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_ 169 Item Details($) Appropriations($) ITEM 124. First Year Second Year First Year Second Year FY2025 FY2026 FY2025 FY2026 of the critical teacher shortage disciplines as established by the Board of Education; or (ii) in a Virginia public school or program with 50 percent or more of the students eligible for free or reduced price lunch; or (iii) in a school division designated critical shortage subject area, as defined in the Board of Education's Regulations Governing the Determination of Critical Teacher Shortage Areas. Scholarship recipients who only complete one year of the teaching obligation shall be forgiven for one-half of the scholarship loan amount. Scholarship amounts are based on up to $10,000 per year for full-time students, and shall be prorated for part-time students based on the number of credit hours. The Department of Education shall report annually on the critical shortage teaching areas in Virginia. a. The Department of Education shall make payments on behalf of the scholarship recipients directly to the Virginia institution of higher education where the scholarship recipient is enrolled full-time or part-time in an approved undergraduate or graduate teacher education program. b. The Department of Education is authorized to recover total funds awarded as scholarships, or the appropriate portion thereof, in the event that scholarship recipients fail to honor the stipulated teaching obligation. c. Within the fiscal year, any funds not awarded from this program may be applied toward the other teacher preparation, recruitment, and retention programs under paragraph G. 2. Out of this appropriation, $808,000 the first year and $808,000 the second year from the general fund is provided to attract, recruit, and retain high-quality diverse individuals to teach science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) subjects in Virginia's middle and high schools experiencing difficulty in recruiting qualified teachers. Eligible teachers must (i) be employed full-time in a Virginia school division or school with more than 40 percent of the students eligible for free or reduced price lunch; (ii) be entering their first, second, or third year of teaching experience; and (iii) hold a five- or ten-year valid Virginia teaching license with an endorsement in Middle Education 6-8: Mathematics, Mathematics-Algebra-I, Mathematics, Middle Education 6-8: Science, Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, Physics, Engineering, or Technology Education and be assigned to a teaching position in a corresponding STEM subject area. Selected eligible teachers will receive a $5,000 incentive award after the completion of each year of full-time teaching experience, up to three consecutive years under the grant, in an eligible school division or school with a satisfactory performance evaluation and a written commitment to return in the same school division for the following school year. The maximum incentive award for each eligible teacher is $15,000. Eligibility for these incentives shall be determined through an application process whereby school divisions shall apply to the Department of Education. Priority for distribution of these incentives shall be to school divisions experiencing the most acute difficulties in recruiting qualified teachers, as determined using Department of Education criteria. For individuals who received funds under this program prior to July 1, 2020, the criteria provided in Chapter 854, 2019 Acts of Assembly, shall continue to apply. Within the fiscal year, any funds not awarded from this program may be applied toward the other teacher preparation, recruitment, and retention programs under paragraph G. 3. Out of this appropriation, $415,000 the first year and $415,000 the second year from the general fund is provided to help school divisions recruit and retain qualified middle-school mathematics teachers. Within the fiscal year, any funds not awarded from this program may be applied toward the other teacher preparation, recruitment, and retention programs under paragraph G. 4. a. Out of this appropriation, $350,000 the first year and $350,000 the second year from the general fund is provided to support costs for teachers to become qualified to teach dual enrollment and industry credential courses in local school divisions. Qualifying teachers are 1) licensed public high school teachers pursuing additional credentialing requirements necessary to be considered faculty who are qualified to teach dual enrollment courses in high schools in their local school division, or 2) high school teachers employed by a local school division and pursing additional training or coursework to earn a Board of Education-approved industry recognized credential that will lead to instruction in high schools in their local school division of regionally in-demand industry credentials. The Department of Education shall collaborate with the Virginia Office of Education