AN ACT CONCERNING RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION OF TEACHERS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2007) (a) The Department of Education shall establish, within available appropriations, a program to prepare paraprofessionals who have been successful in the classroom for teaching careers. The program shall operate in priority school districts pursuant to section 10-266p of the general statutes.

(b) The program shall assist paraprofessionals to become certified teachers. Such assistance may include, but need not be limited to, payment of the tuition and fees directly related to the training necessary to become a certified teacher. The amount of assistance provided to each paraprofessional pursuant to this section shall not exceed ten thousand dollars per year. The department shall establish criteria for paraprofessionals for participation in the program.

(c) The Commissioners of Education and Higher Education shall identify institutions of higher education to provide the necessary teacher training for the program. Each priority school district shall select paraprofessionals to participate in the program based on the criteria established by the department pursuant to subsection (b) of this section and in consultation with the institutions of higher education.

(d) For purposes of this section, "paraprofessional" means an employee of a local or regional board of education who does not possess a certificate issued by the State Board of Education and who serves as an instructional assistant for such local or regional board of education.

Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2007) The Department of Higher Education shall establish, within available appropriations, a fellows program to allow qualified recent minority college graduates to enter teaching through a four-week intensive summer session focusing on classroom management and methodology. The department shall require participants to pass the teacher competency examination pursuant to section 10-145f of the general statutes or qualify for a waiver of the examination. The department shall provide stipends of two thousand five hundred dollars to each participant in the program. After successful completion of the summer session, participants in the program shall teach in a local or regional school district that agrees to provide the participant with a master teacher. The local or regional board of education shall allow the master teacher to spend two preparation and mentoring sessions per day for a minimum of one semester to work with the participant. The department shall pay each master teacher a stipend of five thousand dollars. Participants shall attend weekly seminars during the school year to meet the alternate route to certification curricular requirements. As used in this section, "minority" means those whose race is defined as other than white, or whose ethnicity is defined as Hispanic or Latino by the federal Office of Management and Budget for use by the Bureau of Census of the United States Department of Commerce.

Sec. 3. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2007) The Departments of Higher Education and Education shall establish, within available appropriations, a program to allow college seniors who are part of a minority and who are majoring in subject shortage areas pursuant to section 10-8b of the general statutes but are not enrolled in a teacher preparation program to receive up to three credits for working as cadet teachers in a public school. Upon graduation and recommendation by school officials, participants in the program may enter the fellows program established pursuant to section 2 of this act. As used in this section, "minority" means those whose race is defined as other than white, or whose ethnicity is defined as Hispanic or Latino by the federal Office of Management and Budget for use by the Bureau of Census of the United States Department of Commerce.

Sec. 4. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2007) The Department of Education shall establish a competitive grant program to assist local and regional boards of education to form and operate future teachers' clubs as part of the extracurricular activities at middle and high schools under their jurisdiction. Local and regional boards of education may apply to the Commissioner of Education for a grant at such time and in such manner as the commissioner prescribes. The maximum grant award shall be five thousand dollars. Any local or regional board of education receiving a grant shall demonstrate that the future teachers' clubs operating at middle and high schools under its jurisdiction take affirmative steps to recruit minority students as members. Each grant recipient shall seek additional funding in support of the clubs from business and civic organizations. In awarding grants pursuant to this section, the commissioner shall give preference to clubs that conduct multidistrict activities. As used in this section, "minority" means those whose race is defined as other than white, or whose ethnicity is defined as Hispanic or Latino by the federal Office of Management and Budget for use by the Bureau of Census of the United States Department of Commerce.

Statement of Purpose:

To encourage recruitment and retention of minority teachers.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]