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Read. Follow. Verify.Kentucky creates Promise Program to fund teacher training in exchange for five years of public school service
Last action · March 5, 2026: to Primary and Secondary Education (H)Sponsor: Daniel Grossberg
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What This Bill Proposed
Kentucky establishes the Promise Program to cover tuition costs for eligible college students training to become certified teachers, provided they agree to teach in state public schools for five years. Recipients who complete their service requirement have twenty percent of their award cancelled each year, while those who fail to complete the program or service must repay the funds with interest.
The measure establishes a new financial aid mechanism tied to a multi-year employment commitment in public schools, impacting undergraduate and graduate students pursuing teacher certification, participating higher education institutions, and public school staffing levels.
- The General Assembly is the legislative branch of the Commonwealth of Kentucky responsible for enacting state laws and appropriations. context
- The Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority administers state student financial aid programs including various scholarships and grants. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Eligible students
Students pursuing teacher certification may receive tuition awards funded by the state in exchange for a binding five-year public school teaching commitment.
Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority
The authority is charged with administering the program, disbursing awards, executing contracts, promulgating administrative regulations, and submitting annual reports.
Participating institutions of higher education
Higher education institutions enter agreements with the authority, determine student residency criteria, and host eligible programs of study.
Key Facts
- The General Assembly establishes the Promise Program to help individuals become certified Kentucky teachers and render teaching service in Kentucky schools.
- Eligible students must be US citizens or permanent residents, Kentucky residents, enrolled at a participating institution, score in the top 25% of Kentucky students on grade 11 college admissions exams, and meet authority criteria.
- Qualified teaching service requires teaching the major portion of each school day for at least 80 days each semester in a public school while satisfying a one-year contract.
- Promise awards provide a maximum amount up to the highest tuition charged by a Kentucky public university for full-time undergraduate enrollment, not exceeding total cost of attendance minus other financial assistance.
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- Recipients must render five years of qualified teaching service, with 20% of the initial award cancelled at the completion of each year without interest accrual.
- Recipients who fail to complete their program of study or teaching service immediately become liable for repayment of outstanding notes and accrued interest.
- The maximum interest rate on repayment promissory notes is 8% per annum, increasing to 5% greater than the note rate if a judgment is rendered.
- Failure to meet repayment obligations is cause for revocation of a person's teaching certificate.
- All repaid moneys are added to appropriations for the program and do not lapse.
- If available funds are insufficient for all requests, the authority gives priority consideration to renewal students before reducing awards or funding initial students.
- The authority must submit an annual report on promise awards, recipient retention, and recruitment strategies to the Legislative Research Commission by December 1 of each year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible to receive a Promise Program scholarship?
How is the scholarship amount determined?
What happens if a recipient does not complete their teaching service?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Mar 5, 2026HouseCommitteeto Primary and Secondary Education (H)
- Feb 26, 2026HouseIntroducedintroduced in House to Committee on Committees (H)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Establishment of Conditional Financial Aid for Educators
The state is creating a dedicated statutory framework tying financial aid for aspiring teachers directly to mandatory multi-year service in public schools.
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.legislature.ky.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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