SB 826

Under this bill, students enrolled in programs leading to a bachelor's degree in

early childhood education are eligible for loans under a program under current law.

Current law requires the Higher Educational Aids Board to establish a

program for making loans to students enrolled in programs leading to teaching

licenses in disciplines that the federal Department of Education has identified as

teacher shortage areas. To be eligible for the loans, a student must be a state resident

who is enrolled at an in-state institution of higher education. In addition, the

student must maintain a specified minimum grade point average. Current law

requires HEAB to forgive 25 percent of a loan and interest for each year that a loan

recipient is employed full-time as a teacher in a high-demand area related to the

discipline identified by the federal Department of Education. In addition, to be

eligible for forgiveness, the loan recipient must be employed by a private or public

elementary or secondary school in a rural county or the city of Milwaukee.

Under this bill, a student enrolled in a program leading to a bachelor's degree

in early childhood education is also eligible for loans under the program, if he or she

is a state resident who is enrolled at an in-state institution of higher education and

he or she maintains the specified minimum grade point average. Also, the bill

requires HEAB to forgive 25 percent of a loan and interest for each year that the loan

recipient is employed full-time as a child care provider in the area of early childhood

education by a public or private school or a licensed child care center that provides

services to individuals who receive a child care subsidy under Wisconsin Shares,

without regard to the location of the school or center.