Tennessee House Bill HB0504

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/29/25
• Refer: 2/5/25
• Refer: 2/19/25
• Refer: 3/25/25
• Refer: 4/17/25
• Engrossed: 4/21/25
• Enrolled: 4/28/25
• Passed: 5/21/25
• Chaptered: 5/27/25

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 49, Chapter 4, Part 7, relative to future teacher scholarships.

Summary

HB0504 revises Tennessee’s Future Teacher Scholarship program, which supports students preparing to become teachers through approved educator preparation programs (EPPs). The bill narrows and clarifies who qualifies as an “eligible candidate,” requiring enrollment in an approved EPP, junior/senior undergraduate standing or post-baccalaureate status for initial licensure, and U.S. citizenship with at least one year of Tennessee residency before admission to the eligible institution. The bill also changes the scholarship’s operating rules. To receive the scholarship, a student must be admitted to and enrolled in an approved EPP, complete the TSAC application, and sign a promissory note agreeing to teach for at least two consecutive years in a targeted setting in a Tennessee LEA or public charter school. It sets the scholarship amount at $3,500 per academic year, allows continued awards for up to three years or until degree completion or loss of eligibility, permits transfers between eligible institutions without losing the scholarship, and requires partial repayment if the recipient does not fulfill the two-year teaching commitment.

Impact

HB0504 amends Tennessee Code Annotated Title 49, Chapter 4, Part 7, by updating eligibility, award, and repayment provisions for the Tennessee Future Teacher Scholarship. It affects students in teacher preparation programs, the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC), approved educator preparation providers, and school districts/public charter schools that rely on scholarship recipients to fill targeted teaching positions. The act takes effect July 1, 2025, and is intended to strengthen the pipeline of future teachers while tying state aid more directly to service in hard-to-staff settings.

Sentiment

The bill appears to have broad support and moved through the legislative process without recorded opposition, passing subcommittees, committees, and floor votes unanimously. The voting history suggests a generally favorable view of the scholarship as a workforce development tool for teacher recruitment and retention, especially for targeted settings.

Contention

There is little evidence of major controversy in the available record. The main policy tradeoffs are between expanding support for teacher candidates and imposing stricter eligibility and service requirements, including the no-reinstatement rule if a student loses eligibility and the repayment obligation for failing to complete the two-year teaching commitment. Any concern would likely center on whether these conditions are sufficiently flexible for students who transfer, change programs, or encounter barriers to completing licensure and service.