Teachers for At-Risk Schools Act
Summary: The Teachers for At-Risk Schools Act helps attract and retain well-qualified teachers for at-risk schools by providing matching funds for teacher incentive programs.
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE
This Act shall be called the “Teachers for At-Risk Schools Act.”
SECTION 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE
(A) FINDINGS—The legislature finds that:
1. Schools in high-poverty areas employ fewer well-qualified teachers than schools in more affluent areas.
2. Teachers can make an enormous difference in children’s lives, and the best teachers are needed to meet the enormous challenges in at-risk schools.
3. Financial incentives bring high-quality teachers to the high-poverty areas where they are most needed.
(B) PURPOSE—This law is enacted to improve the quality of education in at-risk schools.
SECTION 3. TEACHERS FOR AT-RISK SCHOOLS
After section XXX, the following new section XXX shall be inserted:
(A) A classroom teacher shall receive a bonus from the state in an amount equal to any local school board’s bonus, up to a maximum of $2,000 per teacher per year, if the teacher:
1. Teaches in a public school identified by the State Board of Education as a [school in corrective action, a school in restructuring, or a challenge school] or a school in which more than 75 percent of students qualify for free or subsidized school lunch; and
2. Is a National Board Certified Teacher, holds a Master’s or Doctorate degree in education or in the subject they teach, or graduated from an accredited institution of higher education with a grade point average of 3.5 or above on a 4.0 scale or its equivalent.
(B) An individual who receives a bonus under this section shall not be deemed an employee of the state.
(C) The employer of an individual who receives a bonus under this section shall be responsible for any increase in fringe benefit costs associated with the bonus.
SECTION 4. EFFECTIVE DATE
This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2007.