House Bill 206 Summary

• Establishes the Mississippi English Language Learners Scholarship Program to recruit and educate teachers for schools with growing English Language Learner populations, administered within the existing Critical Needs Teacher Scholarship Program.

• Restricts scholarship eligibility to Hispanic or Latino resident students enrolled in bachelor's or master's degree programs in elementary, secondary, or special education at Mississippi institutions, with a maximum of 10 students per annual cohort.

• Provides scholarship awards equal to the total cost of tuition, materials, and fees, requiring recipients to complete their degree and teach for 5 years in public school districts designated as areas of critical need based on English Language Learner enrollment.

• Establishes repayment obligations for recipients who fail to complete their degree program or teaching service requirement, with interest accruing at the current Stafford Loan rate.

• Exempts English Language Learners Scholarship recipients from standard teacher candidate minimum academic requirements (21 ACT equivalent score and 2.75 GPA) for licensure eligibility under Section 37-3-2.