77R11102 CAS-F                           
         By Salinas, Kitchen, Olivo, Dunnam, et al.            H.B. No. 1310
         Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1310:
         By Dutton                                         C.S.H.B. No. 1310
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the Texas Teachers' Excellence Program.
 1-3           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-4           SECTION 1.  Chapter 21, Education Code, is amended by adding
 1-5     Subchapter M to read as follows:
 1-6              SUBCHAPTER M.  TEXAS TEACHERS' EXCELLENCE PROGRAM
 1-7           Sec. 21.601.  DEFINITIONS.  In this subchapter:
 1-8                 (1)  "Certification" means certification by the
 1-9     National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
1-10                 (2)  "Certification examination" means the National
1-11     Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification
1-12     examination.
1-13                 (3)  "Program" means the Texas Teachers' Excellence
1-14     Program.
1-15           Sec. 21.602.  ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.  The State Board for
1-16     Educator Certification shall establish the Texas Teachers'
1-17     Excellence Program to encourage teachers to become certified by the
1-18     National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.  Under the
1-19     program:
1-20                 (1)  the State Board for Educator Certification shall:
1-21                       (A)  provide to teachers financial assistance as
1-22     provided by this subchapter to assist teachers in earning
1-23     certification; and
1-24                       (B)  provide staff to assist the selection
 2-1     committee under Section 21.604; and
 2-2                 (2)  school districts shall pay stipends to teachers
 2-3     who  hold certification.
 2-4           Sec. 21.603.  ELIGIBILITY.  A teacher is eligible for
 2-5     financial assistance under Section 21.605 if the teacher:
 2-6                 (1)  is employed as a classroom teacher in this state;
 2-7                 (2)  meets the eligibility requirements for
 2-8     certification established by the National Board for Professional
 2-9     Teaching Standards;
2-10                 (3)  applies to participate in the program on a form
2-11     developed by the State Board for Educator Certification for that
2-12     purpose; and
2-13                 (4)  meets other requirements adopted by the State
2-14     Board for Educator Certification.
2-15           Sec. 21.604.  SELECTION COMMITTEE.  (a)  If the selection
2-16     committee appointed under this section receives not more than 100
2-17     applications in a fiscal year from eligible applicants for
2-18     financial assistance under Section 21.605, the committee shall
2-19     accept the application of each eligible applicant to receive
2-20     financial assistance under Section 21.605.  If the committee
2-21     receives more than 100 applications in a fiscal year from eligible
2-22     applicants and accepting the applications of all of the eligible
2-23     applicants would result in the expenditure of an amount of money
2-24     greater than the amount available for that fiscal year for
2-25     financial awards under Section 21.605, the committee shall review
2-26     all of the applications and, from among the applicants, select not
2-27     more than 100 eligible applicants to receive financial assistance
 3-1     under Section 21.605.
 3-2           (b)  The committee is composed of five members:
 3-3                 (1)  two of whom are appointed by the State Board for
 3-4     Educator Certification;
 3-5                 (2)  two of whom are appointed by the State Board of
 3-6     Education; and
 3-7                 (3)  one of whom is appointed by the commissioner.
 3-8           (c)  At least one member appointed by the State Board for
 3-9     Educator Certification and at least one member appointed by the
3-10     State Board of Education must be a teacher who is certified by the
3-11     National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
3-12           (d)  Members serve staggered terms of six years, with the
3-13     terms of as near as possible to one-third of the members expiring
3-14     on February 1 of each even-numbered year.
3-15           (e)  The commissioner shall appoint the presiding officer
3-16     from among the members of the committee.
3-17           (f)  The committee shall meet at least once each year in
3-18     Austin on a date determined by the presiding officer and may hold
3-19     other meetings as necessary at the call of the presiding officer or
3-20     of at least two-thirds of the members of the committee.
3-21           (g)  A member of the committee is not entitled to
3-22     compensation.  A member of the committee is entitled to
3-23     reimbursement of actual and necessary expenses incurred in
3-24     conducting the business of the committee.
3-25           Sec. 21.605.  FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE; LEAVE.  (a)  The State
3-26     Board for Educator Certification shall pay the application fee for
3-27     the certification examination for each teacher selected by the
 4-1     selection committee and shall provide to each of those teachers  a
 4-2     scholarship to pay other expenses of applying for certification.
 4-3           (b)  The board shall establish the amount of a scholarship
 4-4     under Subsection (a), except that the amount may not exceed:
 4-5                 (1)  $1,500 paid from funds specified under Sections
 4-6     21.608(1) and (3); and
 4-7                 (2)  $1,000 paid from funds specified under Section
 4-8     21.608(2).
 4-9           (c)  A teacher selected by the committee is entitled to three
4-10     days of leave to prepare the application for certification in
4-11     addition to any other leave to which a teacher is entitled under
4-12     this code or district policy.
4-13           Sec. 21.606.  REIMBURSEMENT.  (a)  A teacher who receives
4-14     financial assistance under Section 21.605 but fails to complete
4-15     training for the certification examination, to take the
4-16     certification examination, or to teach at least one school year in
4-17     a public school after earning certification shall reimburse the
4-18     State Board for Educator Certification for the money received under
4-19     Section 21.605 unless the board determines that the teacher is not
4-20     required to pay reimbursement because the teacher's failure is due
4-21     to extenuating circumstances.  A teacher may appeal the board's
4-22     decision to the selection committee in the manner and within the
4-23     period prescribed by the selection committee.
4-24           (b)  A teacher who completes training for certification but
4-25     fails to perform satisfactorily on the certification examination is
4-26     not required to pay reimbursement under this section.
4-27           Sec. 21.607.  SALARY STIPENDS.  (a)  In addition to the
 5-1     minimum salary to which a teacher is entitled under Section 21.402
 5-2     and  any additional salary amount the school district employing a
 5-3     teacher pays, the district shall pay:
 5-4                 (1)  an annual stipend of $4,000 to each classroom
 5-5     teacher who, at the beginning of the school year, is certified by
 5-6     the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; and
 5-7                 (2)  an additional stipend of $2,000 to each teacher
 5-8     described by Subdivision (1) who works at least 40 hours during a
 5-9     school year as a mentor providing assistance to other public school
5-10     teachers.
5-11           (b)  A classroom teacher who is employed by a school district
5-12     in this state and becomes certified by the National Board for
5-13     Professional Teaching Standards during a school year is entitled to
5-14     a stipend under Subsection (a)(1) and, if applicable, under
5-15     Subsection (a)(2), beginning with the school year following the
5-16     school year in which certification is granted.
5-17           Sec. 21.608.  FUNDING.  The program, including salary
5-18     stipends under Section 21.607, shall be funded using:
5-19                 (1)  funds appropriated to the State Board for Educator
5-20     Certification that may be used for that purpose;
5-21                 (2)  funds provided to the board through federal grants
5-22     that may be used for that purpose; and
5-23                 (3)  gifts, grants, and donations received for that
5-24     purpose.
5-25           SECTION 2.  Section 822.201(b), Government Code, is amended
5-26     to read as follows:
5-27           (b)  "Salary and wages" as used in Subsection (a)  means:
 6-1                 (1)  normal periodic payments of money for service the
 6-2     right to which accrues on a regular basis in proportion to the
 6-3     service performed;
 6-4                 (2)  amounts by which the member's salary is reduced
 6-5     under a salary reduction agreement authorized by Chapter 610;
 6-6                 (3)  amounts that would otherwise qualify as salary and
 6-7     wages under Subdivision (1) but are not received directly by the
 6-8     member pursuant to a good faith, voluntary written salary reduction
 6-9     agreement in order to finance payments to a deferred compensation
6-10     or tax sheltered annuity program specifically authorized by state
6-11     law or to finance benefit options under a cafeteria plan qualifying
6-12     under Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 [(26 U.S.C.
6-13     Section 125)], if:
6-14                       (A)  the program or benefit options are made
6-15     available to all employees of the employer; and
6-16                       (B)  the benefit options in the cafeteria plan
6-17     are limited to one or more options that provide deferred
6-18     compensation, group health and disability insurance, group term
6-19     life insurance, dependent care assistance programs, or group legal
6-20     services plans;
6-21                 (4)  performance pay awarded to an employee by a school
6-22     district as part of a total compensation plan approved by the board
6-23     of trustees of the district and meeting the requirements of
6-24     Subsection (e); [and]
6-25                 (5)  the benefit replacement pay a person earns under
6-26     Subchapter H, Chapter 659, as added by Chapter 417, Acts of the
6-27     74th Legislature, 1995, except as provided by Subsection (c); [and]
 7-1                 (6)  stipends paid to teachers in accordance with
 7-2     Section 21.410, Education Code; and
 7-3                 (7)  salary stipends paid to classroom teachers in
 7-4     accordance with Section 21.607, Education Code.
 7-5           SECTION 3.  (a)  Initial appointees to the selection
 7-6     committee under Section 21.604, Education Code, as added by this
 7-7     Act, take office February 1, 2002.
 7-8           (b)  The State Board for Educator Certification shall
 7-9     designate one of its initial appointees to the selection committee
7-10     to serve a term expiring February 1, 2006, and one of its initial
7-11     appointees to serve a term expiring February 1, 2008. The State
7-12     Board of Education shall designate one of its initial appointees to
7-13     the selection committee to serve a term expiring February 1, 2006,
7-14     and one of its initial appointees to serve a term expiring February
7-15     1, 2008.  The initial appointee of the commissioner of education
7-16     serves a term expiring February 1, 2004.  Thereafter, members of
7-17     the committee serve terms of six years in accordance with Section
7-18     21.604, Education Code, as added by this Act.
7-19           (c)  Section 21.607(a), Education Code, as added by this Act,
7-20     does not entitle a classroom teacher to a salary stipend for a year
7-21     before the effective date of this Act during which the teacher held
7-22     National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification.
7-23           SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.