The bill aims to revise the Quality Educator Loan Assistance Program in Montana by expanding eligibility to include all newly hired quality educators in public schools, with a specific priority for those in impacted schools. It amends existing sections of the law to remove the previous requirement that only educators working at impacted schools could receive loan repayment assistance. The new provisions ensure that newly hired quality educators in impacted schools are prioritized for loan assistance payments, and it establishes a process for prorating these payments if the available funding is insufficient to cover all eligible educators.

Additionally, the bill outlines the criteria for loan repayment assistance, including the requirement that educators must have an educational loan that is not in default and has a minimum unpaid balance of $1,000. It specifies the maximum amounts of state-funded loan repayment assistance available over a three-year period, with an additional year of assistance potentially funded by the school or district. The bill also includes provisions for the superintendent of public instruction to prioritize funding for educators in impacted schools and to prorate assistance amounts as necessary. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025, and will apply to applications submitted on or after that date.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 20-4-503, 20-4-504, 20-4-505
HB0509_1(1): 20-4-503, 20-4-504, 20-4-505
HB0509_1(2): 20-4-503, 20-4-504, 20-4-505
HB0509_1(3): 20-4-503, 20-4-504, 20-4-505
HB0509_1(4): 20-4-503, 20-4-504, 20-4-505
HB0509_1(5): 20-4-503, 20-4-504, 20-4-505
HB0509_1(6): 20-4-503, 20-4-504, 20-4-505
HB0509_1: 20-4-503, 20-4-504, 20-4-505
HB0509_X(1): 20-4-503, 20-4-504, 20-4-505
HB0509_X(2): 20-4-503, 20-4-504, 20-4-505
HB0509_X(3): 20-4-503, 20-4-504, 20-4-505
HB0509_X(4): 20-4-503, 20-4-504, 20-4-505
HB0509_X(5): 20-4-503, 20-4-504, 20-4-505
HB0509_X: 20-4-503, 20-4-504, 20-4-505