Guam § 18301 - Composition of Guam Counselor Corps.

§ 18301. Composition of Guam Counselor Corps.

(a) The Guam Counselor Corps shall consist of students who have

declared their intention to become school guidance counselors and who are

enrolled in the appropriate degree program at the University of Guam that is

necessary for certification as a guidance counselor in the Department of

Education or Guam Community College, or if such program is not available

at the University of Guam, at other accredited institutions which have been

approved by the School of Education and who have been duly accepted into

the Guam Counselor Corps Scholarship Program.

(b) Scholarship and financial assistance may be awarded to eligible

students who meet the following criteria:

(1) are bona fide residents of Guam;

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(2) are citizens or permanent resident aliens of the United States;

(3) are graduates of baccalaureate degree program through an

accredited college or university with an overall grade point average of

not less than 2.5 on a 4.0 scale;

(4) have been admitted to the Graduate School of the University of

Guam in accordance to its admissions policies;

(5) maintain an overall grade point average of 3.0 or better during

the term of assistance under this program;

(6) agree to practice guidance counseling in a public school funded

by the government of Guam in areas of need upon graduation and

certification to practice on Guam.

(A) If no vacant guidance counseling positions exist in such

public schools, a Counselor Corps graduate may work in a private

school on Guam towards meeting their Counselor Corps

scholarship repayment obligations. The Department of Education

and the Guam Community College shall certify that no vacancies

exist prior to allowing private school employment.

(B) The length of commitment of service to Guam shall be

one (1) year of service or pro-rated fraction thereof for every

eighteen (18) semester hours of classes that the student has

received the scholarship and financial assistance.

(C) Only guidance counseling work in public schools funded

by the government of Guam and/or Guam private schools licensed

by the government of Guam shall be credited for repayment of the

Counselor Corps scholarship.

(D) (i) Those Counselor Corps graduates who were allowed

to work in licensed private schools on Guam shall accept

employment with the Department of Education should a

position become available at the start of each semester until

such time that their scholarship is repaid.

(ii) The student further agrees that, in the event of

refusal to fulfill this obligation, the student shall repay the

government of Guam an amount equal to the balance of the

total monthly allowances paid to the student which have not

already been satisfied through service or payment, including

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tuition, stipends and the actual cost to the government of

textbooks and supplies.

(iii) Any deferment of repayment through services shall

conform to rules adopted by the School of Education under

the provisions of § 18103(f) of this Chapter;

(7) have been employed as a certified teacher for period of not less

than two (2) years;

(8) have received a recommendation from a school principal; and

(9) must have paid off, through teaching service credit, at least two

(2) years of all Teacher Corps scholarship obligations and any unpaid

obligations from the Teacher Corps shall be added to the Counselor

Corps obligations.

2015 NOTE: Subsection/subitem designations were added/altered to adhere to the

Compiler’s codification scheme in accordance with the authority granted by 1 GCA §

1606.