commitment letter
commitment letter
commitment letter
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January 27, 2004<br />
To:<br />
Applicants for the<br />
JHU and PGCPS Partnership for Beginning Special Educators<br />
From: Peggy King-Sears, Ph.D. Jill Hildenbrand, M.S.Ed.<br />
Professor, JHU<br />
Regional Special Education Specialist, PGCPS<br />
Project Director<br />
Project Liaison<br />
RE:<br />
Federal guidelines for receiving scholarship and making a <strong>commitment</strong> of service<br />
LETTER OF COMMITMENT<br />
Federal guidelines require that individuals who are selected for this project and will be receiving<br />
financial assistance must be prepared to make a service <strong>commitment</strong> in exchange for the<br />
financial assistance. The purpose of this <strong>letter</strong> is to ensure that each applicant is informed of such<br />
agreement in accordance with section 673(h)(1) of the PL 105-17 and the regulations in 34CFR<br />
part 304.<br />
The federal guidelines stipulate that graduate students who receive funding as part of a United<br />
States Department of Education personnel preparation grant must work at least two years for<br />
each year that they receive federal support. Although the period of time for the PGCPS and JHU<br />
personnel preparation project is a two-year program, when translated per federal guidelines to a<br />
full-time graduate program, the JHU program can be considered one year of full-time study.<br />
Consequently, applicants who are selected to receive the scholarship must be prepared to commit<br />
two years of service in PGCPS (that is, teach students with mild to moderate disabilities)<br />
immediately following successful program completion. A four-year <strong>commitment</strong> (two years with<br />
federal assistance and two years thereafter) in PGCPS is required. Failure to adhere to these<br />
requirements, or complete the requirements in their entirety, requires JHU and/or PGCPS to seek<br />
and acquire repayment of the funding provided to individuals for project purposes (i.e., to<br />
continue as a special educator in PGCPS).<br />
During the two-year period following your graduation, you will be required to notify the JHU<br />
Project Director (Dr. Peggy King-Sears) and the PGCPS Project Liaison (Ms. Jill Hildenbrand)<br />
of any changes in your address. Furthermore, for two years following your graduation, you will<br />
be required to submit a statement, verified by your PGCPS employer, that you are working with<br />
individuals with disabilities. Failure to comply with these regulations will require that you repay<br />
all or part (see proportions noted below) of the Federal scholarship that you have received. This<br />
regulation may be updated at a later date by the Federal government. Should further regulations<br />
be issued, you will be contacted immediately upon receipt of these guidelines.<br />
(please read and sign the Letter of Commitment)
Letter of Commitment: Service or Repay Proportion<br />
If you receive up to one year of scholarship, but do not continue<br />
with the project, then you<br />
If you receive up to two years of scholarship, but do not continue<br />
with the project and/or graduate, then you<br />
If you graduate from the project and fulfill your service obligation<br />
for less than one year, then you<br />
If you graduate from the project and fulfill your service obligation<br />
for one full year, then you<br />
If you graduate from the project and fulfill your service obligation<br />
for more than one but less than two years, then you<br />
If you graduate from the project and fulfill the entire two years of<br />
service as a PGCPS special educator, then you<br />
must repay 100% of the scholarship you<br />
received.<br />
must repay 100% of the scholarship you<br />
received.<br />
must repay 70% of the scholarship you<br />
received.<br />
must repay 50% of the scholarship you<br />
received.<br />
must repay 35% of the scholarship you<br />
received.<br />
have successfully completed your service<br />
obligation and do not need to repay any<br />
amount of the scholarship.<br />
Your signature below indicates that you have been notified of these service or repay obligations, understand the<br />
implications, and agree to these provisions and the corresponding actions.<br />
Letter of Commitment: Contract of Service or Repay Commitment<br />
I, _____________________________________, have read the Service or Repay <strong>commitment</strong> and understand that if<br />
I do not complete the entire graduate program, I am required to repay the entire portion of scholarship I receive.<br />
Furthermore, if I do not complete the entire two-year service as a special educator in PGCPS following my<br />
graduation from JHU, I understand that I will be required to repay a portion of my scholarship with the amount I<br />
repay based on the number of years of service I have completed. I accept the financial responsibility for receiving<br />
this scholarship, and I understand that if I accept the two-year scholarship assistance that I am obligating myself to a<br />
two-year service in PGCPS as a special educator (total four years). If I accept the scholarship and do not complete<br />
my service obligation, I agree to repay the portion of assistance as stipulated in the attached memo.<br />
Failure to notify JHU and PGCPS of my fulfillment of service obligation by June of each of the two years following<br />
my graduation will result in initiation of the repay <strong>commitment</strong> procedures. In order to prevent this, I obligate<br />
myself to report to JHU and PGCPS with my employer's signature and verification that I am completing my service<br />
obligation.<br />
Signature of Applicant Selected:<br />
Date:<br />
Signature of Witness:<br />
NOTE—WITNESS NOT REQUIRED AT THIS TIME<br />
Date:<br />
NOTE—WITNESS NOT REQUIRED AT<br />
THIS TIME<br />
NOTE: The <strong>commitment</strong> described in this <strong>letter</strong> is a two-part <strong>commitment</strong> in which the selected applicant must be<br />
successful with both in order to fulfill this <strong>commitment</strong>. One part of the <strong>commitment</strong> is successful employment in<br />
PGCPS as a special educator, and the other part of the <strong>commitment</strong> is success in progressing through JHU’s MMD<br />
program (grades of B or higher). The <strong>commitment</strong> explicitly includes these two parts; a selected applicant who is<br />
successful with only one part has not fulfilled the <strong>commitment</strong> and must repay at the amounts specified above.<br />
PGCPS salary and employment may be impacted when a selected applicant is not successful with both JHU courses<br />
and PGCPS teaching.