H-2183              _______________________________________________

                                           SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL NO. 174

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State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1985 Regular Session

By House Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Valle, Barrett, Winsley, P. King, Ebersole, Rayburn, Appelwick, Allen, Armstrong and Wang)

Read first time 3/6/85 and referred to Committee on Ways & Means.

AN ACT Relating to educational excellence; and creating new sections.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The superintendent of public instruction shall adopt rules to establish and operate a beginning teachers assistance pilot program to operate during the 1985-86 and 1986-87 school years for one hundred mentor teachers each year.  The results of the program shall be reported to the legislature in January, 1988.  The program shall provide for:

          (1) Assistance by a mentor teacher who will provide a source of continuing and sustained support to a beginning teacher, both in and outside the classroom;

          (2) Stipends for mentor teachers which shall not be deemed compensation for the purposes of the teachers' retirement system under chapter 41.32 RCW;

          (3) Workshops for the training of mentor teachers;

          (4) The use of substitutes to give the mentor teacher and beginning teacher opportunities to jointly observe and evaluate teaching situations and to give the mentor teacher opportunities to observe and assist the beginning teacher in the classroom; and

          (5) A mentor teacher to be a superior teacher based on his or her evaluation and to hold a valid continuing certificate.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     Implementation of this act is subject to funds being appropriated or made available by the legislature for such purpose.