{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-164.769","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 164.769","heading":"Teacher scholarships for eligible persons agreeing to render qualified","body":"teaching service in Kentucky -- Definitions -- Cancellation or repayment of\nnotes -- Annual report.\n(1) It is the intent of the General Assembly to establish a teacher  scholarship program\nto assist highly qualified individuals to become certified Kentucky teachers and\nrender teaching service in Kentucky schools.\n(2) For purposes of this section, the terms listed below shall have the following\nmeanings:\n(a) \"Critical sho rtage area\" means an understaffing of teachers in particular\nsubject matters at the secondary level, in grade levels, or in geographic\nlocations at the elementary and secondary level, as determined by the\ncommissioner of education in consultation with the authority. The\ncommissioner and the authority may use any source considered reliable,\nincluding but not limited to local education agencies, to identify the critical\nshortage areas;\n(b) \"Dual credit\" has the same meaning as in KRS 158.007;\n(c) \"Eligible program of study\" means an undergraduate or graduate program of\nstudy which is preparatory to teacher certification;\n(d) \"Participating institution\" means an institution of higher education located in\nKentucky which offers an eligible program of study and ha s in force an\nagreement with the authority providing for administration of this program;\n(e) \"Qualified teaching service\" means teaching the major portion of each school\nday for at least seventy (70) days each semester in a public school of the\nCommonwealth or a private school certified pursuant to KRS 156.160(2),\nexcept that an individual having a disability defined by Title II of the\nAmericans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C. sec. 12131 et seq., or serious and\nextended illness, whose disability or illness , certified by a licensed physician,\nprevents that individual from teaching a major portion of each school day,\nshall be deemed to perform qualified teaching service by teaching the\nmaximum time permitted by the attending physician;\n(f) \"Semester\" means a period of about eighteen (18) weeks, which usually\nmakes up one -half (1/2) of a school year or one -half (1/2) of a participating\ninstitution's academic year; and\n(g) \"Summer term\" means an academic period consisting of one (1) or more\nsessions of instruction between a spring and a fall semester.\n(3) The authority may, to the extent of appropriations and other funds available to it\npursuant to subsection (9) of this section, award teacher scholarships to persons\neligible under subsection (4) of this section,  who initially demonstrate financial\nneed in accordance with standards and criteria established by the authority or\nreceived teacher scholarships pursuant to this section prior to July 1, 1996. Each\nteacher scholarship shall be evidenced by a promissory note that requires repayment\nor cancellation pursuant to subsection (6) of this section.\n(4) Kentucky residents who are United States citizens and enrolled or accepted for\nenrollment in an eligible program of study at a participating institution shall be\neligible to apply for and be awarded teacher scholarships. Teacher scholarships\nshall first be  awarded to highly qualified eligible students who meet standards and\nrequirements established by the Education Professional Standards Board pursuant\nto KRS 161.028 for admission to a teacher education program at a participating\ninstitution in pursuit of i nitial teacher certification. If funds are not depleted after\nawarding teacher scholarships to students who meet the preceding criteria, then\nawards shall be made to any otherwise eligible students.\n(5) The authority shall establish, by administrative regu lation, the maximum amount of\nscholarship to be awarded for each semester and summer term under this section.\nThe amount of each scholarship to be awarded shall not exceed the applicant's total\ncost of education minus other financial assistance received or  expected to be\nreceived by the applicant during the academic period.\n(6) (a) The authority shall disburse teacher scholarships to eligible students who\nagree to render qualified teaching service as certified teachers, and are\nunconditionally admitted and enrolled in an eligible program of study.\n(b) A teacher scholarship shall not be awarded or a promissory note cancellation\nshall not be granted to any person who is in default on any obligation to the\nauthority under any program administered by the authori ty pursuant to KRS\n164.740 to 164.785 until financial obligations to the authority are satisfied,\nexcept that ineligibility for this reason may be waived by the authority for\ncause.\n(c) Recipients shall render one (1) semester of qualified teaching service  for each\nsemester or summer term of scholarship received, except that recipients who\nteach in a critical shortage area designated by the authority or teach dual\ncredit coursework in a certified Kentucky high school shall render one (1)\nsemester of qualifi ed teaching service as repayment for two (2) semesters or\nsummer terms of scholarships received. Upon completion of each semester of\nqualified teacher service, the authority shall cancel the appropriate number of\npromissory notes.\n(d) If the recipient of a  teacher scholarship fails to complete an eligible program\nof study at a participating institution or fails to render qualified teaching\nservice in any semester following certification or recertification, unless the\nfailure is temporarily waived for cause by the authority, the recipient shall\nimmediately become liable to the authority for repayment of the sum of all\noutstanding promissory notes and accrued interest. Persons liable for\nrepayment of scholarships under this paragraph shall be liable for intere st\naccruing from the dates on which the teacher scholarships were disbursed.\n(e) Recipients who have outstanding loans or scholarships under KRS 156.611,\n156.613, 164.768, or 164.770 respectively, and who render qualified teaching\nservice, shall have their notes canceled in accordance with subsection (6)(c) of\nthis section.\n(f) The authority shall establish, by administrative regulation, the terms and\nconditions for the award, cancellation, and repayment of teacher scholarships\nincluding, but not limited to , the selection criteria, eligibility for renewal\nawards, amount of scholarship payments, deferments, the rate of repayment,\nand the interest rate thereon.\n(g) Notwithstanding any other statute to the contrary, the maximum interest rate\napplicable to repayment of a promissory note under this section shall be eight\npercent (8%) per annum, except that if a judgment is rendered to recover\npayment, the judgment shall bear interest at the rate of five percent (5%)\ngreater than the rate actually charged on the promissory note.\n(7) A repayment obligation imposed by this section shall not be voidable by reason of\nthe age of the recipient at the time of receiving the teacher scholarship.\n(8) Failure to meet repayment obligations imposed by this section shall be cause for the\nrevocation of a person's teaching certificate, subject to the procedures set forth in\nKRS 161.120.\n(9) All moneys repaid to the authority under this section shall be added to the\nappropriations made for purposes of this section, and the funds and unobligated\nappropriations shall not lapse.\n(10) The authority may execute appropriate contracts and promissory notes for\nadministering this section.\n(11) Notwithstanding any other statute to the contrary, if available funds are insufficient\nfor all reques ted scholarships for eligible applicants during any fiscal year, the\nauthority shall give priority consideration to eligible applicants who previously\nreceived teacher scholarships and, until June 30, 2018, to loan forgiveness for\nteachers who have outstanding loan balance eligibility for Best in Class loans issued\nprior to June 30, 2008. If funds are insufficient to make all requested renewal\nscholarships to eligible applicants, the authority shall reduce all scholarship awards\nto the extent necessary to p rovide scholarships to all qualified renewal applicants.\nIf, after awarding all eligible renewal applicants, funds are not depleted, initial\napplications shall be ranked according to regulatory selection criteria, which may\ninclude application date, and aw ards shall be made to highly qualified applicants\nuntil funds are depleted.\n(12) The authority shall submit a report on the number of teacher scholarships provided\nin each fiscal year, the program of study in which recipients are enrolled, recipient\nretention rates, total number of applications, and scholarship recruitment strategies\nto the Interim Joint Committee on Education by December 1 of each year.","path":["KRS Chapter 164"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=56150","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:17Z","sha256":"98c7aa14d1edccf9ee0d1ebce0fd41707a960c1de9ed1e1d926cdf44add5adcb","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-164.768","next":"us-ky/krs-164.770"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}