Text: HF00612 Text: HF00614 Text: HF00600 - HF00699 Text: HF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 256.44A PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT
1 2 RECOGNITION AWARDS PROGRAM.
1 3 1. A professional recognition awards program is
1 4 established within the department of education. The program's
1 5 goals are to encourage professional development and
1 6 achievement among Iowa's teachers, increase participation in
1 7 organizations that establish high standards for teachers, and
1 8 increase school improvement efforts to enhance student
1 9 achievement.
1 10 2. There is appropriated annually from the general fund of
1 11 the state to the department of education the sum of five
1 12 hundred thousand dollars for professional achievement
1 13 recognition awards in accordance with this section. Moneys
1 14 appropriated shall be allocated as follows:
1 15 a. The department shall provide a teacher, who registers
1 16 for a national board for professional teaching standards
1 17 certificate and who is employed by a school district in Iowa,
1 18 with a one-time reimbursement payment in the amount of one
1 19 thousand dollars for the registration fee charged by the
1 20 national board for professional teaching standards. The
1 21 teacher shall apply to the department of education within one
1 22 year of registration, submitting to the department any
1 23 documentation the department requires.
1 24 b. From the moneys appropriated in this subsection, after
1 25 the allocation of moneys under paragraph "a", for each fiscal
1 26 year in which moneys are appropriated, moneys shall be
1 27 allocated to a school district based upon the proportion that
1 28 the enrollment of the district bears to the sum of the
1 29 enrollments of all school districts in the state as reported
1 30 for the budget year.
1 31 3. Moneys received by school districts under subsection 2,
1 32 paragraph "b", shall be used for awards to recognize the
1 33 professional achievements of teachers employed by the
1 34 districts. The board of directors of each school district
1 35 shall adopt a policy negotiated by the board of directors and
2 1 the collective bargaining units representing teachers employed
2 2 by the school district. The policy shall establish the number
2 3 of awards to be issued annually and the process by which
2 4 teachers will be recognized for professional achievements.
2 5 The policy shall take into consideration the following:
2 6 a. Nationally recognized certifications and other forms of
2 7 recognition of professional achievement of teachers.
2 8 b. Participation in organizations that establish high
2 9 standards for teacher member qualification in specific fields
2 10 or specialties.
2 11 c. Participation in school improvement efforts to enhance
2 12 student achievement.
2 13 d. Attainment of postgraduate degrees.
2 14 e. Recognition by the department of education.
2 15 4. The policy adopted by the board of directors of a
2 16 school district pursuant to subsection 3 shall be submitted to
2 17 the department of education annually.
2 18 5. A professional recognition awards fund is established
2 19 in the office of treasurer of state to be administered by the
2 20 department. Moneys appropriated by the general assembly for
2 21 deposit in the fund shall be paid upon receipt of
2 22 reimbursement documentation as provided in subsection 2,
2 23 paragraph "a". The treasurer of state shall act as custodian
2 24 of the fund and may invest the moneys deposited in the fund.
2 25 The director of revenue and finance shall issue warrants upon
2 26 the fund pursuant to the order of the department and the
2 27 warrants shall be paid from the fund by the treasurer of
2 28 state.
2 29 6. The department of education shall notify the department
2 30 of revenue and finance of the amount of the allocation to be
2 31 paid to each school district as provided in subsection 2,
2 32 paragraph "b". The allocation to each school district shall
2 33 be made in one payment on or about October 15 of the fiscal
2 34 year for which the appropriation is made, taking into
2 35 consideration the relative budget and cash position of the
3 1 state resources. Moneys received under this section shall not
3 2 be commingled with state aid payments made under section
3 3 257.16 to a school district and shall be accounted for by the
3 4 local school district separately from state aid payments.
3 5 Payments made to school districts under this section are
3 6 miscellaneous income for purposes of chapter 257.
3 7 7. For purposes of this section, unless the context
3 8 otherwise requires, "teacher" means the same as defined in
3 9 section 272.2.
3 10 EXPLANATION
3 11 This bill establishes a professional achievement
3 12 recognition awards program within of the department of
3 13 education and makes an appropriation of $500,000 annually from
3 14 the general fund of the state for that purpose. The program's
3 15 goals are to encourage professional development and
3 16 achievement among Iowa's teachers, increase participation in
3 17 organizations that establish high standards for teachers, and
3 18 increase school improvement efforts to enhance student
3 19 achievement.
3 20 The moneys appropriated are allocated to the department of
3 21 education to provide a teacher who registers for a national
3 22 board for professional teaching standards certificate and who
3 23 is employed by a school district in Iowa with a one-time
3 24 reimbursement payment in the amount of $1,000 for the
3 25 registration fee charged by the national board for
3 26 professional teaching standards. The teacher must apply to
3 27 the department of education within one year of registration,
3 28 submitting to the department any documentation the department
3 29 requires.
3 30 The moneys remaining after the department reimburses
3 31 teachers for national board registration fees, are to be
3 32 distributed to school districts on a per pupil basis. Moneys
3 33 received by school districts under the program are to be used
3 34 to make awards to recognize teachers employed by the districts
3 35 for their professional achievements. The board of directors
4 1 of a school district is directed to adopt a policy negotiated
4 2 by the board and the collective bargaining units representing
4 3 teachers employed by the school district. The policy shall
4 4 establish the number of awards to be issued annually and the
4 5 process by which teachers will be recognized for their
4 6 professional achievements. The policy shall take into
4 7 consideration the following:
4 8 1. Nationally recognized certifications and professional
4 9 achievements of teachers.
4 10 2. Participation in organizations that establish high
4 11 standards for teacher training in specific fields or
4 12 specialties.
4 13 3. Participation in school improvement efforts to enhance
4 14 student achievement.
4 15 4. Attainment of postgraduate degrees.
4 16 5. Recognition by the department of education.
4 17 The policy adopted by the board of directors of a school
4 18 district is to be submitted to the department of education
4 19 annually.
4 20 The bill establishes a professional recognition awards fund
4 21 in the office of treasurer of state to be administered by the
4 22 department. Moneys appropriated by the general assembly for
4 23 deposit in the fund are paid out of the fund to a given
4 24 teacher upon receipt of reimbursement documentation.
4 25 LSB 2711YH 78
4 26 kh/jw/5
Text: HF00612 Text: HF00614 Text: HF00600 - HF00699 Text: HF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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