(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 Guam Code Ann. § 1606.