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. It prioritizes loan assistance payments for those newly hired educators working in impacted schools, ensuring they receive assistance first. Additionally, the bill establishes a process for prorating loan assistance payments if the available funding is insufficient to cover all eligible educators.

Key amendments include the removal of the requirement that only educators working at impacted schools are eligible for loan repayment assistance, thereby broadening access. The bill also specifies that if funding is limited, the superintendent of public instruction must prioritize repayment for educators in impacted schools before allocating any remaining funds to those in non-impacted schools. The effective date for these changes is set for July 1, 2025, and they 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