The proposed bill would update current statutes by requiring school districts and charter schools to revise their salary schedules to increase the base salary of all eligible teachers, contingent upon voter approval of an increase to the Permanent State School Fund's annual distribution rate. It specifies that these salary increases cannot reduce the base salary of eligible teachers below the FY 2026 base salary reported to the Arizona Department of Education. Furthermore, the bill establishes the Teacher Pay Fund, which will be administered by the Arizona Department of Education, and mandates annual reporting on fund expenditures to ensure compliance and transparency. Additionally, the bill amends section 15-132 of the Arizona Revised Statutes regarding temporary certificates for exchange teachers and professors. It states that the state board of education shall issue these certificates to exchange teachers and professors whose training and background comply with the rules promulgated by the board for certification and are equivalent to those of the local teacher with whom the exchange is made. The updates include replacing "promulgated" with "adopted" for clarity and expanding the definition of temporary certificates to include “PROFESSOR,” thereby recognizing both teachers and professors from foreign countries and other states under the same provisions.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 15-132