(a) Placement Program.—The Secretary of Defense may establish a program—

(1) to assist eligible civilian employees of the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy after the termination of their employment to obtain—

(A) certification or licensure as elementary or secondary school teachers; or

(B) the credentials necessary to serve as teachers’ aides; and

(2) to facilitate the employment of such employees by local educational agencies that—

(A) are receiving grants under title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) as a result of having within their jurisdictions concentrations of children from low-income families; and

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

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(b) Eligible Employees.—(1) A civilian employee of the Department of Defense or the Department of Energy shall be eligible for selection by the Secretary of Defense to participate in the placement program authorized by subsection (a) if the employee—

(A) during the five-year period beginning October 1, 1992, is terminated from such employment as a result of reductions in defense spending or the closure or realignment of a military installation, as determined by the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of Energy, as the case may be;

(B) has received—

(i) in the case of an employee applying for assistance for placement as an elementary or secondary school teacher, a baccalaureate or advanced degree from an accredited institution of higher education; or

(ii) in the case of an employee applying for assistance for placement as 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; and

(C) satisfies such other criteria for selection as the Secretary of Defense may prescribe.

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

(c) Selection of Participants.—(1) Selection of civilian employees to participate in the placement program shall be made on the basis of applications submitted to the Secretary of Defense after the employees receive a notice of termination. An application shall be filed within such time, in such form, and contain such information as the Secretary of Defense may require.

(2) In selecting participants to receive assistance for placement as elementary or secondary school teachers, the Secretary of Defense shall give priority to civilian employees who—

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

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

(3) The Secretary of Defense may not select a civilian employee to participate in the program unless the Secretary has sufficient appropriations for the placement program available at the time of the selection to satisfy the obligations to be incurred by the United States under the program with respect to that member.

(d) Agreement.—A civilian employee selected to participate in the placement program shall be required to enter into an agreement with the Secretary of Defense in which the employee agrees—

(1) to obtain, within such time as the Secretary may require, certification or licensure as an elementary or secondary school teacher or the necessary credentials to serve as a teacher’s aide in an elementary or secondary school; and

(2) to accept—

(A) in the case of an employee selected for assistance for placement as a teacher, an offer of full-time employment as an elementary or secondary school teacher for not less than two school years with a local educational agency identified under section 1151(b)(2) ¹ of this title, as in effect on October 4, 1999, to begin the school year after obtaining that certification or licensure; or

(B) in the case of an employee selected for assistance for placement as a teacher’s aide, an offer of full-time employment as a teacher’s aide in an elementary or secondary school for not less than two school years with a local educational agency identified under section 1151(b)(3) ¹ of this title, as in effect on October 4, 1999, to begin the school year after obtaining the necessary credentials.

(e) Stipend for Participants.—(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Secretary of Defense shall pay to each participant in the placement program a stipend in an amount equal to the lesser of—

(A) $5,000; or

(B) the total costs of the type described in paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (8), and (9) of section 472 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087ll) incurred by the participant while obtaining teacher certification or licensure or the necessary credentials to serve as a teacher’s aide and employment as an elementary or secondary school teacher or teacher aide.

(2) A civilian employee selected to participate in the placement program who receives separation pay under section 5597 of title 5 shall not be paid a stipend under paragraph (1).

(3) A stipend paid under paragraph (1) shall be taken into account in determining the eligibility of the participant for Federal student financial assistance provided under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.).

(f) Placement of Participants as Teachers and Teachers’ Aides.—Subsections (h) through (k) of section 1151 ¹ of this title, as in effect on October 4, 1999, shall apply with respect to the placement program authorized by this section.