81R1852 KKA-D

By: Strama H.B. No. 517

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to annual stipends provided to public school teachers who serve as mentors to other public school teachers.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 21.458, Education Code, is amended by amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsections (b-1), (c-1), (c-2), and (c-3) to read as follows:

(b-1) The board of trustees of a school district that assigns teachers to serve as mentors under this section shall:

(1) adopt a policy, consistent with any rules adopted by the commissioner under this section, that governs the selection and duties of teachers assigned to serve as mentors; and

(2) ensure that a mentor teacher stipend under this section is provided only to a teacher who fulfills the duties specified in the policy required by Subdivision (1).

(c) From the funds allocated under Section 21.703 or other funds appropriated to the agency for purposes of this section, the commissioner shall adopt rules and provide funding to school districts that assign mentor teachers under this section. Funding provided to districts under this section may be used only for providing:

(1) mentor teacher stipends in the amount of $1,000 per teacher for each school year during which the teacher serves as a mentor;

(2) scheduled time for mentor teachers to provide mentoring to assigned classroom teachers; and

(3) mentoring support through providers of mentor training.

(c-1) Notwithstanding Subsection (c), a school district may use funds provided under that subsection for a purpose authorized by Subsection (c)(2) or (3) only to the extent that funds remain after fully funding the stipends authorized by Subsection (c)(1).

(c-2) Subsection (c-1) does not create a property right of a teacher to receive a stipend. If a school district receives insufficient funds to fully fund the stipends, the district shall reduce the stipend the district pays to each teacher serving as a mentor proportionately so that each teacher serving as a mentor receives the same amount of money.

(c-3) A stipend a teacher receives under this section is not considered in determining whether the district is paying the teacher the minimum monthly salary under Section 21.402.

SECTION 2. Section 21.703(a), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(a) Each state fiscal year, the commissioner shall deposit the sum of $1,000 multiplied by the number of classroom teachers in this state to the credit of the educator excellence fund in the general revenue fund. Each state fiscal year, the agency shall use:

(1) from the funds in the educator excellence fund, the amount necessary to fund stipends under Section 21.458 for teachers who serve as mentors to other teachers, provided that not more than $70 million may be used for this purpose each fiscal year;

(2) not more than $100 million of any remaining [the] funds in the educator excellence fund to provide grant awards under the awards for student achievement program established under Subchapter N; and

(3) [(2)] any remaining funds in the educator excellence fund to provide a qualifying school district a grant in an amount determined by:

(A) dividing the amount of remaining money available for distribution in the educator excellence fund by the total number of students in average daily attendance in qualifying districts for that fiscal year; and

(B) multiplying the amount determined under Paragraph (A) by the number of students in average daily attendance in the district.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.