House Bill No. 7113
Public Act No. 19-139
AN ACT CONCERNING ED UCATION ISSUES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. Subsection (b) of section 10-91j of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July
1, 2019):
(b) On and after July 1, 2019, a local or regional board of education
shall not be eligible for reimbursement pursuant to subsection (b) of
section 10-76g for any costs of special education paid by such board of
education to a private provider of special education services unless
such board of education has entered into a written contract with such
private provider of special education services for the provision of such
special education services. The individualized education program of a
child shall not be considered a contract between a local or regional
board of education and a private provider of special education services
for purposes of this section. Nothing in this subsection shall be
construed to limit or interrupt the provision of special education and
related services to a child by a local or regional board of education or
private provider of special education services.
Sec. 2. Subdivision (6) of subsection (a) of section 10-151 of the
general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu House Bill No. 7113
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thereof (Effective July 1, 2019):
(6) "Tenure" means:
(A) The completion of forty school months of full-time continuous
employment for the same board of education, provided the
superintendent offers the teacher a contract to return for the following
school year on the basis of effective practice as informed by
performance evaluations conducted pursuant to section 10-151b. For
purposes of calculating continuous employment towards tenure, the
following shall apply: (i) For a teacher who has not attained tenure,
two school months of part-time continuous employment by such
teacher shall equal one school month of full-time continuous
employment except, for a teacher employed in a part-time position at a
salary rate of less than twenty-five per cent of the salary rate of a
teacher in such position, if such position were full-time, three school
months of part-time continuous employment shall equal one school
month of full-time continuous employment; (ii) a teacher who has not
attained tenure shall not count layoff time towards tenure, except that
if such teacher is reemployed by the same board of education within
five calendar years of the layoff, such teacher may count the previous
continuous employment immediately prior to the layoff towards
tenure; (iii) a teacher who has not attained tenure shall not count
authorized leave time towards tenure if such time exceeds ninety
student school days in any one school year, provided only the student
school days worked that year by such teacher shall count towards
tenure and shall be computed on the basis of eighteen student school
days or the greater fraction thereof equaling one school month; (iv) for
a teacher who has not attained tenure and who is employed by a local
or regional board of education that enters into a cooperative
arrangement pursuant to section 10-158a, such teacher may count the
previous continuous employment with such board immediately prior
to such cooperative arrangement towards tenure; and (v) for a teacher House Bill No. 7113
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who has not attained tenure and who is employed by a local board of
education or as part of a cooperative arrangement, pursuant to section
10-158a, and such board or cooperative arrangement joins a regional
school district, such teacher may count the previous continuous
employment with such local board or cooperative arrangement
immediately prior to employment by the regional board of education
towards tenure.
(B) For a teacher who has attained tenure prior to layoff, tenure shall
resume if such teacher is reemployed by the same board of education
within five calendar years of the layoff.
(C) Except as provided in subparagraphs (B) [,] and (D) [and (E)] of
this subdivision, any teacher who has attained tenure with any one
board of education and whose employment with such board ends for
any reason and who is reemployed by such board or is subsequently
employed by any other board, shall attain tenure after completion of
twenty school months of continuous employment, provided the
superintendent offers the teacher a contract to return for the following
school year on the basis of effective practice as informed by
performance evaluations conducted pursuant to section 10-151b. The
provisions of this subparagraph shall not apply if, (i) prior to
completion of the twentieth school month following commencement of
employment by such board such teacher has been notified in writing
that his or her contract will not be renewed for the following school
year, or (ii) for a period of five or more calendar years immediately
prior to such subsequent employment, such teacher has not been
employed by any board of education.
[(D) Any certified teacher or administrator employed by a local or
regional board of education for a school district identified as a priority
school district pursuant to section 10-266p may attain tenure after ten
months of employment in such priority school district, if such certified
teacher or administrator previously attained tenure with another local House Bill No. 7113
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or regional board of education in this state or another state.]
[(E)] (D) For a teacher who has attained tenure and is employed by a
local or regional board of education that enters into a cooperative
arrangement pursuant to section 10-158a, such teacher shall not
experience a break in continuous employment for purposes of tenure
as a result of such cooperative arrangement.
[(F)] (E) For a teacher who has attained tenure and is employed by a
local board of education or as part of a cooperative arrangement,
pursuant to section 10-158a, and such board or cooperative
arrangement joins a regional school district, such teacher shall not
experience a break in continuous employment for purposes of tenure
as a result of joining such regional school district.
Sec. 3. (Effective from passage) (a) There is established a working
group to study issues relating to the implementation of the pre-service
performance assessment, edTPA, as adopted by the State Board of
Education on December 7, 2016, as part of teacher preparation
programs, as defined in section 10-10a of the general statutes. The
working group shall examine how such assessment is being
implemented in teacher preparation programs in the state, the
financial costs associated with such assessment on institutions of
higher education and students enrolled in teacher preparation
programs, whether such assessment is evidence-based or a best
practice, whether other states are using such assessment as part of
teacher preparation programs or requiring completion of such
assessment for professional certification, and any effect on world
languages instruction.
(b) The working group shall consist of the following members:
(1) One appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives,
who is a professor in a teacher preparation program in the state; House Bill No. 7113
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(2) One appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, who
is a dean of a teacher preparation program in the state;
(3) One appointed by the majority leader of the House of
Representatives, who has expertise in pre-service performance
assessments for teacher preparation programs;
(4) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, who is a
student who is currently enrolled in a teacher preparation program in
the state;
(5) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of
Representatives, who is a student currently enrolled in a teacher
preparation program in the state;
(6) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, who is a
recent graduate of a teacher preparation program in the state; and
(7) The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee.
(c) All appointments to the working group shall be made not later
than thirty days after the effective date of this section. Any vacancy
shall be filled by the appointing authority.
(d) The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's
designee, shall schedule the first meeting of the working group, which
shall be held not later than sixty days after the effective date of this
section. The members of the working group shall elect the chairperson
of the working group from among the members of the working group
at the first meeting.
(e) 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 working group.
(f) Not later than January 1, 2020, the working group shall submit a House Bill No. 7113
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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 working group shall terminate on the
date that it submits such report or January 1, 2020, whichever is later.
Sec. 4. Section 10-264q of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019):
Notwithstanding subdivision (3) of subsection (b) of section 10-264l,
an interdistrict magnet school program that (1) does not assist the state
in meeting the goals of the 2008 stipulation and order for Milo Sheff, et
al. v. William A. O'Neill, et al., as extended, or the goals of the 2013
stipulation and order for Milo Sheff, et al. v. William A. O'Neill, et al.,
as extended, as determined by the Commissioner of Education, and (2)
is not in compliance with the enrollment requirements for students of
racial minorities, pursuant to section 10-264l, following the submission
of student information data of such interdistrict magnet school
program to the state-wide public school information system, pursuant
to section 10-10a, on or before October 1, [2015] 2019, shall remain
eligible for an interdistrict magnet school operating grant pursuant to
section 10-264l for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2020, and June 30,
2021, if such interdistrict magnet school program submits a compliance
plan to the Commissioner of Education and the commissioner
approves such plan.