To promote continuous improvement in Iowa's quality teaching workforce and to give Iowa teachers the opportunity for career recognition that reflects the various roles teachers play as educational leaders, an Iowa teacher career path is established for teachers employed by participating school districts. A participating school district shall use funding allocated under section 284.13, subsection 1, paragraph "g", to raise teacher salaries to meet the requirements of this section. The Iowa teacher career path and salary minimums are as follows:
1. Effective July 1, 2001, the following career path levels are established and shall be implemented in accordance with this chapter:
a. Beginning teacher.
(1) A beginning teacher is a teacher who meets the following requirements:
(a) Has successfully completed an approved practitioner preparation program as defined in section 272.1.
(b) Holds a provisional teacher license issued by the board of educational examiners.
(c) Participates in the beginning teacher mentoring and induction program as provided in this chapter.
(2) The participating district shall increase the district's minimum salary for a first-year beginning teacher by at least one thousand five hundred dollars per year above the minimum salary paid to a first-year beginning teacher in the previous year unless the minimum salary for a first-year beginning teacher exceeds twenty-eight thousand dollars.
b. Career teacher.
(1) A career teacher is a teacher who meets the following requirements:
(a) Has successfully completed the beginning teacher mentoring and induction program and has successfully completed a comprehensive evaluation as provided in this chapter.
(b) Is reviewed by the school district as demonstrating the competencies of a career teacher.
(c) Holds a valid license issued by the board of educational examiners.
(d) Participates in teacher career development as set forth in this chapter and demonstrates continuous improvement in teaching.
(2) The participating district shall provide a two thousand dollar difference between the average beginning teacher salary and the minimum career teacher salary, unless the school district has a minimum career teacher salary that exceeds thirty thousand dollars.
2. It is the intent of the general assembly to establish and require the implementation of and provide for the implementation of the following additional career path levels by July 1, 2003:
a. Career II teacher.
(1) A career II teacher is a teacher who meets the requirements of subsection 1, paragraph "b", has met the requirements established by the school district that employs the teacher, and is evaluated by the school district as demonstrating the competencies of a career II teacher. The teacher shall have successfully completed a comprehensive evaluation in order to be classified as a career II teacher.
(2) It is the intent of the general assembly that the participating district shall establish a minimum salary for a career II teacher that is at least five thousand dollars greater than the minimum career teacher salary. It is further intended that the district shall adopt a plan that facilitates the transition of a career teacher to a career II level.
b. Advanced teacher.
(1) An advanced teacher is a teacher who meets the following requirements:
(a) Receives the recommendation of the review panel that the teacher possesses superior teaching skills and that the teacher should be classified as an advanced teacher.
(b) Holds a valid license from the board of educational examiners.
(c) Participates in teacher career development as outlined in this chapter and demonstrates continuous improvement in teaching.
(d) Possesses the skills and qualifications to assume leadership roles.
(2) It is the intent of the general assembly that the participating district shall establish a minimum salary for an advanced teacher that is at least thirteen thousand five hundred dollars greater than the minimum career teacher salary. In conjunction with the development of the review panel pursuant to section 284.9, the department shall make recommendations to the general assembly by January 1, 2002, regarding the appropriate district-to-district recognition for advanced teachers and methods that facilitate the transition of a teacher to the advanced level.
3. A teacher shall be promoted one level at a time and a teacher promoted to the next career level shall remain at that level for at least one year before requesting promotion to the next career level.
4. If a comprehensive evaluation for a teacher is conducted in the fifth year of the teacher's status at the career level, and indicates that the teacher's practice no longer meets the standards for that level, a comprehensive evaluation shall be conducted in the next following school year. If the comprehensive evaluation establishes that the teacher's practice fails to meet the standards for that level, the teacher shall be ineligible for any additional pay increase other than a cost-of-living increase.
5. A teacher employed in a participating district shall not receive less compensation in that participating district than the teacher received in the school year preceding participation, as set forth in section 284.4 due to implementation of this chapter. A teacher who achieves national board for professional teaching standards certification and meets the requirements of section 256.44 shall continue to receive the award as specified in section 256.44 in addition to the compensation set forth in this section.
6. a. For the school year beginning July 1, 2001, and ending June 30, 2002, if the licensed employees of a school district or area education agency receiving funds pursuant to section 284.13, subsection 1, paragraph "g" or "h", for purposes of this section, are organized under chapter 20 for collective bargaining purposes, the board of directors and the certified bargaining representative for the licensed employees shall mutually agree upon a formula for distributing the funds among the teachers employed by the school district or area education agency. However, the school district must comply with the salary minimums provided for in this section. The parties shall follow the negotiation and bargaining procedures specified in chapter 20 except that if the parties reach an impasse, neither impasse procedures agreed to by the parties nor sections 20.20 through 20.22 shall apply and the funds shall be paid as provided in paragraph "b". Negotiations under this section are subject to the scope of negotiations specified in section 20.9. If a board of directors and the certified bargaining representative for licensed employees have not reached mutual agreement by July 15, 2001, for the distribution of funds received pursuant to section 284.13, subsection 1, paragraph "g" or "h", paragraph "b" of this subsection shall apply.
b. If, once the minimum salary requirements of section 284.7 have been met by the school district or area education agency, and the school district or area education agency receiving funds pursuant to section 284.13, subsection 1, paragraph "g" or "h", for purposes of this section, and the certified bargaining representative for the licensed employees have not reached an agreement for distribution of the funds remaining, in accordance with paragraph "a", the board of directors shall divide the funds remaining among full-time teachers employed by the district or area education agency whose regular compensation is equal to or greater than the minimum career teacher salary specified in this section. The payment amount for teachers employed on less than a full-time basis shall be prorated.
c. If the licensed employees of a school district or area education agency are not organized for collective bargaining purposes, the board of directors shall determine the method of distribution of such funds.
2001 Acts, ch 161, §8; 2001 Acts, ch 177, §5, 6, 15
Referred to in § 284.8, 284.13
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