(1) (a) There is hereby created a certification incentive fund in the State Treasury to be administered by the Education Professional Standards Board. The fund shall provide grants to eligible recipients for conducting institutes as described in KRS § 161.048(8), including the costs of salaries of institute instructors, consultants, materials, stipends and loans to participants, other costs associated with the institutes, and costs of assistance to teachers throughout their first year of teaching.
(b) Eligible recipients of grant funds may be nonprofit organizations, institutions, and agencies, including but not limited to postsecondary education institutions, school districts, education cooperatives, and consortia of school districts.
(c) The Education Professional Standards Board shall promulgate administrative regulations establishing standards and procedures for the grant program, including minimal participation levels and maximum grant awards.
(2) (a) Priority for the institutes funded under this section for academic years 2008-
2009 through 2011-2012 shall be for the purpose of certifying teachers in high school mathematics, chemistry, integrated science, and physics, and middle school mathematics and earth science under the provisions of KRS § 161.048 (8), Option 7: Certification of a person in a field other than education to teach in elementary, middle, or secondary programs. At the completion of academic year 2011-2012, the Education Professional Standards Board shall determine priority for specific institutes.
(b) The board shall request proposals and approve at least one (1) summer institute for the purpose described in paragraph (a) of this subsection each academic year. The institute shall be a minimum of ninety (90) clock hours, based on six (6) hour days for a three (3) week period.
(c) Each individual who completes a summer institute shall have additional hours of formal instruction or assistance during the first year of teaching to reach the minimum number of clock hours as required in KRS § 161.048(8)(b)2.
(d) Notwithstanding KRS § 161.030, an alternative teacher certification candidate participating in the institute described in the provisions of this subsection shall not be required to participate in the teacher internship program until the second year of teaching. The candidate shall be assigned a teacher mentor by the grant recipient the first year of teaching. Payment of the teacher mentor shall be from the grant provided under subsection (1) of this section.
(3) (a) Individuals who are accepted into an institute shall be provided a forgivable loan incentive at the beginning of the institute to encourage their participation. The amount of the forgivable loan shall be determined by the Education Professional Standards Board. The loan shall be forgiven if the participant teaches in a Kentucky public or Kentucky Board of Education certified nonpublic school for one (1) year within the three (3) years following the
awarding of the loan.
(b) If an individual does not successfully complete the institute or teach mathematics or science in a qualifying Kentucky school, the loan must be repaid according to procedures promulgated in administrative regulation by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority.
(c) The Education Professional Standards Board shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority to administer the forgivable loan incentive under this section. Based on the memorandum of understanding, the authority may retain a portion of the funds for administering the forgivable loan incentive. Funds recovered under provisions of this section, minus the administrative costs, shall be returned to the State Treasury.
(4) Each individual who successfully completes a summer institute shall be awarded a stipend equal to the amount of the forgivable loan as described in subsection (3) of this section. The stipend shall be awarded at the end of the institute without restrictions.
(5) Grant recipients and local school districts may offer financial incentives to potential participants and individuals who complete an institute from fund sources other than the grant funds.
Effective: April 24, 2008
History: Created 2008 Ky. Acts ch. 185, sec. 1, effective April 24, 2008.