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REFERENCE TITLE: CTE certifications; incentive bonus program |
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State of Arizona Senate Fifty-third Legislature Second Regular Session 2018
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SB 1270 |
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Introduced by Senators Allen S: Kavanagh, Kerr, Pratt, Smith, Yee; Representative Cook
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AN ACT
amending section 15‑249.06, Arizona Revised Statutes; appropriating monies; relating to the department of education.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 15-249.06, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
15-249.06. College credit by examination, certification or licensure incentive program; workforce Arizona council; list; incentive bonuses; report; review; certification or license incentive program fund; program termination
A. The college credit by examination, certification or licensure incentive program is established within the department of education to provide an incentive bonus to teachers, school districts and charter schools for students who either:
1. Obtain a passing score on a qualifying examination for college credit while in high school.
2. Obtain a certification or license that is accepted by a vocation or industry through a career and technical education course or program.
B. The Arizona board of regents shall maintain a list of qualifying examinations that a high school student may take in order to receive college credit in mathematics, English language arts or science from any university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents and the passing scores required on those examinations in order to receive college credit. On or before September 1 of each year, the Arizona board of regents shall provide the list of qualifying examinations and passing scores to the department of education and shall submit this list to the joint legislative budget committee for review.
C. The workforce arizona council shall maintain a list of qualifying certifications and licenses that are accepted by a vocation or industry through a career and technical education course or program. To qualify for inclusion on the list, the certification or license must lead to an occupation with wages of at least seventy percent of the average annual wage in this state unless the certification or license is a stackable credential and is required for the next level of occupation, which does meet the wage criterion. The certification or license must also be one of the following:
1. In an industry that addresses a critical statewide, regional or local economic need.
2. Linked to an occupation that is included in the workforce Arizona council's targeted occupation list.
3. Linked to an occupation that is identified as emerging.
C. D. Beginning in fiscal year 2017‑2018, the department of education shall pay an incentive bonus to school districts and charter schools for each student in grades nine through twelve who receives a passing score during the previous fiscal year on a qualifying examination identified by the Arizona board of regents pursuant to subsection B of this section and for each student who obtains a qualifying certification or license that is identified by the workforce Arizona Council pursuant to subsection C of this section. A student who receives a passing score on a qualifying examination or a student who obtains a qualifying certification or license and who is enrolled in a school where fifty percent or more of the students are eligible for free or reduced price lunches shall generate for the school district or charter school a bonus of four hundred fifty dollars per passing score on a qualifying examination and per issuance of a qualifying certification or license. A student who receives a passing score on a qualifying examination or a student who obtains a qualifying certification or license that is identified by the workforce Arizona council pursuant to subsection C of this section and who is enrolled in a school where less than fifty percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced price lunches shall generate for the school district or charter school a bonus of three hundred dollars per passing score on a qualifying examination and per issuance of a qualifying certification or license. If the statewide sum of per student bonuses awarded pursuant to this subsection exceeds the amount of available monies appropriated for incentive bonuses, the bonus monies shall be reduced proportionally to cover all eligible bonus awards.
D. E. A school district or charter school that receives an incentive bonus pursuant to this section shall distribute at least fifty percent of the bonus monies to the associated classroom teacher for each student who passes a qualifying examination or who obtains a qualifying certification or license. Bonus monies awarded to a teacher pursuant to this subsection shall be in addition to any regular wage, compensation or other bonus the teacher receives or is scheduled to receive. The remainder of any bonus monies received by a school district or charter school shall be used for teacher professional development or student instructional support or materials. Any bonus monies received by a school district or charter school pursuant to this subsection shall be separately accounted for in the school district's or charter school's annual financial report.
E. F. Incentive bonuses distributed to and any bonus monies received by a school district or charter school pursuant to this section are not subject to collective bargaining.
F. G. On or before December 15, 2018 and on or before December 15 of each year thereafter, the department of education shall submit to the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives, the governor and the secretary of state and to the joint legislative budget committee for review a report on all of the following:
1. The number of students who took a qualifying examination at each school.
2. The number of students who received a passing score on a qualifying examination and the number of incentive bonus awards distributed.
3. The number and types of qualifying examinations taken by students.
4. The number of students who enrolled in a career and technical education course or program that leads to certification or licensure that is accepted by a vocation or industry.
5. The number of students who obtained a qualifying certification or license and the number of incentive bonus awards distributed.
6. The number and types of qualifying certifications or licenses obtained by students.
4. 7. The amount of bonus monies received by each school.
G. H. Incentive bonuses distributed to and any bonus monies received by a teacher are not compensation as defined in section 38‑711.
I. On or before september 1 of each year, the workforce Arizona council shall submit the list of qualifying certifications and licenses to the joint legislative budget committee for review.
J. The certification or license incentive program fund is established consisting of monies appropriated for this purpose. The department of education shall administer the fund. Monies in the fund are subject to legislative appropriation. The department shall distribute incentive bonuses from the fund to students who obtain a certification or license that is accepted by a vocation or industry pursuant to this section.
H. K. The program established by this section ends on July 1, 2026 pursuant to section 41‑3102.
Sec. 2. Appropriation; certification or license incentive program fund
The sum of $1,000,000 is appropriated from the state general fund in fiscal year 2018-2019 to the certification or license incentive program fund established by section 15‑249.06, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by this act.