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S 2081Higher Education

Education - Postsecondary Tuition Assistance for Shortage Teaching Fields

This bill provides financial aid for college students who commit to teaching high-need subjects like math and science in Rhode Island.

Introduced
Population
Affected
15
Email Legislator
Introduced Jan 16, 2026Committee Senate Finance

Plain-English Summary

This legislation creates the "Shortage Teaching Fields Tuition Assistance Fund" to address the lack of educators in specific subjects, such as math and science, in Rhode Island. Managed by the Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner, the fund pays for tuition, room, board, and other attendance costs (like childcare) for students training to become teachers in these high-need fields. To qualify, students must commit to teaching in Rhode Island for three years after graduation. If they fail to complete the degree or the teaching service, the funding converts into a loan that must be repaid.

For younger readers

Rhode Island schools need more teachers for subjects like math and science. To help fix this, this new law creates a special scholarship. It pays for college classes, books, and even a place to live for people who want to become these types of teachers. It can also help pay for things like rides to school or babysitting. In exchange, the student must promise to teach in Rhode Island schools for three years. If they quit school or don't do the teaching job, they have to pay the money back.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups
College StudentsTeachersRhode Island Postsecondary InstitutionsPublic School DistrictsParents
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 lower-income individuals by covering "costs of attending" such as childcare and transportation, removing economic barriers that often prevent marginalized groups from entering the teaching profession.
  • Eliminates the requirement for SAT or AP scores for program admission, addressing the concern that standardized testing contains systemic biases that disadvantage minority and low-income students.
  • Strengthens the public education system by directly addressing critical shortages in math and science teachers, aiming to provide better educational equity and outcomes for students across the state.
  • Allows public funds to be used at private institutions, potentially diverting financial resources away from strengthening the state's public university system.
  • Includes a clawback provision that converts grants into loans if the service requirement is not met, which could financially burden vulnerable students who are forced to drop out or change paths due to unforeseen life crises.
  • Lacks specific language prioritizing the placement of these new teachers in underserved or high-poverty districts, meaning they could fulfill their service requirements in affluent communities rather than where the need is greatest.
For Conservatives
  • Implements a strict service requirement (three years of full-time teaching) to ensure that taxpayer money yields a tangible return on investment in the form of workforce participation.
  • Demonstrates fiscal responsibility by capping the tuition and fee reimbursement for private institutions at the rate charged by Rhode Island College, preventing excessive government spending.
  • Focuses financial assistance specifically on "shortage" fields like math and science, prioritizing practical workforce needs over degrees with less direct economic application.
  • Explicitly removes the requirement for SAT or AP scores for admission, which may be viewed as lowering academic standards and merit-based criteria for future educators.
  • Expands the definition of educational support to include "costs of attending" like childcare and transportation, which may be seen as an unnecessary expansion of the welfare state.
  • Allows non-residents of Rhode Island to utilize state taxpayer funds for their education, potentially subsidizing individuals who have not contributed to the state's tax base.

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.