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H 7458Higher Education

Education - Postsecondary Tuition Assistance for Shortage Teaching Fields

Provides college tuition coverage for students who agree to teach in high-need subjects like math and science in Rhode Island.

Held for study
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Jan 30, 2026Committee House Finance

Plain-English Summary

This bill creates a new tuition assistance program managed by the Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner to address the shortage of teachers in specific fields, such as math and science. The program pays for tuition, room, board, and other costs for students at Rhode Island colleges who agree to teach in these high-need subjects. To keep the funding, recipients must teach full-time in a Rhode Island school for at least three years after graduation. If they fail to complete the degree or the teaching requirement, the money converts into a loan that must be repaid.

For younger readers

Rhode Island does not have enough teachers for subjects like math and science. This new law creates a special fund to pay for college for people who want to become these types of teachers. If a student promises to teach in Rhode Island for three years after they finish college, the state will pay for their classes, books, and living costs. However, if the student quits school or does not become a teacher as promised, they have to pay all the money back.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
College StudentsAspiring TeachersPublic SchoolsPrivate CollegesOffice of the Postsecondary Commissioner
Impacted communities
All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost
Amount unknown
Estimated revenue
None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints
For Progressives
  • Expands access to higher education for low-income individuals by covering full costs of attendance, including child care and transportation, thereby promoting economic mobility.
  • Eliminates standardized testing barriers by explicitly stating that SAT or AP scores cannot be required for admission to the program, helping to reduce systemic bias against disadvantaged groups.
  • Strengthens the public education system by directly addressing critical teacher shortages in math and science, ensuring students in all districts have access to qualified educators.
  • Allows public funds to be used for tuition at private colleges, which may divert financial resources away from the state's public university system.
  • Creates a potential debt trap for vulnerable students by converting the grant into a loan if they are unable to complete the degree or the three-year service requirement due to unforeseen life circumstances.
  • Does not mandate that the teachers serve in under-resourced or urban districts specifically, potentially allowing the benefit to flow primarily to wealthier school districts that also face shortages.
For Conservatives
  • Implements a strict work-for-benefit requirement, ensuring that taxpayer funds are only retained by individuals who contribute to the state economy by working for three years.
  • Includes a strong accountability mechanism that converts the assistance into a repayable loan if the recipient fails to meet their obligations, protecting the taxpayer's investment.
  • Supports school choice by allowing the funds to be used at private institutions, rather than restricting the financial assistance solely to government-run colleges.
  • Lowers academic standards by explicitly prohibiting colleges from requiring SAT or AP scores for program participants, potentially prioritizing social engineering over merit.
  • Expands government bureaucracy by creating a new administrative fund and regulatory responsibilities within the Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner.
  • Allows non-residents to access Rhode Island taxpayer-funded benefits, potentially subsidizing the education of people who may leave the state immediately after their three-year obligation is up.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 84 additions

SECTION 1. Title 16 of the General Laws entitled "EDUCATION" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 16-117-1. Creation. There is hereby established within the office of the postsecondary commissioner (“OPC”) a restricted receipt account entitled the Shortage Teaching Fields Tuition Assistance Fund (“the fund”). The fund shall be used to provide payment from the state to an eligible individual’s institution of higher education toward a portion of their tuition and other costs of attending said institution under this chapter. 16-117-2. Definitions. For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings:

(1) "Costs of attending" means expenses other than tuition, room, board, and mandatory fees that are necessary to the successful completion of a degree program at a Rhode Island postsecondary institution. Such expenses shall be paid for in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by OPC, and may include, but are not limited to, transportation, child care, and course- related books and materials.

(2) "OPC" means the office of the postsecondary commissioner.

(3) "Service requirement" means specific employment and work obligations that individuals shall meet if they receive tuition assistance under this chapter.

(4) "Shortage teaching fields" means subject areas or teacher certifications that are experiencing a critical lack of educators in the State of Rhode Island. These shall include, but are not limited to:

(i) Any sciences for grades seven (7) through twelve (12); and

(ii) Any mathematics for grades seven (7) through twelve (12).

(5) "Tuition assistance recipients" means individuals receiving assistance toward their tuition and other costs of attending a postsecondary institution under this chapter. 16-117-3. Eligibility of individuals.

(a) In general, tuition assistance recipients under this chapter shall:

(1) Be enrolled, or accepted for enrollment, at a Rhode Island postsecondary institution in a program to become a teacher in a shortage field;

(2) Complete the service requirement set forth in § 16-117-4; and

(3) Fulfill any other conditions required by OPC.

(b) Tuition assistance recipients under this chapter shall not be required to:

(1) Provide a score from the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or Advanced Placement

(AP) test as a condition of admission to the teaching degree program of any postsecondary institution in Rhode Island; or

(2) Be a resident of Rhode Island.

(c) If an individual receives tuition assistance under this chapter, and then leaves their institution’s program to become a teacher in a shortage field prior to completing their degree, the tuition assistance provided to date shall become a loan to be repaid by the individual.

(d) If an individual receives tuition assistance under this chapter, and then does not complete the service requirement provided in § 16-117-4, the tuition assistance provided to date shall become a loan to be repaid by the individual.

(e) Transferring from one postsecondary institution in Rhode Island to a different postsecondary institution in Rhode Island shall not negatively affect an individual’s eligibility for tuition assistance under this chapter; provided that, they remain in compliance with all other eligibility requirements. 16-117-4. Service requirements to receive tuition assistance. To receive tuition assistance under this chapter, individuals shall complete at least three (3) years of full-time teaching in a shortage teaching field at any elementary or secondary school in the state. 16-117-5. Disbursement. All funds distributed in accordance with this chapter shall be:

(1) Allocated toward the tuition, room, board, mandatory fees, and additional costs of attending a Rhode Island postsecondary institution to become a teacher in a shortage field;

(2) Provided to cover tuition, room, board, mandatory fees, and/or costs of attending a Rhode Island postsecondary institution that remain after all other financial aid funds have been awarded to the tuition assistance recipient; and

(3) Available for individuals to attend any Rhode Island postsecondary institution, public or private; provided that, funds disbursed to a private institution for tuition, room, board, and mandatory fees shall be limited to the amount that Rhode Island college charges for the same expenses in the same academic year. Additional costs of attending a private institution shall be paid for in accordance with regulations promulgated by OPC. 16-117-6. Administration of shortage teaching field tuition assistance fund. OPC shall administer the fund and OPC shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement this chapter, which shall include, but are not limited to:

(1) The process for defining any shortage teaching fields in addition to the ones provided in § 16-117-2, and updating said definition at least once every other year;

(2) Providing an easy-to-follow guide in a variety of languages regarding how to apply for tuition assistance under this chapter;

(3) How to fulfill the service requirement, including the length of time afforded to individuals to complete it and consideration for leaves of absence related to the health of the individual or a close family member, pregnancy, and military service; and

(4) Defining the nature and extent of costs of attending a postsecondary institution, identified in § 16-117-2, that individuals may receive assistance for under this chapter. 16-117-7. Reporting

(a) By August 1, 2027, and annually by August 1 thereafter, OPC shall provide an evaluation of the fund to the speaker of the house, senate president, and the governor. The evaluation shall include, but is not limited to, the following:

(1) The number of individuals whose request for tuition assistance under this chapter was approved;

(2) The actual dollar amount paid for tuition assistance in the previous year;

(3) The shortage teaching area for which individuals received tuition assistance; and

(4) The name of the postsecondary institution(s) the individual attended.

(b) Reporting required under this section shall take extreme care to maintain the privacy of the individuals requesting and/or receiving tuition assistance under this chapter.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.