Bill Text: NH SB140 | 2023 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Relative to establishing a program for the recruitment of educators.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 3-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-30 - Pending Motion OT3rdg; 03/30/2023; Senate Journal 12 [SB140 Detail]

Download: New_Hampshire-2023-SB140-Introduced.html

SB 140-FN - AS INTRODUCED

 

 

2023 SESSION

23-0934

10/04

 

SENATE BILL 140-FN

 

AN ACT relative to establishing a program for the recruitment of educators.

 

SPONSORS: Sen. Carson, Dist 14; Sen. Innis, Dist 7; Sen. Watters, Dist 4; Sen. Ricciardi, Dist 9

 

COMMITTEE: Education

 

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ANALYSIS

 

This bill establishes a program in the department of education to provide stipends or grants to students to reduce the financial barriers to entering the educator workforce.

 

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

23-0934

10/04

 

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

 

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Three

 

AN ACT relative to establishing a program for the recruitment of educators.

 

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 

1  New Section; Department of Education; Higher Education; Recruitment of Educators.  Amend RSA 21-N by inserting after section 8-b the following new section:

21-N:8-c  Recruitment of Educators in New Hampshire.

I.  In this section:

(a)  "Academic residency" means participation in an approved educator preparation program field-based experience under the supervision of a cooperating teacher or mentor.

(b)  "Approved program" means an approved professional educator preparation program by the state board of education.

(c)  "Educator" means a teacher or certified paraprofessional.

(d)  "Eligible student" means a student who is enrolled in an approved program of preparation and eligible for financial assistance because the student's expected family contribution does not exceed 200 percent of the maximum federal Pell-eligible expected family contribution.

(e)  "Candidate" means an educator candidate who is participating in an academic residency and placed in a school or community-based setting.

II.  There is established an educator recruitment grant program administered by the department of education.  Stipends or grants shall be awarded for the purpose of reducing the financial barriers to entering the educator workforce while eligible students gain clinical teaching experience either through a student teaching program or pre-educator preparation program.  The program shall:

(a)  Provide grants to New Hampshire institutions of higher education that fund programs designed to increase participation in the educator workforce.

(b)  Provide grants to fund stipends for candidates during their clinical experience while engaging in education career pathway programs designed to culminate in licensure as an educator.

(c)  Stipends for a student teaching program shall be $500 per week for not more than 16 weeks.

III.  The higher education commission shall adopt any rules and guidelines to implement and administer the program.

IV.  In order to qualify to participate in the stipend program, a student must be an eligible student and placed as student teacher in a public school or community agency as a candidate working toward an initial teaching certificate.

V.  The department shall report annually to the chairs of the senate education committee and the house education committee, on:

(a)  The number of students served by the program.

(b)  The amounts of stipends received each year.

(c)  The reported number of hours each eligible student works a second job to earn income.

VI.  If the amount appropriated to the department for use in the educator recruitment grant program in a state fiscal year is insufficient to fully fund the stipends and grants for the total number of eligible students for that state fiscal year, the department shall reduce the amount distributed to each approved program of preparation by the same percentage that the deficit bears to the amount required to fully fund the total number of eligible students who qualify for the stipend program.

2  Appropriation; Department of Education; Educator Recruitment Grant Program.  The sum of $5,000,000 for the biennium ending June 30, 2025 is appropriated to the department of education for the purpose of funding the grants and stipends under RSA 21-N:8-c.  The source of funds shall be any remaining state American Rescue Plan (ARPA) Act or Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) funds or otherwise state general funds.  The governor is authorized to draw a warrant for said sum out of any money in the treasury not otherwise appropriated.

3  Effective Date.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.

 

LBA

23-0934

1/10/23

 

SB 140-FN- FISCAL NOTE

AS INTRODUCED

 

AN ACT relative to establishing a program for the recruitment of educators.

 

FISCAL IMPACT:      [ X ] State              [    ] County               [    ] Local              [    ] None

 

 

 

Estimated Increase / (Decrease)

STATE:

FY 2023

FY 2024

FY 2025

FY 2026

   Appropriation

$0

$5,000,000

$0

$0

   Revenue

$0

$0

$0

$0

   Expenditures

$0

Up to $5,000,000

$0

Funding Source:

  [ X ] General            [    ] Education            [    ] Highway           [ X ] Other - American Rescue Plan (ARPA) Funds / Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief Funds (ESSER)

 

 

 

 

 

METHODOLOGY:

This bill establishes an educator recruitment grant program, to be administered by the Department of Education, and appropriates $5,000,000 in remaining American Rescue Plan (ARPA) or Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) funds, or general funds if federal funds are not available.  The Department states it us unable to estimate what the true cost will be as it is not known how many student educators would qualify for the stipend (up to $8,000 per eligible student educator). The Department is unaware as to how much in ARPA or ESSER funds are available, therefore this bill’s impact on state general funds is indeterminable (will not exceed $5,000,000). All expenditures are assumed to occur in either FY 2024 or FY 2025.

 

AGENCIES CONTACTED:

Department of Education

 

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