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SENATE BILL NO. 188
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION
BY SENATORS WIELECHOWSKI, Gardner, Egan, Begich
Introduced: 2/19/18
Referred: Education, Finance
A BILL
FOR AN ACT ENTITLED
1 "An Act providing for payment and loan incentives to public school teachers for
2 national board certification."
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
4 * Section 1. AS 14.20 is amended by adding a new section to article 3 to read:
5 Sec. 14.20.225. Incentive and stipend payments for national board
6 certification. (a) A school district or the department, as applicable, shall, in January of
7 each year, pay an incentive payment of $1,500 to each teacher who is employed by the
8 district or the department and who holds a current and valid national board
9 certification.
10 (b) In addition to the incentive payment provided in (a) of this section, for a
11 teacher who is employed by a district to teach in a school that is located in a high
12 poverty attendance area and that has received a low performance rating, as determined
13 by the department, a school district shall,
14 (1) if the teacher holds a current and valid national board certification,
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1 annually pay a supplemental incentive payment of $1,000; or
2 (2) if a teacher is not national board certified, pay the national
3 certification board an amount that is not more than $1,000 to be used toward national
4 board certification of the teacher for the period in which the teacher is actively seeking
5 national board certification.
6 (c) The department shall provide sufficient funding, subject to appropriation
7 and in addition to the state aid received under AS 14.17, to a school district to make
8 national board certification incentive payments as provided in this section. The
9 department may establish a form and procedure to be used by a school district to
10 request teacher incentive and stipend payments, including proof of actively pursuing
11 national board certification.
12 (d) Nothing in this section prohibits a district or the department from
13 providing additional monetary incentives to a teacher.
14 (e) In this section,
15 (1) "district" has the meaning given in AS 14.17.990;
16 (2) "national board certification" means individual achievement of
17 national professional teaching standards as certified by a nationally recognized board.
18 * Sec. 2. AS 14.43 is amended by adding new sections to read:
19 Article 9A. National Board Teacher Certification Loan Program.
20 Sec. 14.43.550. Program established. The national board teacher certification
21 loan program is established to provide an incentive for teachers employed by a public
22 school district in the state or a school operated by the department to pursue
23 certification of professional teaching standards by a nationally recognized board.
24 Sec. 14.43.555. Administration and eligibility. (a) The national board teacher
25 certification loan program shall be administered by the commission in accordance with
26 regulations adopted by the commission. The commission shall
27 (1) provide on behalf of eligible teachers loan awards of a lump sum of
28 $2,500 for each teacher, to be repaid over three years at zero percent interest;
29 (2) allocate the loan awards available for national board teacher
30 certification annually to the department for loans on behalf of teachers employed by
31 the department who teach in a public school and to school districts for loans to
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1 teachers employed by the district; and
2 (3) develop and distribute to the department and to districts an
3 application form for teacher certification loans under this section.
4 (b) A teacher is eligible to receive the benefit of a national board teacher
5 certification loan if the teacher
6 (1) is currently employed by the department or a public school district
7 and teaches students who are in pre-elementary through grade 12;
8 (2) is actively pursuing national board certification of professional
9 teaching standards awarded by a nationally recognized board; and
10 (3) signs an agreement provided by the commission to secure
11 repayment of the loan within three years.
12 (c) For a loan awarded under this section, the commission shall
13 (1) make payments to the national teacher certification board on behalf
14 of an eligible teacher;
15 (2) establish conditions for repayment;
16 (3) provide for penalties for default; and
17 (4) prorate the amount of the award if insufficient funding is available
18 to provide awards on behalf of all eligible teachers in a fiscal year.
19 (d) In making loans under this section, the commission shall apply the
20 standards used by the department under AS 14.20.225(c) for determining what
21 constitutes actively pursuing national board certification.
22 Sec. 14.43.590. Definitions. In AS 14.43.550 - 14.43.590,
23 (1) "department" means the Department of Education and Early
24 Development;
25 (2) "district" has the meaning given in AS 14.17.990.
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Statutes affected:
SB0188A, AM SB 188, introduced 02/19/2018: 14.17.990