MS HB424

Establishes the "Twenty-first Century Mississippi Training Initiative" administered by the State Department of Education, Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, and Mississippi Department of Employment Security beginning in the 2017-2018 academic year.

Program provides onsite hands-on instruction in STEM, education, and health care careers to secondary and postsecondary students through satellite locations in four congressional districts, with 8 weeks of summer instruction daily from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and minimum 6 hours per week during the school year.

Eligible participants must be Mississippi residents with household income not exceeding 200% of federal poverty level, children of TANF recipients, or residents of counties with unemployment exceeding 10%, plus demonstrate academic aptitude through grade point average and ACT scores.

Selected participants receive annual stipends up to $1,000 for each year of program completion and receive academic advising upon enrolling in a public Mississippi higher education institution.

Creates the "Qualified School Personnel Forgivable Loan Program" to provide educational assistance to school employees pursuing teacher certification, covering costs of six 3-hour courses per year with forgiveness contingent upon teaching in "D" or "F" rated school districts.