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HB759 • 2026

AN ACT relating to teacher certification.

AN ACT relating to teacher certification.

Education
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
J. Payne
Last action
2026-03-31
Official status
03/31/26: returned to Rules (S)
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

AN ACT relating to teacher certification.

AN ACT relating to teacher certification.

What This Bill Does

  • AN ACT relating to teacher certification.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

SFA1

Senate Floor Amendment 1 • G. Williams

Retain original provisions, amend KRS 161.030 to prohibit the Education Professional Standards Board from issuing or renewing certificates to individuals who have been treated for or diagnosed with a disorder that is excluded from the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; require certification and renewal applications to include a sworn statement that the applicant has never been treated for or diagnosed with any listed disorder; direct certain state medical licensing boards to promulgate administrative regulations to require licensees to diagnose the listed disorders based on the disorder definitions established in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Third Edition, Revised); amend KRS 161.120 to include treatment for or a diagnosis with 1 of the listed disorders as grounds for revocation, suspension, or refusal to issue or renew certification by the Education Professional Standards Board; require the Education Professional Standards Board to investigate and respond to all complaints against a certificate holder alleging that the certificate holder exhibits easily identifiable behavioral signs or symptoms characteristic to a listed disorder; authorize the Education Professional Standards Board to compel a medical examination to evaluate whether a certificate holder meets the diagnostic criteria for a listed disorder, and require that the results be provided to the board as a condition of continued certification.

Plain English: SENATE KENTUCKY GENERAL ASSEMBLY AMENDMENT FORM 2026 REGULAR SESSION Amend printed copy of HB 759/GA Amendment No.

  • SENATE KENTUCKY GENERAL ASSEMBLY AMENDMENT FORM 2026 REGULAR SESSION Amend printed copy of HB 759/GA Amendment No.
  • SFA Rep.
  • Sen.
  • Gex Williams Committee Amendment Signed: Floor Amendment LRC Drafter: Adopted: Date: Rejected: Doc.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-31 Kentucky Legislative Research Commission

    returned to Rules (S)

  2. 2026-03-27 Kentucky Legislative Research Commission

    2nd reading, to Rules as a consent bill posted for passage in the Consent Orders of the Day for Tuesday, March 31 2026

  3. 2026-03-26 Kentucky Legislative Research Commission

    reported favorably, 1st reading, to Consent Calendar floor amendment (1) filed

  4. 2026-03-24 Kentucky Legislative Research Commission

    to Education (S)

  5. 2026-03-10 Kentucky Legislative Research Commission

    received in Senate to Committee on Committees (S)

  6. 2026-03-09 Kentucky Legislative Research Commission

    3rd reading, passed 96-0

  7. 2026-03-06 Kentucky Legislative Research Commission

    posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Monday, March 09 2026

  8. 2026-03-05 Kentucky Legislative Research Commission

    2nd reading, to Rules

  9. 2026-03-04 Kentucky Legislative Research Commission

    reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar

  10. 2026-03-03 Kentucky Legislative Research Commission

    to Primary and Secondary Education (H)

  11. 2026-02-25 Kentucky Legislative Research Commission

    introduced in House to Committee on Committees (H)

Official Summary Text

AN ACT relating to teacher certification.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS HB 759/GA
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AN ACT relating to teacher certification. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
Section 1. KRS 161.048 is amended to read as follows: 3
(1) The General Assembly hereby finds that: 4
(a) 1. There are persons who have distinguished themselves through a variety 5
of work and educational experiences that could enrich teaching in 6
Kentucky schools; 7
2. There are distinguished scholars who wish to become teachers in 8
Kentucky's public schools, but who did not pursue a teacher preparation 9
program; 10
3. There are persons who should be recruited to teach in Kentucky's public 11
schools as they have academic majors, strong verbal skills as shown by 12
a verbal ability test, and deep knowledge of content, characteristics that 13
empirical research identifies as important attributes of quality teachers; 14
4. There are persons who need to be recruited to teach in Kentucky schools 15
to meet the diverse cultural and educational needs of students; and 16
5. There should be alternative procedures to the traditional teacher 17
preparation programs that qualify persons as teachers; 18
(b) There are hereby established alternative certification routes[program options] 19
as described in subsections (2) to (10) of this section; 20
(c) It is the intent of the General Assembly that the Education Prof essional 21
Standards Board inform scholars, persons with exceptional work experience, 22
and persons with diverse backgrounds who have potential as teachers of these 23
alternative routes [options] and assist local boards of education in 24
implementing these alternative routes[options] and recruitment of individuals 25
who can enhance the education system in Kentucky; 26
(d) The Education Professional Standards Board may reject the application of any 27
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candidate who is judged as not meeting academic requirements comparable to 1
those for students enrolled in Kentucky teacher preparation programs; and 2
(e) The Education Professional Standards Board shall promulgate administrative 3
regulations establishing standards and procedures for the alternative 4
routes[certification options] described in this section [. If the certification 5
option requires employment prior to certification, the procedures shall 6
establish a process for candidates to obtain an eligible for hire letter from the 7
Education Professional Standards Board]. 8
(2) The following are the established alternative routes to certification: 9
(a) [Option 1: Certification of a person with ] Exceptional work experience. An 10
individual who has exceptional work experience shall receive a one (1) year 11
provisional certificate with approval by the Education Professional Standards 12
Board of an application by the individual under the following conditions: 13
1.[(a)] The application contains documentation of all education and work 14
experience; 15
2.[(b)] The candidate has documented exceptional work exper ience in the 16
area in which certification is being sought; and 17
3.[(c)] The candidate possesses: 18
a.[1.] A bachelor's degree or a graduate degree; 19
b.[2.] A minimum cumulative grade point average of two and seventy -20
five hundredths (2.75) on a four (4) point sc ale or a minimum 21
grade point average of three (3.0) on a four (4) point scale on the 22
last thirty (30) hours of credit completed, including undergraduate 23
and graduate coursework from a nationally or regionally 24
accredited postsecondary institution; and 25
c.[3.] At least one (1) of the following in the area in which certification 26
is sought: 27
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i. An academic major or minor of a bachelor's degree; 1
ii. An academic content area of a graduate degree; or 2
iii. A passing score on the academic content assessment [ in the 3
area in which certification is being sought by the applicant as 4
designated by the Education Professional Standards Board]. 5
After successful completion of one (1) year of teaching and upon the 6
recommendation of the employing school district to the Education 7
Professional Standards Board, the candidate shall receive a professional 8
certificate and shall be subject to certificate renewal requirements the same as 9
other teachers with a professional certificate. 10
(b)[(3)] [Option 2: certification through a local scho ol district training program. 11
A local school district or group of school districts may seek approval for a 12
training program. The state -approved local school district training program is 13
an alternative to the college teacher preparation program as a means o f 14
acquiring teacher certification for a teacher at any grade level. The training 15
program may be offered for all teaching certificates approved by the 16
Education Professional Standards Board, including interdisciplinary early 17
childhood education, except for specific certificates for teachers of 18
exceptional children. To participate in a state -approved local school district 19
alternative training program, the candidate shall possess: 20
(a) A bachelor's degree or a graduate degree; 21
(b) A minimum cumulative grade poi nt average of two and seventy -five 22
hundredths (2.75) on a four (4) point scale or a minimum grade point average 23
of three (3) on a four (4) point scale on the last thirty (30) hours of credit 24
completed, including undergraduate and graduate coursework from a 25
nationally or regionally accredited postsecondary institution; and 26
(c) A passing score on the academic content assessment in the area in which 27
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certification is being sought by the applicant as designated by the Education 1
Professional Standards Board. To b e eligible to take an academic content 2
assessment, the applicant shall have completed a thirty (30) hour major in the 3
academic content area or five (5) years of experience in the academic content 4
area as approved by the Education Professional Standards Board. 5
An individual may participate in a local school district training program upon 6
meeting the participation requirements as established in this subsection and 7
approval by the Education Professional Standards Board of an application by 8
the individual. The candidate shall be issued a one (1) year provisional 9
certificate by the Education Professional Standards Board. After successful 10
completion of the local school district training program, one (1) year of 11
teaching, and upon the recommendation of the employi ng school district to 12
the Education Professional Standards Board, the candidate shall receive a 13
professional certificate and shall be subject to certificate renewal requirements 14
the same as other teachers with a professional certificate. 15
(4) ]College facul ty.[Option 3: certification of a professional from a 16
postsecondary institution:] A candidate who possesses the following 17
qualifications may receive a one (1) year provisional certificate for teaching at 18
any level: 19
1.[(a)] A master's degree or doctoral degr ee in the academic content area 20
for which certification is sought; and 21
2.[(b)] A minimum of five (5) years of full -time teaching experience, or 22
its equivalent, in the academic content area for which certification is 23
sought in a regionally or nationally accredited institution of higher 24
education. 25
After successful completion of one (1) year of tea ching and upon the 26
recommendation of the employing school district to the Education 27
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Professional Standards Board, the candidate shall receive a professional 1
certificate and shall be subject to certificate renewal requirements the same as 2
other teachers with professional certificates. 3
(c)[(5)] Adjunct instructor [Option 4: certification of an adjunct instructor] . A 4
person who has expertise in areas such as art, music, foreign language, drama, 5
science, computer science, and other specialty areas may be employe d as an 6
adjunct instructor in a part -time position by a local board of education under 7
KRS 161.046. A person may submit experience as an adjunct instructor to 8
be considered toward the necessary exceptional experience required under 9
paragraph (a) of this subsection. 10
(d)[(6)] Veteran[Option 5: certification of a veteran] of the Armed Forces. The 11
Education Professional Standards Board shall issue a statement of eligibility, 12
valid for five (5) years, for teaching at the elementary, secondary, and 13
secondary career technical education levels to a veteran of the Armed Forces 14
who was honorably discharged from active duty as evidenced by Defense 15
Department Form 214 (DD 214) or National Guard Bureau Form 22 or to a 16
member of the Armed Services currently serving with six (6) or more years of 17
honorable service, including Reserves, N ational Guard, or active duty. The 18
candidate shall possess: 19
1.[(a)] A bachelor's degree or graduate degree; 20
2.[(b)] A minimum cumulative grade point average of two and seventy -21
five hundredths (2.75) on a four (4) point scale or a minimum grade 22
point average of three (3) on a four (4) point scale on the last thirty (30) 23
hours of credit completed, including undergraduate and graduate 24
coursework from a nationally or regionally accredited postsecondary 25
institution; and 26
3.[(c)] At least one (1) of the following in the area in which certification 27
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is sought: 1
a. An academic major or minor of a bachelor's degree; 2
b. An academic content area of a graduate degree; or 3
c. A passing score on the academic content assessment[ in the area in 4
which certification is being soug ht by the applicant as designated 5
by the Education Professional Standards Board]. 6
The eligible veteran shall receive a one (1) year provisional certificate with 7
approval by the Education Professional Standards Board of an application by 8
the veteran. After successful completion of one (1) year of teaching and upon 9
the recommendation of the employing school district to the Education 10
Professional Standards Board, the veteran shall receive a professional 11
certificate. 12
(e)[(7)] [Option 6: ] University-based [alternative ] program. With approval of 13
the Education Professional Standards Board, a university may provide an 14
alternative program that enrolls students in a postbaccalaureate teacher 15
preparation program concurrently with employment as a teacher in a local 16
school district. A student in the alternative program shall be granted a one (1) 17
year provisional certificate. The one (1) year provisional certificate may be 18
renewed four (4) additional years, and shall be contingent upon the 19
candidate's continued enrollment in the preparation program and compliance 20
with all requirements established by the board. A professional certificate shall 21
be issued upon the teacher candidate's successful completion of the program 22
and all academic content assessments in the specific tea ching field of the 23
applicant as designated by the Education Professional Standards Board, and 24
upon the recommendation of the employing school district . The academic 25
content assessment required in this paragraph may be substituted with an 26
academic major or minor of a bachelor's degree or an academic content 27
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area of a graduate degree in the area in which certification is sought. 1
(f)[(8)] Institute[Option 7: certification of a person in a field other than 2
education to teach in elementary, middle, or secondary programs]. This 3
route[option] shall not be limited to teaching in shortage areas. An individual 4
certified under provisions of this paragraph[subsection] shall be issued a one 5
(1) year provisional certificate, renewable for a maximum of four (4) 6
additional years with approval of the Education Professional Standards Board. 7
1.[(a)] The candidate shall possess: 8
a.[1.] A bachelor's degree or graduate degree[with a declared academic 9
major in the area in which certification is sought or a graduate 10
degree in a fiel d related to the area in which certification is 11
sought];[ and] 12
b.[2.] A minimum cumulative grade point average of two and seventy -13
five hundredths (2.75) on a four (4) point scale or a minimum 14
grade point average of three (3) on a four (4) point scale on the last 15
thirty (30) hours of credit completed, including undergraduate and 16
graduate coursework from a nationally or regionally accredited 17
postsecondary institution; and 18
c. At least one (1) of the following in the area in which certification 19
is sought: 20
i. An academic major or minor of a bachelor's degree; 21
ii. An academic content area of a graduate degree; or 22
iii. A passing score on the academic content assessment. 23
2.[(b)] Upon meeting the requirements of subparagraph 1. of this 24
paragraph[paragraph (a) of this subsection] and enrolling in an 25
approved institute, the Education Professional Standards Board shall 26
issue the candidate a one (1) year provisional certificate or during the 27
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first year of the certificate, the teacher shall complete the following: 1
a.[1.] For elementary teaching, the individual shall successfully 2
complete a two hundred forty (240) hour institute that is an 3
equivalent of six (6) hour days for eight (8) weeks. The providers 4
and the content of the institute shall be approved by the Education 5
Professional Standards Board. The content shall include research -6
based teaching strategies in reading and math, research on child 7
and adolescent growth, knowledge of individual differences, 8
including teaching exceptional children, and methods of classroom 9
management. 10
b.[2.] For middle and secondary teaching, the individual shall 11
successfully complete a one hundred eighty (180) hour institute 12
that is an equivalent of six (6) hour days for six (6) weeks. The 13
providers and the content of the institute shall be a pproved by the 14
Education Professional Standards Board and shall include 15
research-based teaching strategies, research on child and 16
adolescent growth, knowledge of individual differences, including 17
teaching exceptional children, and methods of classroom 18
management. 19
3.[(c)] The candidate shall receive a professional certificate and shall be 20
subject to certificate renewal requirements the same as other teachers 21
with a professional certificate: 22
a.[1.] After meeting the requirements of this route[option]; 23
b.[2.] [After obtaining a passing score on the academic content 24
assessment in the area in which certification is being sought; 25
3. ]After successfully completing one (1) year of teaching; and 26
c.[4.] Upon the recommendation of the employing school district to the 27
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Education Professional Standards Board. 1
(g)[(9)] [Option 8: certification of a ] Teach for America [ participant to teach in 2
elementary, middle, or high schools] . Nothing in this paragraph[subsection] 3
shall conflict with the participation criteria of the Teach for America program. 4
An individual certified under this paragraph[subsection] shall be issued a one 5
(1) year provisional certificate. 6
1.[(a)] The candidate shall possess: 7
a.[1.] A bachelor's degree or graduate degree; 8
b.[2.] A successful completion of the summer training institute and 9
ongoing professional development required by Teach for America, 10
including instruction in goal -oriented, standards-based instruction, 11
diagnosing and assessing students, lesson planning and 12
instructional delivery, classroom management, maximizing 13
learning for diverse students, and teaching methodologies; and 14
c.[3.] At least one (1) of the following in the area in which certification 15
is sought: 16
i. An academic major or minor of a bachelor's degree; 17
ii. An academic content area of a graduate degree; or 18
iii. A passing score on the academic content assessment [ in the 19
area in w hich certification is being sought as designated by 20
the Education Professional Standards Board]. 21
2.[(b)] The provisional certificate granted under this 22
paragraph[subsection] may be renewed two (2) times with a 23
recommendation of the superintendent and appro val of the Education 24
Professional Standards Board. 25
3.[(c)] A Teach for America participant shall be issued a professional 26
certificate upon the participant's successful completion of one (1) year 27
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of teaching[ and the assessments relating to teaching of subj ect matter 1
required by the Education Professional Standards Board under KRS 2
161.030,] and upon the recommendation of the employing school 3
district to the Education Professional Standards Board[. 4
(d) Notwithstanding any statute or administrative regulation to the contrary, 5
a teacher certified under this subsection shall have ten (10) years to 6
complete a master's degree or fifth year program, or the equivalent as 7
specified by the Education Professional Standards Board in 8
administrative regulation]. 9
(h)[(10)] Residency[Option 9: expedited certification of a person to teach at any 10
grade level through a cooperative program] . With approval of the Education 11
Professional Standards Board, a college or university may partner with a 12
school district to develop an expedi ted certification program that results in a 13
bachelor's degree and initial certification within three (3) school years. 14
1.[(a)] The program shall: 15
a.[1.] Include a residency or paraprofessional component which employs 16
the person within the participating dis trict for the duration of the 17
program to gain work experience to supplement the expedited 18
program and reduced coursework; 19
b.[2.] Utilize experienced teachers employed by the district to provide 20
coaching and to mentor the candidates; and 21
c.[3.] Be designed to meet the needs of the participating district and may 22
include an emphasis in developing a teacher pipeline for the 23
district's students, improving the numbers of underrepresented 24
populations among the district's workforce, or focusing on 25
increasing the nu mber of teachers with certification areas that are 26
in high demand. 27
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2.[(b)] A school district entering into a cooperative partnership shall 1
ensure the availability of funding for each candidate employed within 2
the district in the residency or paraprofession al program for the duration 3
of the candidate's participation in the program. However, nothing in this 4
paragraph[subsection] shall be interpreted as requiring the district to 5
continue employing the candidate during the program or after the 6
candidate has received initial certification. 7
3.[(c)] A person who has begun a traditional path or another route[option] 8
for certification shall be eligible to transfer into this route[option] if the 9
person meets the program's requirements. 10
4.[(d)] If a school district par ticipating in a cooperative partnership 11
determines to end the partnership, the district shall no longer accept new 12
candidates to the program but shall continue the partnership until the 13
district's employed candidates under this paragraph [for Option 9 14
certification] complete the program or are no longer employed by the 15
district. 16
(3)[(11)] In addition to the alternative routes to certification established under 17
subsection (2) of this section, there shall be a route to expand certification for a 18
person who cur rently holds a professional certificate that was earned through 19
completion of an approved college or university -based preparation program and 20
has at least two (2) years of teaching experience as defined in KRS 157.320. 21
However, a person who holds a profess ional certificate issued under subsection 22
(2)(a), (b), (d), or (g) of this section shall only be eligible to expand certification 23
under this subsection after the first renewal of the professional certificate. A 24
person who already holds a professional certificate may expand certification: 25
(a) To an additional area of certification in the same grade band by possessing 26
at least one (1) of the following in the area in which certification is sought: 27
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1. An academic major or minor of a bachelor's degree; 1
2. An academic content area of a graduate degree; or 2
3. A passing score on the academic content assessment; and 3
(b) To an additional grade band in the same content area by possessing: 4
1. At least one (1) of the following to demonstrate content knowledge for 5
the area in which certification is sought: 6
a. A certificate for a higher grade band; 7
b. An academic major or minor of a bachelor's degree; 8
c. An academic content area of a graduate degree; or 9
d. A passing score on the academic content assessment; and 10
2. At least one (1) of the following to demonstrate instructional skills: 11
a. A certificate that includes the grade band being sought; or 12
b. A passing score in any professional skill assessme nt for the 13
grade band being sought. 14
(4) A public school teacher certified under subsection (2) [subsections (2) to (10)] of 15
this section shall be placed on the local district salary schedule for the rank 16
corresponding to the degree held by the teacher. 17
(5)[(12)] Subsections (1) to (3) of this section notwithstanding, a candidate who 18
possesses the following qualifications may receive certification for teaching 19
programs for exceptional students: 20
(a) An out-of-state license to teach exceptional students; and 21
(b) A bachelor's or master's degree in the certification area or closely related area 22
for which certification is sought. 23
(6) The Education Professional Standards Board shall develop and maintain a list of 24
academic majors, academic minors, and graduate degre e academic content areas 25
and the corresponding areas for which they shall satisfy certification 26
requirements. The list shall be published on the board's website. 27
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(7) A person shall not be disqualified from seeking additional certifications through 1
any alternative route established under subsection (2) of this section on the basis 2
of the person already holding a professional certificate. 3
(8) For the first renewal of a professional certificate issued under subsection (2)(a), 4
(b), (d), or (g) of this section, the Education Professional Standards Board shall 5
require the certificate holder to submit evidence indicating the completion of 6
trainings established or approved by the Kentucky Department of Education that 7
train the certificate holder on items specificall y mandated by statute on 8
postsecondary institutions offering teacher preparation programs for the 9
certificate's area. The Education Professional Standards Board shall compile a 10
list of the specific statutory mandates and publish the list on the board's website. 11
(9) This section shall not negate the Education Professional Standards Board's 12
authority to require a passing score on a professional skills assessment as a 13
condition for receiving a professional certificate upon completion of an 14
alternative route under subsection (2) of this section. 15
(10) Any academic content assessment for a certification area required under this 16
section shall be the same assessment otherwise required by the Education 17
Professional Standards Board for initial certification in that area. 18
Section 2. KRS 161.032 is amended to read as follows: 19
(1) (a) There is hereby created a certification incentive fund in the State Treasury to 20
be administered by the Education Professional Standards Board. The fund 21
shall provide grants to eligible recipients for conducting institutes as described 22
in KRS 161.048 (2)(f)[(8)], including the costs of salaries of institute 23
instructors, consultants, materials, stipends and loans to participants, other 24
costs associated with th e institutes, and costs of assistance to teachers 25
throughout their first year of teaching. 26
(b) Eligible recipients of grant funds may be nonprofit organizations, institutions, 27
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and agencies, including but not limited to postsecondary education 1
institutions, school districts, education cooperatives, and consortia of school 2
districts. 3
(c) The Education Professional Standards Board shall promulgate administrative 4
regulations establishing standards and procedures for the grant program, 5
including minimal participation levels and maximum grant awards. 6
(2) (a) The Education Professional Standards Board shall determine priority for 7
specific institutes. 8
(b) The board shall request proposals and approve at least one (1) summer 9
institute for the purpose described in par agraph (a) of this subsection each 10
academic year. The institute shall be a minimum of ninety (90) clock hours, 11
based on six (6) hour days for a three (3) week period. 12
(c) Each individual who completes a summer institute shall have additional hours 13
of formal instruction or assistance during the first year of teaching to reach the 14
minimum number of clock hours as required in KRS 161.048(2)(f)2.[(8)(b)]. 15
(d) The candidate shall be assigned a teacher mentor by the grant recipient the 16
first year of teaching. Payment of the teacher mentor shall be from the grant 17
provided under subsection (1) of this section. 18
(3) (a) Individuals who are accepted into an institute sh all be provided a forgivable 19
loan incentive at the beginning of the institute to encourage their participation. 20
The amount of the forgivable loan shall be determined by the Education 21
Professional Standards Board. The loan shall be forgiven if the participa nt 22
teaches in a Kentucky public or Kentucky Board of Education certified 23
nonpublic school for one (1) year within the three (3) years following the 24
awarding of the loan. 25
(b) If an individual does not successfully complete the institute or teach in a 26
qualifying Kentucky school, the loan must be repaid according to procedures 27
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promulgated in administrative regulation by the Kentucky Higher Education 1
Assistance Authority. 2
(c) The Education Professional Standards Board shall enter into a memorandum 3
of understanding with the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority to 4
administer the forgivable loan incentive under this section. Based on the 5
memorandum of understanding, the authority may retain a portion of the 6
funds for administering the forgivable loan ince ntive. Funds recovered under 7
provisions of this section, minus the administrative costs, shall be returned to 8
the State Treasury. 9
(4) Each individual who successfully completes a summer institute shall be awarded a 10
stipend equal to the amount of the forgiv able loan as described in subsection (3) of 11
this section. The stipend shall be awarded at the end of the institute without 12
restrictions. 13
(5) Grant recipients and local school districts may offer financial incentives to potential 14
participants and individuals who complete an institute from fund sources other than 15
the grant funds. 16
Section 3. KRS 164.757 is amended to read as follows: 17
(1) For purposes of this section unless the context requires otherwise: 18
(a) "Critical shortage area" means an area in which there are insufficient numbers 19
of fully certified staff in a particular subject, school, or geographic location; 20
(b) "Emergency certified teacher" means an individual who has not completed 21
certification requirements but has been awarded a temporary certificate for a 22
certification area in which no fully qualified teacher was available; 23
(c) "Qualified teacher" means a teacher who holds the appropriate certification 24
for a position unless the superintendent of the employing local school district 25
has documented evidence that the teacher is unsuitable for appointment; 26
(d) "Qualified teaching service" means teaching for at least seventy (70) days 27
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each semester or the equivalent in the certification area for which an 1
individual receiv ed a forgivable loan in the Kentucky school district that 2
recommended the individual for a loan or in another Kentucky private or 3
public school district in the certification area for which an individual received 4
a forgivable loan if no position was availab le in the recommending school 5
district at the time when the individual completed his or her certification; 6
(e) "Semester" means a period which usually makes up one -half (1/2) of a school 7
year or one-half (1/2) of a postsecondary institution's academic year; and 8
(f) "Summer term" means an academic period consisting of one (1) or more 9
sessions of instruction between a spring and a fall semester at a postsecondary 10
education institution. 11
(2) To increase the number of qualified teachers in local school districts and to reduce 12
the number of emergency certified teachers, there is hereby created the district 13
teacher certification loan fund in the State Treasury. The loans shall be used to 14
provide forgivable loans to emergency certified personnel, fully certified tea chers 15
who are willing to seek additional certification in hard -to-fill or critical shortage 16
areas, and paraprofessionals in local school districts to become fully certified 17
teachers and to continue service within the local district. 18
(3) The fund shall be a dministered by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance 19
Authority. The authority shall promulgate administrative regulations to specify the 20
terms and conditions of the award, cancellation, and repayment of loans, including 21
but not limited to the maximum am ount that may be loaned per term and the 22
maximum aggregate amount per applicant, the selection process, eligibility for 23
renewal, the specific administrative procedures for utilizing the funds, and the rate 24
of repayment. 25
(4) To qualify for a forgivable loan, an applicant shall meet the following requirements: 26
(a) Be employed by a specific local district as a certified teacher, an emergency 27
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full-time or part -time teacher, an emergency substitute teacher, or a 1
paraprofessional at the time he or she makes application for the loan; 2
(b) Be recommended by the superintendent as an individual that he or she would 3
recommend to be employed in a teaching position for which the applicant is 4
pursuing certification if the applicant fulfills all credentialing requirements; 5
(c) Be endorsed by the school -based decision making council of the school in 6
which he or she serves to receive a loan for the purposes of obtaining teacher 7
certification in a specific certification area; except that the endorsement shall 8
not be construed a s a commitment of securing a position in the particular 9
school in the future; 10
(d) Be admitted and enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student in a 11
Kentucky private or public postsecondary institution that offers a teacher 12
certification program in the area for which he or she is seeking certification; 13
and 14
(e) Be enrolled in a minimum of six (6) credit hours and not more than nine (9) 15
credit hours during each semester of an academic term while employed 16
concurrently in the school district and in not less than six (6) credit hours 17
during the summer term. If a school district recommends an applicant for a 18
loan under provisions of this section and grants a leave of absence to the 19
employee to pursue certification, the employee shall be enrolled as a full -time 20
undergraduate or graduate student as defined by the institution in which he or 21
she is enrolled. 22
(5) [A participant in a local district alternative certification program as defined in KRS 23
161.048(2) may be eligible for a loan under provisions of this sectio n to offset costs 24
associated with the program. The authority shall establish by administrative 25
regulation the specific requirements, notwithstanding requirements in subsection (4) 26
of this section. 27
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(6) ]A loan shall not be awarded or a promissory note cance llation shall not be granted 1
to any person who is in default on any obligation to the authority under any 2
program administered pursuant to KRS 164.740 to 164.785 until financial 3
obligations to the authority are satisfied, except that ineligibility for this reason may 4
be waived by the authority for cause. 5
(6)[(7)] Recipients shall render one (1) semester of qualified teaching service for each 6
semester or summer term for which a loan was received. Upon completion of each 7
semester of qualified teacher service, the authority shall cancel the appropriate 8
portion of the promissory notes. 9
(7)[(8)] If the recipient of a loan fails to complete the certification at a participating 10
institution or fails to render qualified teaching service in any semester following 11
certification, unless the failure is temporarily waived for cause by the authority, the 12
recipient shall immediately become liable to the authority for repayment of the sum 13
of all outstanding promissory notes and accrued interest. Persons liable for 14
repayment of loans under this subsection shall be liable for interest accruing from 15
the dates on which the loans were disbursed. 16
(8)[(9)] Failure to meet repayment obligations imposed by this section shall be cause 17
for the revocation of a person's certification, subject to the procedures set forth in 18
KRS 161.120. 19
(9)[(10)] All moneys repaid to the authority under this section shall be added to the 20
fund in this section. Any fund balance at the close of a fiscal year shall not lapse but 21
shall be carried forward to the next fiscal year and continuously appropriated for the 22
purposes specified in this section. 23
(10)[(11)] The authority may execute appropriate contracts and promissory notes for 24
administering this section. 25
(11)[(12)] If available funds are insufficient for all requested loans for eligible applicants 26
during any fiscal year, the authority shall give priority consideration to eligible 27
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applicants who previously received loans. If funds are insufficient to make all 1
requested renewal loans to eligible applicants, the authority shall reduce all loans to 2
the extent necessary to provide loans to all qualified renewal applicants. If, after 3
awarding all eligible renewal applicants, funds are not depleted, priority shall be 4
given to loans for those applicants who are seeking certification in critical shortage 5
areas. 6
Section 4. The following KRS section is repealed: 7
161.049 Professional support teams -- Training program -- Alternate training 8
program. 9