Indiana 2025 Regular Session

Indiana Senate Bill SB0279 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	Introduced Version
3	3	SENATE BILL No. 279
4	4	_____
5	5	DIGEST OF INTRODUCED BILL
6	6	Citations Affected: IC 20-20-50.2.
7	7	Synopsis: Educator training and licensure. Establishes the
8	8	paraprofessional to teacher licensure pipeline program (program) to
9	9	provide grants to eligible schools for allowable expenses and to support
10	10	teacher candidates interested in obtaining an initial practitioners
11	11	license. Establishes the paraprofessional to teacher licensure pipeline
12	12	fund (fund). Provides that the department of education (department)
13	13	shall develop criteria to award grants to eligible schools. Requires the
14	14	department to assist schools in obtaining additional state, federal, or
15	15	private funding.
16	16	Effective: July 1, 2025.
17	17	Yoder
18	18	January 13, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on Education and Career
19	19	Development.
20	20	2025 IN 279—LS 6913/DI 152 Introduced
21	21	First Regular Session of the 124th General Assembly (2025)
22	22	PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
23	23	Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
24	24	additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
25	25	Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
26	26	provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the
27	27	word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds
28	28	a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
29	29	Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts
30	30	between statutes enacted by the 2024 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
31	31	SENATE BILL No. 279
32	32	A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning
33	33	education.
34	34	Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
35	35	1 SECTION 1. IC 20-20-50.2 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
36	36	2 AS A NEW CHAPTER TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
37	37	3 JULY 1, 2025]:
38	38	4 Chapter 50.2. Paraprofessional to Teacher Licensure Pipeline
39	39	5 Program
40	40	6 Sec. 1. As used in this chapter, "allowable expenses" means any
41	41	7 of the following:
42	42	8 (1) Tuition, books, and examination costs associated with a
43	43	9 teacher preparation program.
44	44	10 (2) Stipends for teacher mentors.
45	45	11 (3) Administrative costs incurred by an eligible school or
46	46	12 teacher preparation program for facilitating the program.
47	47	13 Sec. 2. As used in this chapter, "collaborative" refers to an
48	48	14 organization created through a partnership between an eligible
49	49	15 school and a teacher preparation program.
50	50	16 Sec. 3. As used in this chapter, "eligible school" means a school
51	51	17 corporation with an established collaborative.
52	52	2025 IN 279—LS 6913/DI 152 2
53	53	1 Sec. 4. As used in this chapter, "fund" refers to the
54	54	2 paraprofessional to teacher licensure pipeline fund established by
55	55	3 section 9 of this chapter.
56	56	4 Sec. 5. As used in this chapter, "program" refers to the
57	57	5 paraprofessional to teacher licensure pipeline program established
58	58	6 by section 8 of this chapter.
59	59	7 Sec. 6. As used in this chapter, "teacher candidate" means a
60	60	8 noncertified paraprofessional employed by an eligible school.
61	61	9 Sec. 7. As used in this chapter, "teacher preparation program"
62	62	10 includes the following:
63	63	11 (1) A program of study offered by a teacher education school
64	64	12 or department.
65	65	13 (2) A transition to teaching program under IC 20-28-4.
66	66	14 (3) Any other course of study leading to an initial teaching
67	67	15 license offered by an entity approved by the department.
68	68	16 Sec. 8. The paraprofessional to teacher licensure pipeline
69	69	17 program is established to provide grants to eligible schools for
70	70	18 allowable expenses and to support teacher candidates interested in
71	71	19 obtaining an initial practitioners license.
72	72	20 Sec. 9. (a) The paraprofessional to teacher licensure pipeline
73	73	21 fund is established to provide grants under the program. The fund
74	74	22 consists of the following:
75	75	23 (1) Appropriations from the general assembly.
76	76	24 (2) Gifts to the fund.
77	77	25 (3) Grants, including grants from private entities.
78	78	26 (4) Other state funds that are transferred to the fund.
79	79	27 (b) The expenses of administering the fund shall be paid from
80	80	28 money in the fund.
81	81	29 (c) Money in the fund at the end of a state fiscal year does not
82	82	30 revert to the state general fund.
83	83	31 Sec. 10. Subject to appropriation by the general assembly, the
84	84	32 department shall administer the program and fund.
85	85	33 Sec. 11. To be eligible for a grant from the fund, an eligible
86	86	34 school must do the following:
87	87	35 (1) Submit a plan to the department that does the following:
88	88	36 (A) Identifies at least one (1) content area at the eligible
89	89	37 school in which there is a shortage of teachers.
90	90	38 (B) Provides information concerning the teacher
91	91	39 preparation program the eligible school has partnered
92	92	40 with to form a collaborative.
93	93	41 (C) Designates an individual from the collaborative who
94	94	42 will assist the teacher candidate and provide program
95	95	2025 IN 279—LS 6913/DI 152 3
96	96	1 guidance.
97	97	2 (D) Estimates the number of teacher candidates likely to
98	98	3 complete the program.
99	99	4 (E) Estimates the number of mentor teachers necessary to
100	100	5 support each teacher candidate.
101	101	6 (F) Provides evidence of a written billing agreement with
102	102	7 a teacher preparation program that details the cost for
103	103	8 each teacher candidate cohort and prorated tuition costs
104	104	9 if a teacher candidate does not successfully complete the
105	105	10 program.
106	106	11 (2) Apply to the department in the manner and on a form
107	107	12 prescribed by the department.
108	108	13 Sec. 12. The department shall develop criteria to award grants
109	109	14 to eligible schools for allowable expenses. The criteria developed by
110	110	15 the department must include the following:
111	111	16 (1) A requirement that at least fifty percent (50%) of the
112	112	17 funds awarded to an eligible school will be used for tuition,
113	113	18 books, and examination costs associated with a teacher
114	114	19 preparation program.
115	115	20 (2) Commitment from the teacher candidate to fulfill a service
116	116	21 obligation by teaching full time for a school corporation in
117	117	22 Indiana for two (2) years.
118	118	23 (3) Any other criteria the department considers relevant.
119	119	24 Sec. 13. Eligible schools shall develop an outreach plan to
120	120	25 recruit:
121	121	26 (1) teacher candidates for participation in the program; and
122	122	27 (2) teachers to assist in mentoring teacher candidates who are
123	123	28 participating in the program.
124	124	29 Sec. 14. At a collaborative's request, the department shall
125	125	30 provide technical assistance to a collaborative seeking to obtain
126	126	31 additional state, federal, or private funding for the program.
127	127	32 Sec. 15. A teacher candidate who fails to comply with the service
128	128	33 obligation requirement described in section 12 of this chapter shall
129	129	34 be required to repay a prorated amount of the awarded grant.
130	130	2025 IN 279—LS 6913/DI 152