10 U.S.C. § 1598 — Assistance to terminated employees to obtain certification and employment as teachers or employment as teachers’ aides

(a) Placement Program.—The Secretary of Defense may establish a program that does both of the following:

(1) It helps eligible civilian employees of the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy, after their employment ends, obtain either:

(A) certification or a license to work as elementary or secondary school teachers; or

(B) the credentials needed to work as teachers’ aides.

(2) It helps these employees find jobs with local educational agencies that:

(A) receive grants under title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 because their jurisdictions contain concentrations of children from low-income families; and

(B) are also experiencing a shortage of teachers or teachers’ aides.

(b) Eligible Employees.—

(1) A civilian employee of the Department of Defense or the Department of Energy is eligible for the Secretary of Defense to select the employee for the program authorized by subsection (a) if all of the following apply:

(A) During the five-year period beginning October 1, 1992, the employee is terminated from that employment because of reductions in defense spending or the closure or realignment of a military installation. The Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of Energy, as appropriate, determines whether this is the reason for the termination.

(B) The employee has received:

(i) if applying for help to become an elementary or secondary school teacher, a baccalaureate or advanced degree from an accredited institution of higher education; or

(ii) if applying for help to become a teacher’s aide in an elementary or secondary school, an associate, baccalaureate, or advanced degree from an accredited institution of higher education or a junior or community college.

(C) The employee meets any other selection criteria that the Secretary of Defense prescribes.

(2) The Secretary of Defense may accept an application from an employee described in paragraph (1) who was terminated during the period beginning on October 1, 1990, and ending on October 1, 1992, if the employee otherwise meets the eligibility criteria in that paragraph.

(c) Selection of Participants.—

(1) The Secretary of Defense selects civilian employees for the program based on applications submitted after the employees receive a termination notice. The application must be filed within the time, in the form, and with the information that the Secretary of Defense requires.

(2) When selecting participants for help to become elementary or secondary school teachers, the Secretary of Defense must give priority to civilian employees who meet either of these descriptions:

(A) They have educational, military, or employment experience in science, mathematics, or engineering and agree to seek jobs as science, mathematics, or engineering teachers in elementary or secondary schools; or

(B) They have educational, military, or employment experience in another subject area that the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Education, identifies as important for national educational objectives, and they agree to seek jobs teaching that subject in elementary or secondary schools.

(3) The Secretary of Defense may not select a civilian employee for the program unless, at the time of selection, enough appropriations for the program are available to cover the obligations the United States will incur under the program for that employee.

(d) Agreement.—A civilian employee selected for the program must enter into an agreement with the Secretary of Defense. In the agreement, the employee must agree to do both of the following:

(1) Within the time the Secretary requires, obtain certification or a license to work as an elementary or secondary school teacher, or obtain the credentials needed to work as a teacher’s aide in an elementary or secondary school; and

(2) Accept one of the following:

(A) If selected for help to become a teacher, an offer of full-time employment as an elementary or secondary school teacher for at least two school years with a local educational agency identified under section 1151(b)(2) of this title, as that provision was in effect on October 4, 1999. The employment must begin in the school year after the employee obtains the certification or license; or

(B) If selected for help to become a teacher’s aide, an offer of full-time employment as a teacher’s aide in an elementary or secondary school for at least two school years with a local educational agency identified under section 1151(b)(3) of this title, as that provision was in effect on October 4, 1999. The employment must begin in the school year after the employee obtains the necessary credentials.

(e) Stipend for Participants.—

(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Secretary of Defense must pay^* each program participant a stipend equal to the lesser of:

(A) $5,000; or

(B) the participant’s total costs of the types described in paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (8), and (9) of section 472 of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The costs must have been incurred while the participant was obtaining teacher certification or a license, or the credentials needed to work as a teacher’s aide, and employment as an elementary or secondary school teacher or teacher aide.

(2) A civilian employee selected for the program who receives separation pay under section 5597 of title 5 may not receive a stipend under paragraph (1).

(3) A stipend paid under paragraph (1) must be counted when determining whether the participant is eligible for Federal student financial assistance under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

(f) Placement of Participants as Teachers and Teachers’ Aides.—Subsections (h) through (k) of section 1151 of this title, as that section was in effect on October 4, 1999, apply to the placement program authorized by this section.