State SealARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 

HB2525: experienced teacher retention pilot program

PRIME SPONSOR: Representative Friese, LD 9

BILL STATUS: House Engrossed

                               

 

Overview

Establishes an experienced teacher retention pilot program and requirements for evaluating this program.  ☐ Prop 105 (45 votes) ☐ Prop 108 (40 votes) ☐ Emergency (40 votes) ☐ Fiscal Note

History

Currently, only one program is similar to the proposed pilot program. The Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education (ACPE) operates the Arizona Teacher Student Loan Program which grants loans to qualified applicants who agree to provide instruction in mathematics, science, or special education in a public school or to provide instruction in a public school that is a low-income school, a rural school, or a school that is located on an Indian reservation. Recipients must use the loans granted by the ACPE to defray the costs of tuition, instructional materials, and mandatory fees for a teaching degree or a teaching certificate through an alternative teacher certification program at a qualifying postsecondary institution (A.R.S. § 15-1782 et seq.). 

The ACPE disbursed $292,717 in program loans to 56 students in FY 2018 (Annual Report for the Arizona Teacher Student Loan Program, FY 2018). For FY 2019, this program was appropriated $426,000  from the state General Fund (Laws 2018, Ch. 276, §75).

Provisions

1.       Requires the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) to conduct an experienced teacher retention pilot program and select persons for participation in this program. (Sec. 1)

2.       Establishes the following eligibility requirements to participate in the program:

a.       Be a certificated teacher who has been employed at one or more school districts or charter schools in Arizona for a total of at least 10 years, the teacher's spouse, or the teacher's dependent.

b.       Be a certificated teacher who has been employed at one more school districts or charter schools for 3 to 10 years. (Sec. 1)

3.       Requires ADE to prioritize eligible participants who teach in a rural school and select applicants to participate in the pilot program on a first-come, first-served basis. (Sec. 1)

4.       Allows program participants to receive a 75% discount on tuition at the state's universities for the duration of the pilot program. (Sec. 1)

5.       Requires a certificated teacher who has been employed at one or more school districts or charter schools for 3 to 10 years to use the tuition discount only to obtain one or more graduate degrees om the same or similar subject matter in which the participant teachers and mandates that this teacher sign a contract with ADE to continue teaching in Arizona for at least 4 years after obtaining the graduate degree. (Sec. 1)

6.       Stipulates that a tuition waiver awarded for the pilot program must be reduced by the amount of any federal aid scholarships, public grants and other public aid received by the person from or through the university at which the person is enrolled. (Sec. 1)

7.       Specifies that any program participant who receives discounted tuition and fails to fulfill the service requirements or whose teacher certificate is revoked by the State Board of Education must repay the amount of discounted tuition to ADE. (Sec. 1)

8.       Mandates that ADE, in collaboration with the Arizona Board of Regents, will limit the number of persons who are selected to participate in this program. (Sec. 1)

9.       Mandates that ADE issue a request for proposals to contract for the study of the effectiveness of this pilot program by December 31, 2021 and requires the persons/entities selected to submit a report that summarizes their findings and conclusions to the Governor, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the President of the Senate, and Speaker of the House of Representatives on or before December 31, 2025. (Sec. 1)

10.   Appropriates the following amounts from the state General Fund to ADE for the costs of this pilot program:

a.       In FY 2020, appropriates $2 million to ADE.

b.       In FY 2021, appropriates either:

i.         $2.0 million to ADE if it awarded less than $2.0 million in FY 2020, or

ii.       $2.5 million to ADE if it awarded at least $2.0 million in FY 2020

c.        In FY 2022, appropriates either:

i.         The amount appropriated in FY 2021 if ADE did not award less than that amount in FY 2021, or

ii.       $5.0 million to ADE if it awarded at least all monies that were appropriated to it in FY 2021. (Sec. 2)

11.   Allows ADE to retain up to 2% of the monies appropriated in each fiscal year to administer the pilot program. (Sec. 2)

12.   Appropriates $2 million from the state General Fund in FY 2023 to ADE in FY 2023 to $100,000 for distribution to the persons/entities that ADE selects to study the effectiveness of this pilot program.  (Sec. 2)

13.   Defines rural school. (Sec. 1)

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17.   Fifty-fourth Legislature                       HB 2525

18.   First Regular Session                            Version 1: House Engrossed

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