Teacher Salary Supplements in the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program

Dear Colleagues:

This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) seeks to clarify the opportunity for future awards funded in response to solicitation NSF 23-586, the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program (Noyce), to use grant funds to provide salary supplements of $10,000 or more per year for Scholars and Fellows. This clarification stipulates that in addition to the funding of salary supplements as described for Track 2: the NSF Teaching Fellowships (TF) Track and Track 3: the NSF Master Teaching Fellowships (MTF) Track in solicitation NSF 23-586, proposals in response to this solicitation may include funding for salary supplements for Track 1: Scholarships (undergraduate STEM majors) or Stipends (post-baccalaureate STEM degreed individuals) recipients during the first five (5) years of their teaching of STEM subjects as certified/licensed teachers in high-need school districts.

Noyce Track 1 recipients who have graduated with teacher certification and started teaching in a high-need school district by the 7th year (or earlier) of the Noyce grant would be eligible for five years of a salary supplement. Note that the award terms and conditions authorize a single Grantee-approved No-Cost Extension, which may be followed in future years by NSF-Approved No-Extensions. This will mean that institutions that chose to include salary supplements in their Track 1 projects will need to be prepared to administer the grant for (11) years.

Funds for salary supplements should be included on line F.1 and contribute to the 60% of the Total Direct Costs on the budget as specified in solicitation NSF 23-586.

School district letters submitted in support of a Track 1 that includes salary supplements in the proposal must specify that the district will support the award of salary supplements and will not lower the base salary of Scholars receiving the salary supplements.

Consistent with language of solicitation NSF 23-586 regarding repayment of Noyce financial support, and taking salary supplements into account, should a Noyce Track 1 recipient fail to complete their program, the following are applicable:

If a Track 1 recipient leaves the project before the completion of one year of the teaching service commitment, the total amount of scholarship (undergraduates) or stipends (post-baccalaureates) received by the individual must be repaid, plus one-half of the total salary supplements received.

If a Track 1 recipient leaves the project after the completion of one year of the teaching service commitment, the amount to be repaid will be a proportion of the total scholarship (undergraduates) award received by the individual, prorated appropriately to reflect partial service completed; or one-half of the total amount of stipend received by the individual for stipend (post-baccalaureate) recipients. In any year for which a salary supplement was received, if the recipient does not complete the year teaching in a high-need school district, the recipient must repay one half of the salary supplement for that year.

NOTE: Track 1 proposals submitted in response to solicitation NSF 23-586 are not required to include salary supplements. Salary supplements are required for Track 2 and Track 3. Information regarding salary supplements and repayment for Tracks 2 and 3 is unchanged from solicitation NSF 23-586.

The inclusion of salary supplements for Track 1 Scholarship and Stipend recipients once they possess at least a baccalaureate degree, are certified/licensed teachers, and are teaching in a high-need school district will be effective for future Noyce awards submitted in response to solicitation NSF 23-586. Current Noyce awardees must adhere to the terms and conditions of their award consistent with the solicitation under which the award was made.

All questions related to this DCL should be directed to the cognizant program directors listed below.

Kathleen B. Bergin, email: kbergin@nsf.gov

Jennifer Ellis, email: jtellis@nsf.gov

Sincerely,

James L. Moore III
Assistant Director
Directorate for STEM Education