terms of a deferment shall be communicated in writing to the recipient.

(i) The Commission may grant a deferment of repayment obligations of up to 1 year to students who have a compelling reason to interrupt coursework temporarily. Students must submit a written request for deferment and provide such documentation as the Commission deems necessary. Interest on the loan will continue to accrue during deferment periods.

(j) A recipient's repayment obligation may be forgiven if the Commission determines that the recipient is unable to meet repayment obligations because of permanent disability or death. The Commission may require such documentation as it deems necessary to verify claims or disability or death, including but not limited to a sworn affidavit from a qualified physician or a death certificate. (65 Del. Laws, c. 437, § 1; 73 Del. Laws, c. 188, § 1; 74 Del. Laws, c. 97, § 2.)

§ 3419. Christa McAuliffe scholarship loans.

(a) Purpose. --

It is the intent and purpose of this program to encourage academically talented Delawareans to pursue teaching careers in Delaware public schools.

(b) Awards. --

(1) Except where there are no equivalent programs of study offered in-state, awards shall be provided for study at Delaware institutions in undergraduate education or programs leading to teacher certification.

(2) Awards may be prorated for students who will be enrolled less than full-time in a qualifying program.

(3) Awards may be renewed to a maximum of the equivalent of 4 full-time awards.

(c) Repayment and forgiveness. --

(1) For purposes of this program, qualifying employment is employment as a teacher in a Delaware public school, whether as an employee of the State, the Department of Education, a school district or an individual school, or as an employee of a private organization providing educational services to Delaware school children under a contract with the State, the Department of Education, a school district or an individual school.

(2) Awards will be forgiven at a rate of 1 year of qualifying employment for 1 year of loan. (65 Del. Laws, c. 437, § 1; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1; 73 Del. Laws, c. 188, § 1; 74 Del. Laws, c. 75, § 1.)

§ 3420. Critical need scholarships.

(a) Purpose -- It is the purpose of this program to reduce the number of Delaware public school teachers who do not hold Standard Certification in their area of instruction by enabling and encouraging those teachers to pursue education that will enable them to become fully certified.

(b) Eligibility --

(1) Eligible applicants are Delaware school districts and charter schools.

(2) Eligible teachers are:

a. Full-time employees of a Delaware school district or a charter school; and

b. Teaching on a temporary, emergency or limited standard certificate; and

c. Teaching in critical need areas as defined by the Department of Education.

(3) Awards will be made on behalf of specific teachers, or if demand exceeds available funding, then allocated among the districts and charter schools on a prorated share of the applicant pool.

(4) Districts and charter schools are authorized to reimburse teachers for all or part of tuition and fees paid for coursework that will enable them to achieve standard certification upon receipt of evidence that the teacher has successfully completed coursework with a grade equivalent of a 2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

(c) Benefit -- Districts and charter schools will receive funding to reimburse eligible teachers (those not certified in the critical need area in which they teach) only for tuition and fees for up to 3 credits per term during the regular academic year. Recipients may attend any accredited college, but reimbursement is not to exceed the cost of 3 credits and fees at the highest-cost Delaware public college.

(d) Awards --

(1) If funding permits, districts and charter schools will receive funding sufficient to allow each eligible teacher for whom a request is made to receive full tuition and fee reimbursement, pursuant to the provisions of subsection (c) of this section, for up to 3 credits in each fall and spring semester. Districts and charter schools must verify course completion with a grade equivalent of a 2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale before reimbursing tuition.

(2) If funding requests exceed the program's appropriation, districts and charter schools will be awarded funds in a prorated share of the applicant pool. (73 Del. Laws, c. 188, § 1; 74 Del. Laws, c. 160, §§ 1-7.)

§ 3421. Delaware Nursing Incentive Program.

(a) Purpose -- It is the intent and purpose of the General Assembly through this subchapter to enable and encourage academically talented Delawareans to pursue nursing careers at State-operated hospitals.

(b) Awards --

(1) Awards shall be provided for undergraduate education at regionally accredited institutions of higher education or accredited hospital schools of nursing for the following objectives:

a. A course of study leading to a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree, if the award recipient is a registered nurse employed by this State, and also has 5 years or more of state service; or

b. For all other recipients, a course of study leading to certification as a registered nurse or practical nurse.

(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, awards may be made available, on a prorated basis, to employees of the State who are enrolled as part-time nursing students.

(3) The Delaware residence requirement shall not apply to any employee of the State who is enrolled as a part-time nursing student and who has 5 or more years of state service.

(c) Repayment and forgiveness --

(1) For the purposes of this program, qualifying employment shall be employment as a licensed practical nurse or a registered nurse at a State-owned hospital or clinic.

(2) Loans will be forgiven at the rate of 1 year of employment for 1 year of loan. (66 Del. Laws, c. 214, § 1; 67 Del. Laws, c. 64, §§ 1-4; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1; 73 Del. Laws, c. 188, § 1.)

§ 3422. Speech/language pathologist incentive loan.

(a) Purpose -- It is the intent and purpose of this program to encourage academically talented Delawareans to pursue careers in speech language pathology in Delaware public schools and in the Part C, Birth to Three Early Intervention System programs.

(b) Awards --

(1) Awards shall be provided for graduate education in programs that will satisfy the educational requirements for Delaware state licensure as a speech/language pathologist.

(2) Awards may be made to applicants who have received a baccalaureate degree and who plan to enroll as full-time students in qualifying programs.

(3) Awards may be made available on a prorated basis to employees either of Delaware's public schools or providers of Part C, Birth to Three Early Intervention System programs and their contractors, and who, in both cases, are enrolled as part-time students in qualifying programs.

(c) Repayment and forgiveness --

(1) For purposes of this program, qualifying employment shall be employment as a licensed speech pathologist either in a Delaware public school or by a provider for programs serving infants and toddlers under Part C, Birth to Three Early Intervention System and their contractors.

(2) Loans will be forgiven at the rate of 2 years of employment for 1 year of loan. (73 Del. Laws, c. 188, § 1; 74 Del. Laws, c. 264, §§ 1-4.)

§ 3423. Professional Librarian and Archivist Incentive Program.

(a) Purpose -- It is the intent and purpose of this program to enable and encourage academically talented Delawareans to pursue careers as librarians and archivists in the public libraries, public school libraries, state agencies and political subdivisions of Delaware.

(b) Awards --

(1) Awards shall be provided for graduate education in master's degree programs of library and information studies that are accredited by the American Library Association.

(2) Preference shall be given to persons currently employed by a Delaware public library, county department of libraries, public school library or state agency library or archive.

(3) Selection criteria may include consideration of community service, academic achievement and financial need.

(c) Repayment and forgiveness --

(1) For purposes of this program, qualifying employment shall be employment as a librarian or archivist in a public library, public school library, state agency or political subdivision in Delaware.

(2) Loans will be forgiven at the rate of 2 years of employment for 1 year of loan. (70 Del. Laws, c. 521, § 1; 71 Del. Laws, c. 132, §§ 381, 382; 73 Del. Laws, c. 188, § 1.)

§ 3424. Optometry scholarship loan.

(a) Purpose -- It is the intent of this program to encourage academically talented students to pursue careers as optometrists in Delaware. This program replaces the Optometric Institutional Aid Program, but does not change or limit the terms of contracts made to individuals under the provisions of the Optometric Institutional Aid Program.

(b) Awards --

(1) Awards shall be made to baccalaureate degree holders who will enroll as full-time students in programs that prepare students for licensure as optometrists in Delaware.

(2) The Commission may limit attendance to one or more designated institutions, or may allow loans to be used at any qualifying college of optometry.

(c) Repayment and forgiveness --

(1) For purposes of this program, qualifying employment shall be the practice of optometry in the State.

(2) Loans will be forgiven at a rate of 1 year of employment for 1 year of loan. (60 Del. Laws, c. 591, §§ 1, 5; 61 Del. Laws, c. 472, § 3; 73 Del. Laws, c. 188, § 1.)

§§ 3430-3434. [Reserved.]