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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1022
January Session, 2019
LCO No. 5282
Referred to Committee on EDUCATION
Introduced by:
(ED)
AN ACT CONCERNING MI NORITY TEACHER RECRUITMENT AND
RETENTION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) For the school year 1
commencing July 1, 2020, and each school year thereafter, the Minority 2
Teacher Recruitment Policy Oversight Council, established pursuant to 3
section 10-156bb of the general statutes, in consultation with the 4
minority teacher recruitment task force, established pursuant to section 5
10-156aa of the general statutes, shall develop and implement 6
strategies and utilize existing resources to ensure that at least two 7
hundred fifty new minority teachers and administrators, of which at 8
least thirty per cent are men, are hired and employed by local and 9
regional boards of education each year in the state. As used in this 10
section, "minority" has the same meaning as provided in section 10-11
156bb of the general statutes. 12
Sec. 2. Section 10-146c of the general statutes is repealed and the 13
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019): 14 Raised Bill No. 1022
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(a) As used in this section: 15
(1) "State" means a state of the United States, the District of 16
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or territories or 17
possessions of the United States; and 18
(2) "Educator preparation program" means a program designed to 19
qualify an individual for professional certification as an educator 20
provided by institutions of higher education or other providers, 21
including, but not limited to, an alternate route to certification 22
program. 23
(b) The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee, 24
as agent for the state shall enter into reciprocity agreements concerning 25
professional certification reciprocity with the chief education officials 26
for each state. If the commissioner is unable to establish a reciprocity 27
agreement with another state, the commissioner may establish or join 28
an interstate agreement pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. 29
[(b)] (c) The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's 30
designee, as agent for the state shall establish or join interstate 31
agreements with other states to facilitate the certification of qualified 32
educators from other states. Any such interstate agreement shall 33
include provisions requiring candidates for certification to, at a 34
minimum, (1) hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited 35
college or university, (2) have fulfilled post-preparation assessments as 36
approved by the commissioner, and (3) have successfully completed 37
an approved educator preparation program. Notwithstanding the 38
provisions of sections 10-145b and 10-145f, as amended by this act, the 39
State Board of Education shall issue the appropriate professional 40
certificate to any applicant, based on such applicant's qualifications, 41
who satisfies the requirements of the appropriate interstate agreement. 42
[(c)] (d) If the commissioner is unable to establish or join a 43
reciprocity agreement or an interstate agreement with another state, 44
the commissioner may create and make available a recognition 45
statement that specifies the states, assessments and educator 46 Raised Bill No. 1022
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preparation programs that the commissioner will recognize for 47
purposes of issuing professional certification under sections 10-145b 48
and 10-145f, as amended by this act. 49
(e) Not later than January 1, 2020, and annually thereafter, the 50
commissioner shall submit a progress report on the development and 51
implementation of reciprocity agreements and interstate agreements 52
and any recommendations for legislation to the joint standing 53
committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters 54
relating to education, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-55
4a. 56
Sec. 3. Subsection (d) of section 10-145b of the general statutes is 57
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 58
1, 2019): 59
(d) (1) On and after July 1, [2016] 2019, in order to be eligible to 60
obtain an initial educator certificate, each person shall be required to 61
complete (A) a course of study in special education comprised of not 62
fewer than thirty-six hours, which shall include [an understanding of] 63
(i) instruction on the growth and development of exceptional children, 64
including children with a disability, gifted and talented children and 65
children who may require special education, and (ii) methods for 66
identifying, planning for and working effectively with special needs 67
children in a regular classroom, and (B) a course or courses of study in 68
special education relating to instruction on classroom techniques in 69
reading, differentiated instruction, social-emotional learning, [cultural 70
competencies] culturally responsive pedagogy and practice and 71
assistive technology. The provisions of this subdivision shall not apply 72
to any person who has been issued an initial educator certificate prior 73
to July 1, [2016] 2019. 74
(2) On and after July 1, 2016, in order to be eligible to obtain a 75
provisional educator certificate, each person shall be required to 76
complete a course of study in special education comprised of not fewer 77
than thirty-six hours, which shall include an understanding of the 78 Raised Bill No. 1022
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growth and development of exceptional children, including children 79
with a disability, gifted and talented children and children who may 80
require special education, and methods for identifying, planning for 81
and working effectively with special needs children in a regular 82
classroom. 83
(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection to the 84
contrary, each applicant for such certificates who has met all 85
requirements for certification except the completion of the course in 86
special education shall be entitled to a certificate (A) for a period not to 87
exceed one year, provided the applicant completed a teacher 88
preparation program either in the state prior to July 1, 1987, or outside 89
the state, or completed the necessary combination of professional 90
experience or coursework as required by the State Board of Education 91
or (B) for a period not to exceed two years if the applicant applies for 92
certification in an area for which a bachelor's degree is not required. 93
(4) Except as otherwise provided in section 10-146c, as amended by 94
this act, upon receipt of a proper application, the State Board of 95
Education shall issue an initial educator certificate in the endorsement 96
area of intermediate administration and supervision, subject to the 97
provisions of subsection (i) of this section relating to denial of 98
applications for certification, to an administrator from another state, 99
territory or possession of the United States or the District of Columbia 100
who (A) has been an administrator under an appropriate certificate 101
issued by another state, territory or possession of the United States or 102
the District of Columbia for three or more years, and (B) holds a 103
master's degree in an appropriate subject matter area, as determined 104
by the State Board of Education. Such applicant shall be exempt from 105
completing the beginning educator program based upon such 106
administrator experience upon a showing of effectiveness as an 107
administrator, as determined by the State Board of Education, which 108
may include, but need not be limited to, a demonstrated record of 109
improving student achievement. 110
Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2019) (a) For the fiscal year ending 111 Raised Bill No. 1022
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June 30, 2021, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Office of Higher 112
Education, in collaboration with the Minority Teacher Recruitment 113
Policy Oversight Council, established pursuant to section 10-156bb of 114
the general statutes, and the minority teacher recruitment task force, 115
established pursuant to section 10-156aa of the general statutes, shall, 116
within available appropriations, administer the minority educator loan 117
reimbursement grant program for persons who meet the eligibility 118
requirements described in subsection (b) of this section. 119
(b) The program shall provide student loan reimbursement grants to 120
any person who (1) is defined as a minority pursuant to section 10-155l 121
of the general statutes, (2) holds professional certification pursuant to 122
chapter 166 of the general statutes, and (3) is employed as an 123
administrator or a teacher by a local or regional board of education. 124
(c) Any person who satisfies the eligibility requirements prescribed 125
in subsection (b) of this section may receive an annual grant for 126
reimbursement of federal or state educational loans (1) in an amount 127
up to ten per cent of such person's federal or state educational loans 128
but that does not exceed five thousand dollars in any year, and (2) for a 129
period not to exceed ten years. Such person shall only be reimbursed 130
for loan payments made while such person is employed by a local or 131
regional board of education. 132
(d) Persons may apply to the Office of Higher Education for grants 133
under this section at such time and in such manner as the executive 134
director of the Office of Higher Education prescribes. 135
(e) Any unexpended funds appropriated for purposes of this section 136
shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal year but shall be available for 137
expenditure during the next fiscal year. 138
Sec. 5. Section 10a-168a of the general statutes is repealed and the 139
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019): 140
(a) There is established a Connecticut minority teacher incentive 141
program administered by the Office of Higher Education. 142 Raised Bill No. 1022
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(b) Within available appropriations, the program shall provide 143
grants to minority students (1) in teacher education programs for their 144
junior or senior year, or both such years, at any four-year institution of 145
higher education, (2) completing the requirements of such a teacher 146
education program as a graduate student, provided such student 147
received a grant pursuant to this section for one year at the 148
undergraduate level, or (3) enrolled in the alternate route to 149
certification program administered through the Office of Higher 150
Education. No student shall receive a grant under the program for 151
more than two years. Maximum grants shall not exceed five thousand 152
dollars per year. The office shall ensure that at least ten per cent of the 153
grant recipients are minority students who transfer from a Connecticut 154
regional community-technical college. 155
[(c) A minority student who received grants under subsection (b) of 156
this section, and who teaches in a Connecticut public school upon 157
graduation, shall be eligible for reimbursement of federal or state 158
educational loans up to a maximum of two thousand five hundred 159
dollars per year for up to four years of teaching service. 160
(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (b) and (c) of this 161
section, the combined dollar value of grants and loan reimbursements 162
shall not exceed twenty thousand dollars per student.] 163
Sec. 6. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2019) On and after July 1, 2020, any 164
program of school and district leadership preparation leading to 165
professional certification shall include, as part of the curriculum, 166
instruction in culturally responsive pedagogy and practice. 167
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
Sec. 2 July 1, 2019 10-146c
Sec. 3 July 1, 2019 10-145b(d)
Sec. 4 July 1, 2019 New section
Sec. 5 July 1, 2019 10a-168a
Sec. 6 July 1, 2019 New section Raised Bill No. 1022
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Statement of Purpose:
To recruit and retain minority teachers in Connecticut.
[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline,
except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is
not underlined.]