HB3167 - Grow Your Own Educational Service Provider Act

• Creates the Grow Your Own Educational Service Provider Initiative to recruit and prepare staff of nonprofit social service agencies providing school educational services to obtain higher-level or additional licensure or certification.

• Establishes Board of Higher Education administration of the Initiative as a grant competition funding consortia composed of at least one 4-year institution, eligible schools, and community organizations to operate preparation programs.

• Requires all programs to implement forgivable loan programs covering tuition and fees, with full forgiveness for 5 years of service in eligible schools and partial forgiveness for shorter service periods.

• Sets forth 19 selection criteria for grantee consortia including previous experience preparing service providers, implementation plan quality, articulation agreements, candidate support services, curriculum relevance, and plans for program sustainability and evaluation.

• Funding for the Initiative is subject to appropriation, with the Board authorized to establish guidelines, award planning grants, and contract for independent program evaluation assessing candidate persistence, completion rates, and effectiveness as service providers.