Education students at Maricopa County Community Colleges could get scholarships under new bill

Gov. Katie Hobbs has signed a bill into law that will expand scholarship opportunities for community college students who want to become teachers.

The Arizona Teachers Academy provides scholarships for students who commit to teaching in state public schools after graduation. It was established in 2018, before a 2021 law allowed community colleges to offer courses for four-year bachelor’s degrees.

Lauren Armour is the director of government relations for the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD). She said internally, they’re working on a plan to make sure their students have every opportunity to apply and be competitive applicants.

“At this point, we expect our students to be able to apply for the fall, depending on the general effective date this year and with that," Armour said. "They should get a fair shake at receiving the scholarship dollars, just like the students at universities who are receiving them now."

The bill will take effect 90 days after the conclusion of the legislative session.

The first graduates from the district’s bachelor's of education programs are expected to walk the stage in May.

“These programs have only been online for two years so [the fact] that they’re already completing bachelor's out of this program is pretty extraordinary," Armour said.

Nearly 4,000 students are enrolled in Maricopa’s bachelor’s of education programs, which are the largest of the 11 bachelor’s degree programs MCCCD has established.

Students will apply through the Arizona Board of Regents, which oversees the state’s three public universities, because there is no state entity with specific governing power over the community colleges.