H.B. 2616 - Teacher Tuition Waiver Program

• Establishes a teacher tuition waiver program at the University of Hawaii to provide tuition waivers to qualified students pursuing teacher education.

• Eligible students must be Hawaii residents, receive federal and state aid/grants, hold a Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grant, and be enrolled in a classified degree or certificate program with at least six credits per semester.

• Requires eligible students to sign an agreement to teach at a Hawaii Department of Education school for five years within eight years of program completion, with the board of regents authorized to modify this requirement if compliance causes undue hardship.

• Limits tuition waivers to a maximum of eight semesters per student and requires annual verification of eligibility based on federal satisfactory academic progress standards.

• Appropriates funding from general revenues of Hawaii for fiscal year 2020-2021 (amount unspecified in bill text) and takes effect July 1, 2020.