Establish retired teacher induction and mentoring program

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69th Legislature 2025 HB 837.1
- 1 - Authorized Print Version – HB 837
1 HOUSE BILL NO. 837
2 INTRODUCED BY J. ISALY, L. MUSZKIEWICZ, P. STRAND, J. SECKINGER, E. MATTHEWS, C. KEOGH, M.
3 ROMANO, M. THANE, J. LYNCH, J. COHENOUR, T. CROWE, C. FITZPATRICK, A. GRIFFITH
4
5 A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: “AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE RETIRED TEACHER INDUCTION AND
6 MENTORING PROGRAM; AUTHORIZING A SCHOOL DISTRICT TO COMPENSATE A RETIRED TEACHER
7 FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE INDUCTION AND MENTORING PROGRAM; PROVIDING DEFINITIONS;
8 PROVIDING AN APPROPRIATION; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE DATE.”
9
10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
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12 NEW SECTION. Section 1. Retired teacher induction and mentoring program. (1) There is a
13 statewide retired teacher induction and mentoring program administered by the office of public instruction. The
14 purpose of the program is to support teachers who are new to the profession of teaching or are hired in a
15 district where they have not worked before by matching the new teachers with former teachers who have retired
16 after teaching in the same district.
17 (2) The board of trustees of a school district have the discretion to participate in the program on a
18 case-by-case basis. To participate, the trustees shall match a new teacher in the district with a former teacher
19 for a period of time not to exceed 3 months for the purposes of having the former teacher provide general
20 support and guidance to the new teacher.
21 (3) (a) The district shall compensate the former teacher for participating in the induction and
22 mentoring program by paying the former teacher on an hourly basis at a rate determined by taking the base pay
23 for the district and dividing it by the number of contracted hours required by the collective bargaining
24 agreement.
25 (b) The maximum amount of time that the former teacher may be compensated under this section
26 is for 3 months, and the maximum number of hours for which the former teacher may be paid for induction and
27 mentoring is 36 hours.
28 (c) The district shall certify to the superintendent of public instruction on a form provided by the
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69th Legislature 2025 HB 837.1
- 2 - Authorized Print Version – HB 837
1 office of public instruction the participation of the former teacher and the hours the former teacher worked in the
2 induction and mentoring program.
3 (4) The former teacher may support the new teacher in whatever capacity the trustees authorize,
4 including but not limited to:
5 (a) observing the new teacher providing classroom instruction and giving feedback;
6 (b) providing the new teacher with general administrative support;
7 (c) familiarizing the new teacher with the policies and procedures in the district, the vendors and
8 contractors that the district works with, and the budgets adopted by the district; and
9 (d) ensuring the new teacher is prepared with sufficient lesson plans, materials, and other
10 equipment.
11 (5) For the purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
12 (a) "Former teacher" means a teacher who was previously employed in a school district where a
13 new teacher has been hired and has since retired and is now receiving payments from the teachers' retirement
14 system.
15 (b) "New teacher" means a teacher who is newly hired in a school district where that teacher has
16 not previously worked.
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18 NEW SECTION. Section 2. Appropriation. (1) There is appropriated $100,000 from the state
19 general fund to the office of public instruction for each year of the biennium beginning July 1, 2025. The funds
20 must be spent for the purposes of [section 1].
21 (2) On receipt of the information required from a school district under [section 1(3)(c)], the office of
22 public instruction shall pay the district for the number of hours a former teacher participated in the induction and
23 mentoring program, up to the maximum of 36 hours for each former teacher.
24 (3) The legislature intends that the appropriation in this section be considered part of the ongoing
25 base for the next legislative session.
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27 NEW SECTION. Section 3. Codification instruction. [Section 1] is intended to be codified as an
28 integral part of Title 20, chapter 4, part 2, and the provisions of Title 20, chapter 4, part 2, apply to [section 1].
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69th Legislature 2025 HB 837.1
- 3 - Authorized Print Version – HB 837
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2 NEW SECTION. Section 4. Effective date. [This act] is effective July 1, 2025.
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