Article 21. Governor’s Teaching Fellowships of California Education Code >> Division 5. >> Title 3. >> Part 42. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 21.

(a) The Governor's Teaching Fellowships Program is hereby established to be administered by the Chancellor's office of the California State University. The chancellor's office shall collaborate with the University of California, the California Community Colleges, the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, the State Department of Education, and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to ensure that access to the fellowships is available to students in a variety of teaching preparation programs.
  (b) In January 2001, 250 nonrenewable graduate teaching fellowships in the amount of twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) each shall be awarded, with funds disbursed one-half in January 2001 and one-half in September 2001.
  (c) During the 2001-02 fiscal year, 1,000 nonrenewable, graduate teaching fellowships in the amount of twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) each shall be awarded.
  (d) Commencing with the 2002-03 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter, the number of fellowships awarded shall be determined pursuant to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act for this purpose.
  (e) The fellowship award may be used to defer tuition for a teacher certification program at any accredited postsecondary institution in California and for living expenses while enrolled in that program.

(a) The Chancellor's office of the California State University shall have the following duties:
  (1) Developing an application process that establishes a merit-based fellowship program for graduate students who agree to teach at a high-priority school for four years.
  (2) Establishing a broad and effective outreach effort to promote the availability and the merits of the fellowship program.
  (3) Conducting the selection process for fellowship applicants.
  (4) Collaborating with the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to develop and implement a system for monitoring program participants through the completion of their four-year teaching obligation.
  (5) Determining the criteria for selecting teaching fellowship candidates. The criteria shall include, at a minimum, all of the following:
  (A) Previous academic and employment record.
  (B) A demonstrated commitment to serve in a high-priority school.
  (C) Faculty and employer evaluations.
  (D) Interviews.
  (E) Letters of recommendation.
  (b) For the purposes of this article, a "high-priority school" is a school in the bottom half of the Academic Performance Index rankings established pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 52056. If a school meets this criteria at the time a teacher is hired, continued employment of the teacher at that school fulfills the commitment made by the teacher, even if the school improves its rank on the Academic Performance Index.

An intersegmental review committee is hereby established to review all applications for the Governor's Teaching Fellowships. The committee shall recommend teaching fellowship candidates to the Chancellor's office of the California State University. The committee shall consist of 12 members, appointed by the Governor to a term of four years, based on recommendations as follows:
  (a) The Chancellor of the California State University shall recommend six members. Two shall be faculty members. One shall be an administrator from higher education. One shall be an administrator from a school maintaining kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Two shall be teachers from schools maintaining kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
  (b) The President of the University of California shall recommend three members. One shall be a faculty member. One shall be an administrator from either higher education or schools maintaining kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive. One shall be an elementary or secondary teacher.
  (c) The Chair of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities shall recommend three members. One shall be a faculty member. One shall be an administrator from either higher education or schools maintaining kindergarten or any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive. One shall be an elementary or secondary teacher.

(a) A fellowship recipient shall agree to teach in a high-priority school for four years and shall have four years, upon completion of his or her preparation program, to meet that obligation. Except as provided in subdivision (c), a fellowship recipient shall agree to repay the state five thousand dollars ($5,000) annually for each year the recipient fails to complete either the teacher preparation program or the required teaching service, up to full repayment of twenty thousand dollars ($20,000).
  (b) Nonperformance of the commitment to teach in a high-priority school for four years shall be certified by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to the chancellor's office.
  (c) Any exceptions to the requirement for repayment shall be defined by the chancellor's office.

The Trustees of the California State University shall provide an annual report, for each higher education institution, on the number of fellows receiving funding, the number of fellows completing programs, and the place of employment for each candidate.

(a) The Chancellor's office of the California State University shall adopt any rules and regulations it deems necessary for the administration of this section and the recovery of funds it determines are owed to the state. The rules and regulations adopted by the chancellor's office pursuant to this section shall also include a provision authorizing the chancellor's office to seek a civil penalty on a recipient of funds under this program, in an amount not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000) per year for each year that the recipient of funds is determined by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to have failed to fulfill his or her obligation to teach in a high-priority school.
  (b) Any moneys derived from the assessment of penalties pursuant to this section shall be deposited into the General Fund.