Nebraska Statutes 79-816. Nebraska Teacher Apprenticeship Program; certificate or permit to teach; eligibility; requirements for completion; State Department of Education; Commissioner of Education; duties
(1) The State Department of Education shall create and administer the Nebraska Teacher Apprenticeship Program. The purpose of the program is to help recruit and increase the number of teachers throughout the state by utilizing an apprenticeship model for training. The program shall provide for an applicant who successfully completes the program to obtain a certificate or permit issued by the Commissioner of Education. The department may work with standard institutions of higher education as defined in section 79-807, the Department of Labor, and other entities the State Department of Education deems necessary to develop and implement the program.
Terms Used In Nebraska Statutes 79-816
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- School: means a school under the jurisdiction of a school board authorized by Nebraska Statutes 79-101
- School year: means (a) for elementary grades other than kindergarten, the time equivalent to at least one thousand thirty-two instructional hours and (b) for high school grades, the time equivalent to at least one thousand eighty instructional hours. See Nebraska Statutes 79-101
- State: when applied to different states of the United States shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories organized by Congress. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
- Teach: means and includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities: (a) The organization and management of the classroom or the physical area in which the learning experiences of pupils take place. See Nebraska Statutes 79-101
- Teacher: means any certified employee who is regularly employed for the instruction of pupils in the public schools. See Nebraska Statutes 79-101
- Year: shall mean calendar year. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
(2) An individual may apply for participation in the program if the individual (a) is an employee of a school approved or accredited by the State Department of Education or (b) has a contract to begin working for a school approved or accredited by the State Department of Education at the start of the school year for which the individual is applying for participation in the program.
(3) The department shall determine requirements for completion of the program by an applicant. The requirements shall include, but need not be limited to:
(a) The completion of a one-year apprenticeship in a classroom;
(b) A baccalaureate degree from a standard institution of higher education; and
(c) Successful completion of a subject area examination and pedagogy examination created by the department as part of the program.
(4) The Commissioner of Education shall issue a certificate to teach as set forth pursuant to the rules and regulations adopted and promulgated pursuant to sections 79-806 to 79-815 to an applicant who successfully completes the program.
(5) It is the intent of the Legislature to appropriate one million dollars for fiscal year 2023-24 and each fiscal year thereafter from the Education Future Fund to the State Department of Education for the program.