Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024
A.
Legislative Authority. The TOPS Teacher Award Program was created by Act 476,
of the 1997 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature and amended by Act 165
of the 1998 First Extraordinary Session of the Louisiana Legislature. This bill
amended and reenacted
R.S.
17:3042.1(A)(3) and (4), (B), (C), and
(D), and 3042.2(A) and (B); reenacted
R.S.
17:3042.1(A)(5) and (6) and
3042.8; and renamed chapter 20-B of title 17 of the Louisiana Revised
Statutes of 1950.
B.
Description, History and Purpose. The Taylor Opportunity Program for Students
(TOPS) Teacher Award:
1. annually provides
approximately 90 competitively-awarded educational loans to residents of
Louisiana who commit to teach at the elementary or secondary school level in
Louisiana. When the recipient teaches at an approved school in Louisiana, the
loans are forgiven in the ratio of one year of loan forgiveness for each year
of teaching, or two years of loan forgiveness for each year of teaching in an
elementary or secondary school which is located in an economically
disadvantaged region of the state as defined by the U.S. Department of
Education;
2. was first funded for
the 1997-98 award year;
3. was
created to provide an incentive for Louisiana's best and brightest students to
become tomorrow's classroom teachers and to provide an incentive that will
attract highly qualified teachers in mathematics and chemistry at the
elementary and secondary school levels.
C. Award Amounts
1. Loans are made in the amount of up to
$6,000 per award year for mathematics and chemistry majors.
2. Loans are made in the amount of up to
$4,000 per year for teacher education majors other than those listed in
§901. C.1
3. Recipient may receive a maximum of four
years of funding.
4. Recipients
receive one half of the annual award ($3,000 or $2,000, respectively) at the
beginning of the fall and spring terms.
5. Recipients may, in conjunction with the
Teachers Award, receive another TOPS Award.
6. In the event the student's total aid,
including vocational rehabilitation awards, exceeds the cost of attendance, any
federal loan aid included in the total aid package shall be reduced, then
institutional and other aid in accordance with institutional practice, then the
TOPS Teacher Award shall be reduced by the amount of any remaining over
award.
AUTHORITY NOTE:
Promulgated in accordance with
R.S.
17:3021-3031,
R.S.
17:3042.1 and
R.S.
17:5001 et
seq.
