(a)
The Governor’s Teaching Fellowships Program is hereby established to be administered by the Chancellor’s office of the California State University. The chancellor’s office shall collaborate with the University of California, the California Community Colleges, the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, the State Department of Education, and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing to ensure that access to the fellowships is available to students in a variety of teaching preparation programs.
(b)
In January 2001, 250 nonrenewable graduate teaching fellowships in the amount of twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) each shall be awarded, with funds disbursed one-half in January 2001 and one-half in September 2001.
(c)
During the 2001–02 fiscal year, 1,000 nonrenewable, graduate teaching fellowships in the amount of twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) each shall be awarded.
(d)
Commencing with the 2002–03 fiscal year and each fiscal year thereafter, the number of fellowships awarded shall be determined pursuant to an appropriation in the annual Budget Act for this purpose.
(e)
The fellowship award may be used to defer tuition for a teacher certification program at any accredited postsecondary institution in California and for living expenses while enrolled in that program.