By Mr. Scibak of South Hadley, petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1194) of John W. Scibak and Sarah K. Peake that provision be made for full tuition waivers at state and community colleges for children of full-time public and charter school teachers.  Higher Education.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

——————

PETITION OF:

 

John W. Scibak

Christine E. Canavan

 

 

 

——————

In the Year Two Thousand and Seven.

——————

 

 An Act to provide tuition remission benefits to children of public school teachers.

 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

 

SECTION 1.  Chapter 15A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2002 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding at the end thereof the following new section:–

 

SECTION 41.  Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, the Board of Higher Education shall provide full tuition waivers for any state-supported course toward an undergraduate degree program at each community college, state college and undergraduate campus of the University of Massachusetts for students who are not over the age of 24 and who are the children or adopted children of a teacher with a minimum of 15 years of full-time teaching in a public or charter school in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

 

SECTION 2.  An eligible child seeking tuition remission must apply for admission and meet all admission standards of the public college or university in the Commonwealth for which the child seeks tuition remission.  The procedures for requesting the tuition waiver shall be governed by each campus, which will include the submission of documentation confirming that the parent has the requisite full-time teaching experience to be eligible.

 

SECTION 3.  Eligibility for this benefit will continue until an eligible child reaches the age of 25, and provided that the parent continues to be employed as a full-time teacher in a public or charter school in the Commonwealth.  If the parent leaves employment as a full-time teacher while an eligible child is enrolled in a program of study, the child may complete the semester course(s) already begun without paying tuition.  At the end of the semester, eligibility for the tuition waiver ceases.