H-3575.2  _______________________________________________

 

                          HOUSE BILL 2544

          _______________________________________________

 

State of Washington      56th Legislature     2000 Regular Session

 

By Representatives Keiser, Schual‑Berke, Santos, Haigh, Cox, Quall, Talcott, Murray, Poulsen, Stensen, Kenney, Regala, Ogden, Linville, Anderson, Conway, Constantine, Lantz, Edmonds, Ruderman, Cooper, Morris, Rockefeller, O'Brien, Kagi and Hurst

 

Read first time 01/17/2000.  Referred to Committee on Education.

Creating the educator reimbursement program.


    AN ACT Relating to educator professional development; adding new sections to chapter 28A.300 RCW; and creating new sections.

 

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

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1.  (1) The legislature finds that:

    (a) Carefully targeted professional development is a critical component of the state's education reform efforts;

    (b) Washington's teachers are required by the state to fund and complete college coursework in order to achieve and maintain professional certification;

    (c) Many public school teachers, especially beginning teachers who are at the bottom of the salary schedule, need help funding the academic credits required to achieve and maintain professional certification; and

    (d) Students, parents, and the local community benefit from the additional skills and knowledge acquired by teachers, so public-private partnerships could help teachers acquire the new skills and knowledge needed to enhance student learning and maintain professional certification.

    (2) The legislature intends to assist the state's reform efforts and to help educators fund their required studies through a tuition reimbursement program targeted to coursework that helps a teacher gain skills and knowledge that enhance student learning of the state's essential academic learning requirements.

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2.  The educator tuition reimbursement program is created.  The purpose of the program is to provide full or partial tuition reimbursement to public school teachers who take, as a requirement of professional or continuing certification, college courses designed to enhance student achievement of the state's essential academic learning requirements.  The program shall be administered by the office of the superintendent of public instruction.

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3.  With funds provided for this purpose through appropriation or private donations, or provided through contributions to the fund established under section 4 of this act, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall provide full or partial tuition reimbursement to any teacher employed in the common school system of the state, subject to the following requirements:

    (1) For coursework completed at an institution of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016, reimbursement shall be based on actual tuition and fees paid by the teacher for the coursework;

    (2) For coursework completed at an institution of higher education as defined in RCW 28B.07.020(4), reimbursement shall be based on, and shall not exceed, the tuition and fees charged for comparable coursework at the University of Washington;

    (3) The coursework must either apply toward any continuing or professional certification requirements adopted by the state board of education or be designed to help the teacher enhance student achievement of the state's academic learning requirements;

    (4) Full reimbursement may be provided for coursework completed with a grade of 3.0 or more on a four-point grading scale;

    (5) Partial reimbursement may be provided for coursework completed with a grade of 2.0 to 2.9 on a four-point grading scale and for coursework completed with a pass on a pass-fail grading scale; and

    (6) No reimbursement may be provided for coursework that is not completed with at least a 2.0 on a four-point grading scale, or a pass on a pass-fail grading scale.

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 4.  The teacher tuition reimbursement trust fund is established in the custody of the state treasurer.  The trust fund shall be administered by the state treasurer.  Funds donated to help teachers fund their continuing education shall be deposited into the fund.  All moneys deposited in the fund shall be invested by the state treasurer.  All earnings of investments of balances of the trust fund shall be credited to the fund.  At the request of the office of the superintendent of public instruction, the treasurer shall disburse moneys from the trust fund to qualifying teachers.  No appropriation is required for expenditures from the trust fund.

 

    NEW SECTION.  Sec. 5.  Sections 2 and 3 of this act are each added to chapter 28A.300 RCW.

 


                            --- END ---