DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of the Secretary

FINAL

ORDER

1201 Christa McAuliffe Award Program

I. SUMMARY OF THE EVIDENCE AND INFORMATION SUBMITTED

Pursuant to 14 Del.C. §§ 181(15), 183, 3402(c), and 3419, the Delaware Department of Education ("Department"), through the Delaware Higher Education Office, proposes to repeal 14 DE Admin. Code 1201 Christa McAuliffe Award Program. In accordance with House Bill 480 of the 151st General Assembly, which was signed into law on August 25, 2022, Christa McAuliffe scholarship loans are no longer awarded. Repayment and forgiveness of Christa McAuliffe scholarship loans that were awarded prior to July 1, 2022 are addressed in statute (14 Del.C. §3419(c)).

Notice of the proposed regulation was published in the Register of Regulations on December 1, 2022. The Department did not receive any written submittals concerning the proposed repeal of the regulation.

II. FINDINGS OF FACTS

The Department finds that House Bill 480 of the 151st General Assembly amended Title 14, Chapter 34 of the Delaware Code, effective August 25, 2022. As a result, Christa McAuliffe scholarship loans are no longer awarded and repayment and forgiveness of scholarship loans awarded prior to July 1, 2022 are addressed in 14 Del.C. §3419(c). Therefore, the repeal of 14 DE Admin. Code 1201 Christa McAuliffe Award Program is necessary.

III. DECISION TO REPEAL THE REGULATION

For the foregoing reasons, the Department concludes that it is appropriate to repeal 14 DE Admin. Code 1201 Christa McAuliffe Award Program subject to the State Board of Education's approval. On February 16, 2023, the State Board of Education approved repealing 14 DE Admin. Code 1201 Christa McAuliffe Award Program. Therefore, pursuant to 14 Del.C. §§ 181(15), 183, 3402(c), and 3419, 14 DE Admin. Code 1201 Christa McAuliffe Award Program, attached hereto as Exhibit A, is hereby repealed.

IV. TEXT AND CITATION

The text of 14 DE Admin. Code 1201 Christa McAuliffe Award Program repealed hereby shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A and said regulation shall be cited 14 DE Admin. Code 1201 Christa McAuliffe Award Program in the Administrative Code of Regulations for the Department.

V. EFFECTIVE DATE OF ORDER

The effective date of this Order shall be ten days from the date this Order is published in the Register of Regulations.

IT IS SO ORDERED the 16th day of February, 2023.

Department of Education

Mark A. Holodick, Ed.D., Secretary of Education

Approved this 16th day of February, 2023.

State Board of Education

*Please note: Electronic signatures ("/s/") were accepted pursuant to 6 Del.C. §12A-107(d).

1201 Christa McAuliffe Award Program

The purpose of this regulation is to provide criteria for the Christa McAuliffe Award, a professional incentive program, pursuant to 14 Del.C. §3419 and to encourage academically talented Delawareans to pursue teaching careers in Delaware public schools.

“Award” means a loan under the Christa McAuliffe Award program, the repayment of which is forgiven when the borrower is employed in the teaching profession for the period of time specified in 14 Del.C. §3418(c)(2).

“Critical Need Area” means, for the purposes of this regulation, classifications where there is a shortage of teachers available for employment. These classifications are posted annually on the Delaware Higher Education Office (DHEO) website and are based on federal and state reporting.

“Delaware Higher Education Office (DHEO)” is the Department of Education’s office which administers specific programs related to higher education, including, but not limited to, scholarship and loan programs.

“Direct Educational Expenses” means tuition, room and board, mandatory fees, books and supplies.

“Full-Time Student” means a student enrolled in twelve or more college credit hours.

“Grade Point Average (GPA)” means the number representing the average value of the accumulated final grades earned in courses over time.

“Part-Time Student” means a student enrolled in six to eleven college credit hours.

“Qualifying Employment” means, for the purposes of this regulation, employment as a teacher in a Delaware public school, whether as an employee of the State, the Department of Education, a school district or an individual school, or as an employee of a private organization providing educational services to Delaware school children under a contract with the State, the Department of Education, a school district or an individual school.

“Resident of the State” means the student meets the definition of residency as defined in 14 Del.C. §3402(f).

“Semester” means a half-year term in a school or college, typically lasting fifteen to eighteen weeks.

“Student Account Access Site” means the webpage on the DHEO’s website where students can access scholarship opportunities.

“Undergraduate” means a student at a college or university who has not yet earned a bachelor's or equivalent degree; typically the first four years of college attendance.

3.1 Applications must be submitted online via the Student Account Access Site accessed via the DHEO’s website.

3.1.1 First time users shall establish an account and provide a valid email and mailing address before being permitted to submit an application online.

3.2 The application acceptance period for this scholarship loan will be posted on the DHEO’s website by December 1 of each calendar year.

3.2.1 Applications shall not be accepted outside of the posted application acceptance period under any circumstances.

3.2.2 Applicants are required to submit:

3.2.2.1 A completed application form, including activities; and

3.2.2.2 An unofficial transcript.

3.2.2.2.1 An applicant is responsible for ensuring that he or she electronically submits his or her unofficial transcript through the Student Account Access Site by the end of the posted application acceptance period.

3.2.2.2.2 An applicant who is a current high school senior enrolled in a public or charter school in Delaware is not required to submit an unofficial transcript.

3.3 Incomplete applications shall not be accepted or processed.

4.1 Applicants shall meet the following eligibility requirements to be considered for the Christa McAuliffe Award Program:

4.1.1 Be a Resident of the State; and

4.1.2 Be a high school senior who ranks in the upper half of his or her class and has a minimum combined reading and math score of 1000 on the SAT; or

4.1.3 Be either a Part-Time or a Full-Time Student enrolled at a Delaware college or university in an Undergraduate program leading to teacher licensure and certification and have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA; or

4.1.4 Be a Part-Time or a Full-Time Student enrolled at a college or university in a program of study not offered in Delaware leading to teacher licensure and certification and have at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA.

5.1 Preference for the award shall be given to applicants planning to teach in a Critical Need Area as annually defined on the DHEO’s website.

5.2 An Award may be pro-rated for Part-Time Students.

5.3 An Award is to be used for, and not in excess of, Direct Educational Expenses.

5.4 For Full-Time Students and Part-Time Students, an Award may be renewed annually for the equivalent of four academic years.

5.4.1 An Award is renewable upon the condition that the student maintains a 3.0 cumulative GPA within an eligible program of study leading to teacher certification.

6.1 Students awarded under this program shall sign a promissory note, which includes the terms of repayment and loan forgiveness, annually in order to receive the Award.

6.2 DHEO will contact the student’s college or university to verify the student’s enrollment and eligibility at the start of the fall and spring Semesters prior to an Award payment being disbursed.

6.3 All payments will be disbursed directly to the eligible student’s college or university.