HB 2765 Arizona House · 57th Legislature - First Regular Session

Arizona teachers academy; community colleges..

HB 2765 establishes the Arizona Teachers Academy, providing scholarships to cover tuition and fees for students pursuing teaching careers at eligible Arizona community colleges and universities. It directly affects education students, particularly those training in high-demand fields like special education, STEM, and rural/low-income schools, requiring them to teach one year in an Arizona public school for each year of scholarship received. The program uses existing state funds to cover scholarship gaps after other aid, with repayment required if students fail to fulfill teaching commitments. It also mandates partnerships between institutions and schools to align teacher placements with community needs. The bill was signed into law in April 2025.

Issues: ✓ Education

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

House Passage

Feb 2025

Senate Passage

Apr 2025

Signed into Law

Apr 2025

Introduced Feb 10, 2025 Signed Apr 18, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

House Engrossed Version → Chaptered Version · 6 edits

MODERATE

The bill was finalized into law as Chapter 92, adding new provisions for scholarship repayment, deferral processes, and fund usage that were not present in the House version. The chaptered version also expanded the definition of eligible institutions and added reporting requirements to the Arizona Board of Regents.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include tribal colleges and clarify eligibility for community colleges offering postbaccalaureate programs.

ENFORCEMENT

Added provisions requiring students to reimburse the board for proportional scholarship amounts if they fail to fulfill teaching obligations, and established a process for assessing repayment ability for students unable to meet requirements.

REQUIREMENT

Added new reporting requirements for the Arizona Board of Regents to submit detailed enrollment, graduation, and fund distribution data to the governor, legislature, and secretary of state.

Added a requirement for the board to establish a process for deferring service or repayment based on factors adopted by the board.

FISCAL

Added provisions allowing unused funds from one fiscal year to be used in the next, and established a cap of three percent of fund monies for marketing and administration expenses.

ELIGIBILITY

Added eligibility for tribal colleges owned or chartered by qualifying Indian tribes on reservations to participate in the academy and receive fund monies.

DEFINITION

Modified the definition of eligible postsecondary institutions to clarify inclusion of community colleges and tribal colleges, and added a specific definition for schools serving primarily public school students with disabilities.

Introduced Version → House Engrossed Version · 8 edits · Apr 16, 2025

MODERATE

The bill was amended to add new provisions for scholarship repayment, deferral processes, and fund usage, while also updating the definition of eligible institutions to include tribal colleges and clarifying the definition of schools serving students with disabilities. These changes strengthen accountability for scholarship recipients and expand the program's eligibility to tribal institutions.

Scope change

Expanded eligibility to include tribal colleges owned by qualifying Indian tribes and clarified the definition of schools serving primarily public school students with disabilities.

REQUIREMENT

Added new provisions requiring students to reimburse the Arizona board of regents for the proportional amount of scholarships not used if they fail to fulfill teaching obligations.

ENFORCEMENT

Established a process for assessing students' ability to repay financial assistance if they are physically or mentally unable to fulfill academy requirements.

Added authority for the Arizona board of regents to establish processes for deferring service or repayment based on factors adopted by the board.

FISCAL

Added provisions allowing unused monies in the Arizona teachers academy fund at the end of each fiscal year to be used by eligible postsecondary institutions in the next fiscal year.

ELIGIBILITY

Expanded eligibility to include colleges owned, operated, or chartered by qualifying Indian tribes on their own Indian reservations that offer baccalaureate teacher education programs.

DEFINITION

Clarified the definition of 'school that serves primarily public school students with disabilities' to specify that more than seventy-five percent of enrolled students must be public school students placed at the school via agreement with a school, charter school, or the Arizona state schools for the deaf and the blind.

Corrected the definition of 'eligible postsecondary institutions' to properly list universities under the Arizona board of regents, community colleges offering postbaccalaureate programs, and tribal colleges.

TECHNICAL

Removed formatting inconsistencies and corrected typographical errors such as 'FRESHMAN students' and 'WHO ARE seeking' to improve readability and consistency.

Floor votes · Senate Apr 16, 2025 · House Feb 26, 2025

How they voted

27–2

Passed · 1 other

Total votes 30

Apr 16, 2025

D Democratic13

12 Yea 1

92% Yea

R Republican17

15 Yea 2 Nay

88% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 18, 2025

Signed into law

Signed by Governor

executive

Apr 16, 2025

Upper · Passed

PASSED

upper

Mar 12, 2025

Upper · Passed

upper

Feb 26, 2025

Lower · Passed

PASSED

lower

Feb 18, 2025

Lower · Passed

lower

1 primary · 3 co-sponsors