Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 12, March 20, 2024
(a) Definitions.
(1) Academic year shall mean one calendar
year beginning July 1st and ending on June 30th.
(2) Corporation shall mean the New York State
Higher Education Services Corporation.
(3) Program shall mean the New York State
Math and Science Teaching Incentive Program codified in section
669-d of the Education Law.
(4) Rank shall mean the sum of an applicant's
cumulative undergraduate and graduate grade point average (GPA) plus total
undergraduate and graduate credit hours successfully completed.
(5) Secondary education shall mean grades 7
through 12.
(6) Successful
completion of an academic year shall mean that at the end of any academic year,
the applicant: maintained full-time status; completed at least 27 credit hours
or its equivalent in a course of study leading to a teaching degree in the
fields of math or science; with a minimum GPA of 2.5; and possesses a
cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher for all academic years of undergraduate and
graduate study. Applicants may complete less than 27 credit hours if they are
in their last year and fewer than 27 credit hours are necessary to complete
their course of study. In this case, the award amount shall be pro-rated by
credit hour.
(7) Teach in the
classroom on a full-time basis shall mean a New York State certified teacher,
teaching a math or science curriculum in secondary education, providing
classroom instruction for 10 continuous months, each school year, for a number
of hours to be determined by either the school district, school board or
school, the bylaws thereof, the labor contract between the teacher and
employer, or if none of the above apply, the chief administrator of the school.
Verification may be requested by the corporation and may consist of a written,
signed certification from the school board, superintendent or
principal.
(b)
Eligibility. In addition to the requirements of section
669-d of the Education Law, these
additional requirements shall apply in the selection of the program recipients:
(1) Applications for the program shall be
postmarked or electronically transmitted to the corporation no later than
February 1st of each year, provided that this deadline may be extended at the
discretion of the corporation.
(2)
Applications shall be filed on forms prescribed by the corporation.
(3) The pool of applicants shall be those who
have successfully met the filing deadline.
(4) The applicant shall have a cumulative GPA
of 2.5 or higher for all undergraduate and graduate study at the time of the
application.
(5) Successful
applicants shall execute a service contract prescribed by the
corporation.
(6) Successful
applicants, who have executed a service contract, shall apply for payment each
year on forms specified by the corporation.
(c) Priorities. If there are more applicants
than available funds, the following provisions shall apply:
(1) First priority shall be given to
applicants who have received payment of an award pursuant to section
669-d of the Education Law for the
academic year immediately preceding the academic year for which payment is
sought and have successfully completed the academic year for which payment is
sought.
(2) Second priority shall
be given to applicants who have received payment of an award pursuant to
section
669-d of the Education Law in any prior
academic year and have successfully completed the academic year for which
payment is sought.
(3) Third
priority shall be given to applicants, including re-applicants, who have never
received an award, and have successfully completed the academic year for which
payment is sought, according to rank and who otherwise meet the minimum
eligibility requirements.
(4) In
the event of a tie within any given priority, recipients shall be chosen by
random selection. Random selection shall be conducted by lottery.
(d) Disqualifications. In addition
to the provisions of section 669-d, as well as the restrictions of section
661(6) of the Education
Law, the applicant shall be disqualified from receiving an award for any of the
following conditions:
(1) The applicant fails
to meet any statutory or regulatory requirement necessary to obtain a teaching
certificate in math or science, or necessary to become a math or science
teacher in secondary education.
(2)
The applicant breaches the terms of the written service contract with the
corporation and fails to remedy such breach in a timely manner consistent with
the terms and conditions of such contract.
(3) The award is duplicative of another State
and/or Federal award that the applicant currently receives.
(4) The applicant has a service obligation
owed to any other State and/or Federal program.
(5) The applicant is in default on a
federally guaranteed student loan.
(e) Disbursements. Payment shall be made
directly to the eligible institutions, on behalf of applicants, within a
reasonable time upon the successful completion of the academic year subject to
the verification and certification by the institution of the applicant's GPA
and other eligibility requirements.
(f) Penalty. In addition to the requirements
of section
669-d(5) of the Education
Law, the following requirements shall apply in converting the award to a loan:
(1) All award monies received shall convert
to a 10-year student loan plus interest for recipients who fail to meet the
statutory, regulatory, contractual, administrative or other requirements of
this program.
(2) Interest for the
life of the loan shall be fixed and equal to that published annually by the
U.S. Department of Education for Federal Direct Loan Program PLUS parent loans
pursuant to the terms of the service contract.
(3) Interest accrues from the day each award
payment is disbursed.
(4) Interest
shall be capitalized on the day the award recipient violates the service
contract or on the date the corporation deems the recipient was no longer able
or willing to perform the terms of the service contract.