Substitute Senate Bill No. 1022
Public Act No. 19-74
AN ACT CONCERNING MI NORITY TEACHER RECRU ITMENT 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
commencing July 1, 2020, and each school year thereafter, the Minority
Teacher Recruitment Policy Oversight Council, established pursuant to
section 10-156bb of the general statutes, in consultation with the
minority teacher recruitment task force, established pursuant to section
10-156aa of the general statutes, shall develop and implement
strategies and utilize existing resources to ensure that at least two
hundred fifty new minority teachers and administrators, of which at
least thirty per cent are men, are hired and employed by local and
regional boards of education each year in the state. As used in this
section, "minority" has the same meaning as provided in section 10-
156bb of the general statutes.
Sec. 2. Section 10-146c of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019):
(a) As used in this section:
(1) "State" means a state of the United States, the District of
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or territories or Substitute Senate Bill No. 1022
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possessions of the United States; and
(2) "Educator preparation program" means a program designed to
qualify an individual for [professional] certification as an educator
provided by institutions of higher education or other providers,
including, but not limited to, an alternate route to certification
program.
(b) The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee,
as agent for the state shall enter into reciprocity agreements concerning
educator certification reciprocity with the chief education officials for
each state. If the commissioner is unable to establish a reciprocity
agreement with another state, the commissioner may establish or join
an interstate agreement pursuant to subsection (c) of this section.
[(b)] (c) The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's
designee, as agent for the state shall establish or join interstate
agreements with other states to facilitate the certification of qualified
educators from other states. Any such interstate agreement shall
include provisions requiring candidates for certification to, at a
minimum, (1) hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited
college or university, (2) have fulfilled post-preparation assessments as
approved by the commissioner, and (3) have successfully completed
an approved educator preparation program. Notwithstanding the
provisions of sections 10-145b and 10-145f, as amended by this act, the
State Board of Education shall issue the appropriate [professional]
certificate to any applicant, based on such applicant's qualifications,
who satisfies the requirements of the appropriate interstate agreement.
[(c)] (d) If the commissioner is unable to establish or join a
reciprocity agreement or an interstate agreement with another state,
the commissioner may create and make available a recognition
statement that specifies the states, assessments and educator
preparation programs that the commissioner will recognize for Substitute Senate Bill No. 1022
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purposes of issuing [professional] certification under sections 10-145b,
as amended by this act, and 10-145f, as amended by this act.
(e) Not later than January 1, 2020, and annually thereafter, the
commissioner shall submit a progress report on the development and
implementation of reciprocity agreements and interstate agreements
and any recommendations for legislation 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.
Sec. 3. Section 10-145l of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019):
On and after July 1, [2010] 2019, the State Board of Education shall
allow an applicant for certification to teach in a subject shortage area
pursuant to section 10-8b or a certified employee seeking to teach in
such a subject shortage area to substitute achievement of [an excellent]
a satisfactory score, as determined by the State Board of Education, on
any appropriate State Board of Education approved subject area
assessment for the subject area requirements for certification pursuant
to section 10-145f, as amended by this act.
Sec. 4. Section 8-265pp of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019):
The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority shall develop and
administer a program of mortgage assistance to certified teachers (1)
employed by priority school districts pursuant to section 10-266p, (2)
employed by transitional school districts pursuant to section 10-263c,
(3) employed by the Technical Education and Career System at a
technical education and career school located in such priority or
transitional school districts, [or] (4) who teach in a subject matter
shortage area pursuant to section 10-8b, (5) who graduated from a Substitute Senate Bill No. 1022
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public high school in an educational reform district, as defined in
section 10-262u, or (6) who graduated from an historically black
college or university or a Hispanic-serving institution, as those terms
are defined in the Higher Education Act of 1965, P.L. 89-329, as
amended from time to time, and reauthorized by the Higher Education
Opportunity Act of 2008, P.L. 110-315, as amended from time to time.
Such assistance shall be available to eligible teachers for the purchase
of a house as their principal residence, provided, in the case of a
teacher employed by a priority or a transitional school district, or by
the Technical Education and Career System at a technical education
and career school located in a priority or transitional school district,
the house is located in such district. In making mortgage assistance
available under the program, the authority shall utilize down payment
assistance or any other appropriate housing subsidies. The terms of
any mortgage assistance shall allow the mortgagee to realize a
reasonable portion of the equity gain upon sale of the mortgaged
property.
Sec. 5. Subsection (b) of section 10-183v of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July
1, 2019):
(b) A teacher receiving retirement benefits from the system may be
reemployed for up to one full school year by a local board of
education, the State Board of Education or by any constituent unit of
the state system of higher education (1) in a position [(1)] designated
by the Commissioner of Education as a subject shortage area for the
school year in which the teacher is being employed, [or] (2) at a school
located in a school district identified as a priority school district,
pursuant to section 10-266p, for the school year in which the teacher is
being employed, (3) if the teacher graduated from a public high school
in an educational reform district, as defined in section 10-262u, or (4) if
the teacher graduated from an historically black college or university Substitute Senate Bill No. 1022
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or a Hispanic-serving institution, as those terms are defined in the
Higher Education Act of 1965, P.L. 89-329, as amended from time to
time, and reauthorized by the Higher Education Opportunity Act of
2008, P.L. 110-315, as amended from time to time. Notice of such
reemployment shall be sent to the board by the employer and by the
retired teacher at the time of hire and at the end of the assignment.
Such reemployment may be extended for an additional school year,
provided the local board of education (A) submits a written request for
approval to the Teachers' Retirement Board, (B) certifies that no
qualified candidates are available prior to the reemployment of such
teacher, and (C) indicates the type of assignment to be performed, the
anticipated date of rehire and the expected duration of the assignment.
Sec. 6. Subsection (a) of section 10-145b of the general statutes is
repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July
1, 2019):
(a) The State Board of Education, upon receipt of a proper
application, shall issue an initial educator certificate to any person who
(1) holds a bachelor's degree or an advanced degree from an institution
of higher education [accredited by the Board of Regents for Higher
Education or Office of Higher Education or] that is regionally
accredited or has received an equivalent accreditation, and (2) has
completed (A) an educator preparation program approved by the State
Board of Education or the appropriate governing body in the state in
which the institution of higher education is located, or (B) an alternate
route to certification program approved by the State Board of
Education or the appropriate governing body in the state in which
such alternate route to certification program is located, and satisfies
the requirements for a temporary ninety-day certificate, pursuant to
subsection (c) of this section, or a resident teacher certificate, pursuant
to section 10-145m. In addition, on and after July 1, 2018, each
applicant shall have completed a subject area major as defined by the Substitute Senate Bill No. 1022
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State Board of Education, except (i) as provided in section 10-145l, as
amended by this act, or (ii) where an applicant achieves a satisfactory
evaluation on an appropriate State Board of Education approved
subject area assessment [and] or has completed advanced coursework
in a relevant subject area. Each such initial educator certificate shall be
valid for three years, except as provided in subsection (c) of this
section, and may be extended by the Commissioner of Education for
an additional year for good cause upon the request of the
superintendent in whose school district such person is employed or
upon the request of the assessment team reviewing such person's
performance.
Sec. 7. Subsections (e) and (f) of section 10-145f of the general
statutes are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof
(Effective July 1, 2019):
(e) (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, any person
who holds a valid teaching certificate that is at least equivalent to an
initial educator certificate, as determined by the State Board of
Education, and such certificate is issued by a state other than
Connecticut in the subject area or endorsement area for which such
person is seeking certification in Connecticut shall not be required to
successfully complete the competency examination and subject matter
assessment pursuant to this section, if such person has either [(1)] (A)
successfully completed at least three years of teaching experience or
service in the endorsement area for which such person is seeking
certification in Connecticut in the past ten years in a public school or a
nonpublic school approved by the appropriate state board of
education in such other state, or [(2)] (B) holds a master's degree or
higher in the subject area for which such person is seeking certification
in Connecticut.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, any person who
has held a valid teaching certificate issued by the State Board of Substitute Senate Bill No. 1022
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Education and such certificate has expired shall not be required to
successfully complete the subject matter assessment in the
endorsement area for which such person is seeking renewal or
advancement of such certificate, pursuant to this section, if such
person has either (A) successfully completed at least three years of
teaching experience or service in a public school or a nonpublic school
under a valid teaching certificate issued by the State Board of
Education or issued by a state other than Connecticut, in the past ten
years in such endorsement area, or (B) holds a master's degree or
higher in the subject area for which such person is seeking renewal or
advancement of such certificate.
(f) (1) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, any person
who has achieved a satisfactory evaluation on an equivalent
competency examination or subject area assessment required for
educator certification in another state shall not be required to achieve a
satisfactory evaluation on the competency examination or subject
matter assessment pursuant to this section, provided the State Board of
Education determines that the requirements for achieving a
satisfactory evaluation on such equivalent competency examination or
subject area assessment in another state are at least equivalent to the
requirements prescribed by the State Board of Education for achieving
a satisfactory evaluation on the competency examination or subject
matter assessment pursuant to this section.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, any person who
has previously achieved a satisfactory evaluation on an appropriate
State Board of Education approved subject area assessment for a
teaching certificate that has expired shall not be required to take the
appropriate subject matter assessment currently approved by the State
Board of Education, provided the Commissioner of Education
determines that the requirements for achieving a satisfactory
evaluation on such previous subject area assessment are at least Substitute Senate Bill No. 1022
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equivalent to the requirements prescribed by the State Board of
Education for such current subject matter assessment.