Title: School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program

Summary: Establishes School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program within DOE; provides for award of stipends for classroom teacher mentorship; provides DOE & school district responsibilities relating to development of policies, curriculum, & best practices relating to classroom instruction.

Full Text:
An act relating to the School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program; creating s. 1012.988, F.S.; establishing the School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program within the Department of Education; providing the purpose of the program; providing for the award of stipends for classroom teacher mentorship, subject to appropriation; providing for the proration of the stipends under certain circumstances; providing department and school district responsibilities relating to the development of policies, curriculum, and best practices relating to classroom instruction; providing for rulemaking; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the Stat eof Florida: Section 1. Section 1012.988, Florida Statutes, is created to read: 1012.988 School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program.-(1) There is established within the Department of Education the School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program. The purpose of the program is to increase the effectiveness and involvement of classroom teachers and improve student achievement, equity, and excellence in the state's public schools. HB 2022 (2) The department shall: (a)1. Subject to appropriation, provide funds to school districts to place retired classroom teachers who were evaluated as highly effective or current classroom teachers who are evaluated as highly effective as mentors to new classroom teachers; classroom teachers who are rated as needs improve ment, developing, or unsatisfactory; and classroom teachers who are from a different demographic group, if needed. 2. Each stipend shall be in an amount equal to $2,000. The department shall provide enough funds for each school district to establish thre ementors at each school within the district. However, if the funds appropriated are not adequate to provide the maximum allowable award to each selected classroom teacher, awards must be prorated using the same percentage reduction. (b) Increase classro om teacher involvement and input when developing state-level policies, curriculum, and best practices relating to classroom instruction. (c) Create and expand nontraditional curriculum models and practices in reading and mathematics in an effort to steer systemic change. (3) School districts shall: (a) Provide a stipend to three retired classroom teachers who were evaluated as highly effective or current classroom teachers who are evaluated as highly effective at each school within the district. Howev er, if there is a proven need at a HB 2022 school within the district, the school district may allocate more than three stipends to that school. The award of such stipends may be part of a school district's professional development certification and education comp etency program under s. 1012.56(8). (b) Increase classroom teacher involvement and input when developing district-level policies, curriculum, and best practices relating to classroom instruction. (4) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to administer this section. Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.