Washington State House of Representatives Office of Program Research	BILL ANALYSIS
Education

HB 1120

Brief Description:  Establishing requirements for employing holders of lapsed teaching certificates.

Sponsors:  Representatives Rockefeller, Cox, Talcott, Quall, Santos, Haigh, Anderson, McDermott, Schindler, D. Schmidt, Pearson, Keiser and Jackley.

Brief Summary of Bill

$Authorizing the conditional employment of teachers with lapsed certificates under certain conditions

Hearing Date:  2/1/01

Staff:  Susan Morrissey (786‑7111).

Background: 

Teachers must be certified by the state in order to teach in Washington=s public or approved private schools.  The State Board of Education establishes the rules that govern teacher certification.  Currently, teachers who received their continuing or professional teaching certificates after August 30, 1987, are required to obtain 150 clock hours of classes every five years in order to maintain that certificate.  If a teacher does not fulfill the requirement, the teacher's certificate lapses.  Teachers with lapsed certificates may be eligible to teach as substitutes, but they may not be employed as regular teachers without obtaining additional credit hours.

Summary of Bill: 

 For a maximum of two years, under certain conditions, qualified individuals with lapsed Washington teaching certificates may be employed on a conditional basis by school districts and approved private schools.   In order to qualify for conditional employment, the individuals must complete state background checks and must have teaching certificates that lapsed no more than eight years prior to the conditional employment.  In addition, the individuals must have letters of recommendation from the school district or private school where the teachers were last employed.

Individuals who meet these requirements must complete certificate renewal requirements within two years of reemployment, and must file with their employers a written plan for achieving the requirements within the allotted time.   Individuals that are hired by a school district will be employed on a one year provisional contract.  These individuals must make satisfactory progress toward achievement of the renewal requirements in order to have their provisional contracts renewed for one additional year.

Teachers with certificates that were revoked or suspended are not eligible for conditional employment.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not Requested.