COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

P.O. BOX 2120

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120

SUPTS. MEMO NO. 108

June 20, 2003

INFORMATIONAL

TO:	Division Superintendents
FROM:	Jo Lynne DeMary Superintendent of Public Instruction
SUBJECT:	Service Obligation for Special Educators

The Division of Teacher Education and Licensure and the Office of Special Education and Student Services are pleased with the results of the special education recruitment campaign. The campaign includes special education memberships for Teachers-Teachers.com, public service announcements, a caller response center, and a newly created Website for prospective teachers. However, our most impressive results have come from college and university sponsored personnel preparation programs providing coursework for endorsements in each of the special education licensure categories.

During the 2001 academic year, the Division of Teacher Education and Licensure and Office of Special Education and Student Support allocated more than $2.5 million dollars to support approximately 1,700 educators seeking special education endorsements. It is important to us to have these highly qualified teachers remain in Virginia school divisions; therefore, we are requiring that each individual who receives tuition assistance or monetary support for completion of licensure requirements from projects funded by the Virginia Special Education State Improvement Grant, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or the Virginia General Assembly to complete a service obligation or repay all or part of the costs of such assistance. This obligation implies that for every $1,000 support received during the program, recipients must maintain full-time employment in special education for a period of one semester or repay the Virginia Department of Education for the assistance they received. Educators will be required to submit a signed agreement of obligation when applying for the program funded by the Virginia Department of Education.

If you need additional information concerning the service obligation, contact Dr. Patricia Burgess, special education human resource specialist, at (mailto:pburgess@mail.vak12ed.edu) or (804) 225-2096. Otherwise, promissory notes will accompany grants for special education preparation starting July 1, 2003.

JLD/pdb