HB 1761 -- Substitute Teachers

Co-Sponsors:  Summers, Myers, Ostmann, Hartzler (124), Levin

This bill creates a pilot project that permits 50 school
districts to determine standards for their substitute teachers
for a 5-year period.  At the end of that time, the Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education will develop new rules for
substitute teacher certification.  The bill sets out
requirements for the school districts' participation, which
include, among others, documented work experience with children,
a screening process, and an in-service training design.  The
bill requires the department to do background checks on
applicants for substitute teacher certificates and permits the
department, upon application by a district experiencing a
teacher shortage, to certify the shortage to the state's teacher
retirement systems, who would then permit retired teachers to
return to full-time teaching without loss of their benefits for
up to 5 years.

The bill adds reading and core knowledge proficiency programs,
teacher tuition reimbursement, substitute teacher recruitment,
and alternative education programs to the list of areas of
critical need.  The bill specifies percentages of moneys to be
directed toward teacher tuition reimbursement and substitute
teacher recruitment.