LRBs0385/1
ARG:emw
2015 - 2016 LEGISLATURE
ASSEMBLY SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT 1,
TO ASSEMBLY BILL 793
February 17, 2016 - Offered by Representatives Danou, Hesselbein, Doyle,
Considine, Ohnstad, Spreitzer, Hebl, Pope, Berceau and Kahl.
AB793-ASA1,1,3 1An Act to create 20.235 (1) (fr) and 39.387 of the statutes; relating to: creation
2of a grant program for teachers employed by sparsely populated school districts
3and granting rule-making authority.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, the Higher Educational Aids Board (HEAB) administers
various financial assistance programs to assist teachers. Those programs include
programs under which HEAB provides loans to college students and then forgives
a certain amount of those loans after the loan recipient has been employed as a
teacher in the Milwaukee Public Schools, as a teacher of visually impaired pupils or
as an orientation and mobility instructor in this state, or as a teacher in a school
district in this state in which minority students constitute at least 29 percent of the
membership of the school district.
This substitute amendment creates a rural teacher grant program (grant
program), to be administered by HEAB, to encourage eligible teachers, as defined in
the substitute amendment, to teach in schools operated by eligible school districts,
as defined in the substitute amendment. Under the substitute amendment, 1) an
"eligible school district" is a school district whose membership in the school year
preceding the school year for which a grant is awarded under the grant program
divided by the school district's area in square miles is less than ten; and 2) an "eligible
teacher" is a teacher who teaches in a school operated by an eligible school district.

The substitute amendment requires HEAB to grant financial assistance to an
eligible teacher who is nominated by his or her school district for participation in the
grant program and who submits a claim for that financial assistance after each year
in which the eligible teacher teaches in such a school. The claim must 1) include the
signature of the eligible teacher and of a representative of the school district
employing the eligible teacher certifying that during the period for which financial
assistance is claimed the school district was an eligible school district and the eligible
teacher taught in a school operated by that eligible school district; 2) include a
commitment by the eligible teacher that he or she will use the financial assistance
to repay student loans incurred to defray the cost of tuition, fees, and expenses for
programs of study relating to the teaching profession; and 3) provide such other
information as HEAB may require by rule to verify the claimant's eligibility for
financial assistance.
The maximum amount of financial assistance that an eligible teacher may
receive under the grant program is $1,000 for the first school year, $2,000 for the
second school year, $2,000 for the third school year, $2,000 for the fourth school year,
and $3,000 for the fifth school year in which the eligible teacher participates in the
grant program. An eligible teacher may receive financial assistance under the grant
program for no more than five school years. No more than four eligible teachers
employed by a given eligible school district may participate in the grant program in
a given school year.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
AB793-ASA1,1 1Section 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert
2the following amounts for the purposes indicated: - See PDF for table PDF
AB793-ASA1,2 3Section 2. 20.235 (1) (fr) of the statutes is created to read:
AB793-ASA1,2,54 20.235 (1) (fr) Rural teacher grant program. Biennially, the amounts in the
5schedule for the rural teacher grant program under s. 39.387.
AB793-ASA1,3 6Section 3. 39.387 of the statutes is created to read:
AB793-ASA1,3,1
139.387 Rural teacher grant program. (1) Definitions. In this section:
AB793-ASA1,3,52 (a) "Eligible school district" means a school district whose membership in the
3school year preceding the school year for which a grant is awarded to an eligible
4teacher under sub. (4) divided by the school district's area in square miles is less than
510.
AB793-ASA1,3,76 (b) "Eligible teacher" means a teacher who meets the eligibility requirements
7specified in sub. (3).
AB793-ASA1,3,11 8(2) Establishment of program. There is established, to be administered by the
9board, a rural teacher grant program to encourage eligible teachers to teach in
10schools operated by eligible school districts by providing grants of financial
11assistance to those eligible teachers as provided in sub. (4).
AB793-ASA1,3,13 12(3) Eligibility. A teacher is eligible for financial assistance as provided under
13sub. (4) if the teacher meets all of the following requirements:
AB793-ASA1,3,1414 (a) He or she teaches in a school operated by an eligible school district.
AB793-ASA1,3,1815 (b) He or she does not appear on the statewide support lien docket under s.
1649.854 (2) (b), unless the teacher provides to the board a payment agreement that has
17been approved by the county child support agency under s. 59.53 (5) and that is
18consistent with rules promulgated under s. 49.858 (2) (a).
AB793-ASA1,4,8 19(4) Financial assistance. (a) From the appropriation under s. 20.235 (1) (fr),
20the board shall grant financial assistance to eligible teachers who are nominated by
21their school districts for participation in the grant program as provided in par. (b) and
22who submit claims for that financial assistance as provided in par. (c). The maximum
23amount of financial assistance that an eligible teacher may receive under this
24subsection is $1,000 for the first school year, $2,000 for the 2nd school year, $2,000
25for the 3rd school year, $2,000 for the 4th school year, and $3,000 for the 5th school

1year in which the eligible teacher participates in the grant program. An eligible
2teacher may receive financial assistance under this subsection for no more than 5
3school years. An eligible teacher who receives financial assistance under this
4subsection shall use that financial assistance only for the purpose of repaying
5student loans incurred to defray the cost of tuition, fees, and expenses for programs
6of study relating to the teaching profession. The board may provide financial
7assistance on a prorated basis to an eligible teacher who is employed less than full
8time.
AB793-ASA1,4,169 (b) An eligible school district may nominate an eligible teacher for participation
10in the grant program by submitting that nomination to the board in a form prescribed
11by the board. No more than 4 eligible teachers employed by a given eligible school
12district may participate in the grant program in a given school year. The nomination
13shall include such information as the board may require to establish that the school
14district employing the teacher is an eligible school district and that the teacher is an
15eligible teacher and shall provide any other information the board may require by
16rule promulgated under sub. (5).
AB793-ASA1,5,317 (c) After each year in which an eligible teacher who has been accepted for
18participation in the grant program teaches in a school operated by an eligible school
19district, the eligible teacher may submit to the board a claim for financial assistance.
20The claim shall include the signature of the eligible teacher and of a representative
21of the school district employing the eligible teacher certifying that during the period
22for which financial assistance is claimed the school district was an eligible school
23district and the eligible teacher taught in a school operated by that eligible school
24district, shall include a commitment by the eligible teacher that he or she will use
25the financial assistance to repay student loans incurred to defray the cost of tuition,

1fees, and expenses for programs of study relating to the teaching profession, and
2shall provide such other information as the board may require by rule promulgated
3under sub. (5) to verify the claimant's eligibility for financial assistance.
AB793-ASA1,5,104 (d) If the board determines that a claimant under par. (c) is eligible to receive
5financial assistance under this subsection, the board shall provide that assistance,
6subject to the amounts available in the appropriation account under s. 20.235 (1) (fr).
7If the amount of financial assistance claimed in a fiscal year exceeds the amounts
8available in that appropriation account, the board shall prorate the financial
9assistance paid in that fiscal year in the proportion that the amounts available bear
10to the total amount of financial assistance payable in that fiscal year.
AB793-ASA1,5,15 11(5) Rules. The board shall promulgate rules to implement and administer this
12section. Those rules shall include rules specifying the information a school district
13must include in a nomination for participation in the grant program under sub. (4)
14(b) and the information a teacher must include in a claim for financial assistance
15under sub. (4) (c).
AB793-ASA1,4 16Section 4. Initial applicability.
AB793-ASA1,5,2017 (1) Rural teacher grant program. This act first applies to an eligible teacher,
18as defined in section 39.387 (1) (b) of the statutes, as created by this act, who teaches
19in a school operated by an eligible school district, as defined in section 39.387 (1) (a)
20of the statutes, as created by this act, in the 2016-17 school year.
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