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 Section 10-146c of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2019): (a) As used in this section: (1) "State" means a state of the United States, the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 Public Act No. 19-74 2 of 8 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 Public Act No. 19-74 3 of 8 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 Public Act No. 19-74 4 of 8 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 Public Act No. 19-74 5 of 8 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 Public Act No. 19-74 6 of 8 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 Public Act No. 19-74 7 of 8 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 Public Act No. 19-74 8 of 8 equivalent to the requirements prescribed by the State Board of Education for such current subject matter assessment.