HB 271: "An Act relating to temporary certification of teachers."
00HOUSE BILL NO. 271 01 "An Act relating to temporary certification of teachers." 02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 03 * Section 1. AS 14.20 is amended by adding a new section to read: 04 Sec. 14.20.023. Temporary certification for rural teachers. (a) The 05 department shall issue a temporary teacher certificate, valid for one year and renewable 06 for no more than three additional years, to a person who meets the requirements of 07 AS 14.20.020(f) and this section. A person who holds a temporary teacher certificate 08 issued under this section may be employed as a teacher in a school district or regional 09 educational attendance area that is included on the list established under (e) of this 10 section. 11 (b) A person is eligible for a temporary certificate under this section if the 12 person has 13 (1) received at least a baccalaureate degree from an institution of higher 14 education accredited by a recognized regional accrediting association or approved by
01 the commissioner; 02 (2) successfully completed a minimum number of courses in the field 03 of education, as required by regulation under (c) of this section; 04 (3) applied to the department for a temporary teacher certificate; 05 (4) paid the required fee. 06 (c) The department shall, by regulation, establish the 07 (1) minimum training requirements in education courses that a person 08 must have completed to be eligible for an initial temporary teacher certificate; and 09 (2) rate at which a teacher who has been issued a temporary teacher 10 certificate under this section must complete education course work to be eligible for 11 renewal of the certificate. 12 (d) A person who holds a temporary teacher certificate issued under this 13 section may apply to the department for renewal of the certificate. The department 14 shall renew the certificate if the applicant establishes to the satisfaction of the 15 department that the applicant remains eligible for the certificate and is pursuing 16 required course work in the field of education as required by regulation under (c) of 17 this section. 18 (e) Each year, the department shall compile a list of those school districts and 19 regional educational attendance areas in which there is a shortage of certificated 20 teachers. A school district or regional educational attendance area may petition the 21 department for inclusion on the list. If the department fails to respond to a petition for 22 inclusion within 45 days after its receipt, the school district or regional educational 23 attendance area is considered to be included on the list for that year. A school district 24 or regional educational attendance area that is included on the list may employ teachers 25 who hold temporary teacher certificates issued under this section. 26 (f) A teacher who is employed under a temporary teacher certificate issued 27 under this section 28 (1) is not entitled to automatic reemployment under AS 14.20.145; 29 (2) does not accrue credit towards the acquisition of tenure under 30 AS 14.20.150; 31 (3) is considered a certificated teacher for purposes of membership in
01 the teachers' retirement system under AS 14.25. 02 * Sec. 2. AS 14.20.027 is amended to read: 03 Sec. 14.20.027. Reporting of and access to social security numbers. 04 Notwithstanding AS 14.20.010 - 14.20.040, the department may not issue a teacher 05 certificate under AS 14.20.020 , a temporary teacher certificate under AS 14.20.023, 06 or a limited teacher certificate under AS 14.20.025 unless the applicant has supplied 07 the department with the applicant's social security number. Upon request, the 08 department shall provide the social security number to the child support enforcement 09 agency created in AS 25.27.010, or the child support enforcement agency of another 10 state, for child support purposes authorized under law.