283—28.2(256) Awarding of funds.

1. 28.2(1)  Selection criteria. All eligible applicants will be considered for an award.
2. 28.2(2)  Extent of award and maximum award. Eligible applicants may receive up to $4,000 per year for a period of five years.

3. 28.2(3)  Priority for awards. New awards will be made in the order of the following priority categories if funding is insufficient to award all eligible applicants. An eligible applicant selected for an award under a priority category will continue to meet the provisions of that category to maintain eligibility.

   1. a. Eligible applicants who are Iowa residents.

      1. (1) If all eligible applicants in this category cannot be funded, awards will be made first based on the eligible applicant’s graduation date from the teacher preparation program, grouped by academic year, with the most recent academic year graduates given priority.
      2. (2) If all eligible applicants who graduated within an academic year cannot be funded, awards will be further prioritized based on the annual ranking of eligible teaching fields by the department, with eligible applicants teaching in the highest ranking fields being served first. Eligible applicants who meet the same priority criteria in this category will be further prioritized by application date.

   2. b. Eligible applicants who are not Iowa residents.

      1. (1) If all eligible applicants in this category cannot be funded, awards will be made first based on the eligible applicant’s graduation date from the teacher preparation program, grouped by academic year, with the most recent academic year graduates given priority.
      2. (2) If all eligible applicants who graduated within an academic year cannot be funded, awards will be further prioritized based on the annual ranking of eligible teaching fields by the department, with eligible applicants teaching in the highest ranking fields being served first. Eligible applicants who meet the same priority criteria in this category will be further prioritized by application date.

4. 28.2(4)  Awarding process.

   1. a. The commission will provide notice of the eligibility criteria and the application process annually.
   2. b. Eligible applicants will specify whether the award should be paid directly to the eligible applicant or to the holder of the eligible applicant’s eligible student loan.
   3. c. The commission will designate eligible applicants for awards and notify all applicants of their eligibility.
   4. d. The commission will track eligible applicants selected to receive awards through completion of their obligation.
   5. e. The commission will pay the award directly to the eligible applicant or to the holder of the eligible applicant’s eligible student loan after the eligible school or agency verifies that a portion of the obligation has been completed.

[ARC 9586C, IAB 10/1/25, effective 11/5/25]