Enrolled Bill Summary

            House Bill 1475 amends the Education Code to require the commissioner of education to establish a master technology teacher grant program to encourage teachers to become certified as master technology teachers and work with other teachers and students to increase classroom use of technology. The bill requires the commissioner to make grants to school districts to pay stipends of up to $5,000 to selected certified master technology teachers, with priority given to those teaching at high-need campuses; it also requires the commissioner annually to identify and rank each high-need campus to determine those priorities. A district may apply to the commissioner for a grant to pay such stipends, and a district that has been approved for a grant is not required to reapply for two consecutive years after the year in which the initial grant was awarded if it continues to pay a stipend and notifies the commissioner that the circumstances that justified the stipend have not changed. The bill provides for the reduction of payment to a district to the extent that a teacher does not meet the requirements for an entire year. A district's grant money is in addition to any state aid it receives under the Foundation School Program's funding formulas. The bill allows the commissioner to audit expenditures of money appropriated for this purpose and requires a district's use of grant money to be verified as part of the district's mandatory annual audit.

            The bill requires the State Board for Educator Certification to establish a master technology teacher certificate, requires the board to issue a certificate to each eligible person, and establishes specific eligibility criteria regarding training, experience, and performance on a prescribed examination. It also allows the board to provide technology applications training courses in cooperation with regional education service centers and any other public or private entities.