MS SB2693

Establishes the Mississippi English Language Learners Scholarship Program to recruit and educate teachers for areas with growing English Language Learner student populations, limited to resident Hispanic or Latino students enrolled in bachelor's or master's degree programs in elementary, secondary, or special education.

Scholarship awards equal the total cost of tuition, materials, and fees; recipients must teach for five years in designated areas of critical need based on English Language Learner enrollment as determined by the State Department of Education.

Recipients who fail to complete their degree program become liable for repayment of all scholarship funds plus interest at the current Stafford Loan rate; those who fail to complete required teaching service must repay remaining balance plus interest.

Limits enrollment to 10 students per cohort annually beginning in the 2016-2017 academic year and incorporates the program into the existing Critical Needs Teacher Scholarship Program administered by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning.

Exempts ELL scholarship recipients from minimum academic requirements (21 ACT equivalent and 2.75 GPA) otherwise required for entry into teacher education programs, and requires a report to the Legislature by January 1, 2018 on program participation, service records, and expenditures.