General Assembly Raised Bill No. 379
February Session, 2016 LCO No. 2604
*_____SB00379ED____031716____*
Referred to Committee on EDUCATION
Introduced by:
(ED)
General Assembly
Raised Bill No. 379
February Session, 2016
LCO No. 2604
*_____SB00379ED____031716____*
Referred to Committee on EDUCATION
Introduced by:
(ED)
AN ACT CONCERNING THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE MINORITY TEACHER RECRUITMENT TASK FORCE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 5 of public act 15-108 is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective from passage):
(a) There is established a task force to study and develop strategies to increase and improve the recruitment, preparation and retention of minority teachers, as defined in section 10-155l of the general statutes, in public schools in the state. Such study shall include, but need not be limited to, (1) an examination of current state-wide and school district demographics, [and] (2) a review of best practices, and (3) whether the Praxis examination, as currently administered in the state, has an effect on minority teacher recruitment.
(b) The task force shall consist of the following members:
(1) One appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives;
(2) One appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate;
(3) One appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives, who shall be a member of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus of the General Assembly;
(4) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate;
(5) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives;
(6) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate;
(7) The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee;
(8) The president of the Board of Regents for Higher Education, or the president's designee;
(9) The executive director of the Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission, or the executive director's designee;
(10) The executive director of the African-American Affairs Commission, or the executive director's designee; and
(11) The executive director of the Commission on Children, or the executive director's designee.
(c) Any member of the task force appointed under subdivision (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) or (6) of subsection (b) of this section may be a member of the General Assembly.
(d) All appointments to the task force shall be made not later than thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy shall be filled by the appointing authority.
(e) The speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro tempore of the Senate shall select the chairpersons of the task force from among the members of the task force. Such chairpersons shall schedule the first meeting of the task force, which shall be held not later than sixty days after the effective date of this section.
(f) The administrative staff of the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education shall serve as administrative staff of the task force.
(g) Not later than [February 1, 2016] June 30, 2017, the task force shall submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. The task force shall terminate on the date that it submits such report or [February 1, 2016] June 30, 2017, whichever is later.
Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2016) There is established a Minority Teacher Recruitment Policy Oversight Council within the Department of Education. The council shall hold quarterly meetings and advise, at least quarterly, the Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee, on ways to (1) encourage minority middle and secondary school students to attend institutions of higher education and enter teacher preparation programs, (2) recruit minority students attending institutions of higher education to enroll in teacher preparation programs and pursue teaching careers, (3) recruit and retain minority teachers in Connecticut schools, (4) recruit minority teachers from other states to teach in Connecticut schools, and (5) recruit minority professionals in other fields to enter teaching. The council shall report, annually, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, on the recommendations given to the commissioner, or the commissioner's designee, pursuant to the provisions of this section, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education. For purposes of this section, "minority" means individuals whose race is defined as other than white, or whose ethnicity is defined as Hispanic or Latino by the federal Office of Management and Budget for use by the Bureau of Census of the United States Department of Commerce.
Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2016) Not later than January 1, 2017, and annually thereafter, the Department of Education shall conduct a survey of students participating in minority teacher recruitment programs offered by regional educational service centers or at a public institution of higher education in the state. Such survey shall include questions relating to the components and effectiveness of the minority teacher recruitment program. The department shall report, annually, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes, on the results and findings of the survey to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education.
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 from passage PA 15-108, Sec. 5
Sec. 2 July 1, 2016 New section
Sec. 3 July 1, 2016 New section
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1
from passage
PA 15-108, Sec. 5
Sec. 2
July 1, 2016
New section
Sec. 3
July 1, 2016
New section
ED Joint Favorable
ED
Joint Favorable