What laws established the Critical Teaching Needs Scholarship?

South Dakota Codified Laws

13-55-64. Critical teaching needs scholarship program--Purpose.

There is hereby created the South Dakota critical teaching needs scholarship program. The purpose of the program is to encourage South Dakota's high school graduates to obtain their postsecondary education in South Dakota for teaching, to remain in the state upon completion of their education, and to contribute to the state and its citizens by working in a critical need teaching area.

13-55-65. Critical Teaching Needs Scholarship Board.

The South Dakota critical teaching needs scholarship program shall be administered by the Critical Teaching Needs Scholarship Board, which is hereby established. The board shall consist of five members appointed by the Governor for a term of five years, except that the initial appointments shall be for periods of one, two, three, four, and five years. A majority of the board shall be present either personally or by teleconference to constitute a quorum. The secretary of education shall routinely collect data from school districts to determine the critical need teaching areas, and the board shall use this data when selecting eligible critical need teaching areas.

The Board of Regents shall provide necessary support services to the board.

13-55-66. Basis for critical teaching needs scholarship awards.

From the total pool of applicants, the Critical Teaching Needs Scholarship Board shall award scholarships based on the requirements of §§ 13-55-68 and 13-55-69, the filling of critical need teaching areas, other academic and personal characteristics of each applicant as determined by the board, and the amount of funding available for the scholarships. Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, if the board rescinds a scholarship that has been awarded, the board may award the amount of the rescinded scholarship to an alternate.

13-55-67. Eligible postsecondary institutions.

All accredited South Dakota public and nonpublic postsecondary institutions which offer a baccalaureate degree in elementary or secondary education are eligible to participate in the scholarship program. Each institution may choose whether to participate in the program and may limit the number of scholarship recipients the institution will accept in each academic year.

13-55-68. Critical teaching needs scholarship eligibility criteria.

In order to be eligible for a critical teaching needs scholarship, a student shall:

(1)    Agree, in writing, to stay in South Dakota and work in a critical teaching needs area for five years after graduation from a participating postsecondary institution;

(2)    Agree, through a promissory note, that failure to abide by the provisions of subdivision (1) will result in the scholarship being converted into an interest-bearing loan;

(3)    Attend a participating South Dakota postsecondary institution as an undergraduate enrolled in the student's final two years of postsecondary education and be enrolled in an elementary or secondary education program at the institution that is preparing the student to work in a critical need teaching area; and

(4)    Be a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident.

For purposes of subdivision (3), the student shall be fully admitted into a teacher education program at the institution and shall successfully complete a student teaching experience within the final two years of attendance.

A student is eligible to participate in the South Dakota critical teaching needs scholarship program for the equivalent of two academic years (four consecutive spring and fall terms) or until the attainment of a baccalaureate degree in elementary or secondary education in a critical need teaching area, whichever comes first. However, the Critical Teaching Needs Scholarship Board may grant exceptions to the continuous enrollment requirements for good cause.

Scholarships are not provided for summer session students enrolled in traditional four-year programs.

13-55-69. Grade point average--Written essay or other information.

In addition to the eligibility criteria identified in § 13-55-68, applicants shall have maintained a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.8 on a 4.0 scale, and a grade point average of 2.8 for all major course work. The Critical Teaching Needs Scholarship Board may require applicants to submit a written essay or other information by which to judge the academic and personal qualifications of the applicant.

13-55-70. Amount of critical teaching needs scholarship.

The amount of the scholarship shall be determined by calculating the student's remaining financial need, and may not exceed the tuition and generally applicable fees for thirty credit hours at a South Dakota public postsecondary institution as of July 1, 2014. The scholarship amount paid to a recipient attending a participating nonpublic postsecondary institution shall equal the amount paid to a recipient attending a public postsecondary institution.

During each year of eligibility, one-half of the annual scholarship shall be paid to public postsecondary institutions on behalf of eligible students there enrolled or directly to eligible students enrolled at nonpublic postsecondary institutions at the beginning of the fall semester, and the other half shall be paid at the beginning of the spring semester.

If, in any year, the total funds available to fund the critical teaching needs scholarships are insufficient to permit each eligible recipient to receive the full amount provided in this section, the available moneys shall be prorated and distributed to each recipient in proportion to the entitlement contemplated by this section. The total amount of the scholarship may not exceed the amount stipulated in this section.

13-55-71. Maintenance of eligibility for critical teaching needs scholarship.

In order to maintain eligibility for the critical teaching needs scholarship program, a student shall:

(1)    Maintain a cumulative 2.8 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. The student shall complete consecutive fall and spring terms in order to remain eligible for continuation of the scholarship program from term to term; and

(2)    Maintain full-time status, or demonstrate continued satisfactory progress toward degree completion within the scholarship funding period.

If factors beyond the control of a student who has been awarded a critical teaching needs scholarship prevent the student from meeting any of the requirements in subdivisions (1) and (2), the Critical Teaching Needs Scholarship Board may temporarily waive the requirements of those subdivisions. The board may rescind a scholarship award if the student does not maintain eligibility as prescribed in those subdivisions.

 

Contact Information

Recipients who wish to be considered for accelerated enrollment disbursement should contact a Scholarship representative at scholarships@sdbor.edu or Contact Us Form.