Teacher merit pay.

WORKING DRAFT
2011
STATE OF
WYOMING
11LSO-0333.E1

HOUSE BILL
NO.
HB0072

Teacher merit pay.

Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Madden and Teeters and Senator(s) Coe and Landen

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to
education; creating a special committee to develop
recommendations regarding a teacher merit pay p
lan
; requiring a report;
providing appropriations; providing for contingent repeal of the committee and transfer of the committee's functions;
and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of
Wyoming
:

Section 1.

(a)

There is created a committee to
develop recommendations regarding a merit pay plan for teachers
as specified in this section.

(
b)

The committee shall consist of the senate education committee chairman, one (1) additional senator appointed by the president of the senate, the house education committee chairman, one (1) additional representative appointed by the speaker of the house, one (1) member of a school board, one (1) school administrator, one (1) parent and one (1) teacher. The nonlegislative members shall be appointed by the governor.
The legislative members shall receive salary and reimbursement for per diem and travel expenses incurred in the performance of their duties on the commi
ttee
, as provided in W.S. 28
‑
5
‑
101.
The committee shall be staffed by the legislative service office.

(c)

In developing recommendations under this section,
the
committee shall consider various merit pay methodologies including merit-based salary schedules, bonuses, incentive pay
and differential staffing.

(d)

The recommendation
required under subsection (a) of this section shall include:

(i)

C
riteria for the measurement of teacher performance, including specia
l education teacher performance;

(ii)

Whether a merit pay plan should be implement
ed
;

(i
i
i)

Recommendations on whether the merit pay plan should be mandatory or optional, provided that if optional a district not participating in the plan would not receive any appropriation intended for use for teacher salaries under the merit pay plan;

(i
v
)

Any necessary statutory changes to implement the merit pay plan.

(e)

The committee may, with the approval of management council, contract with private sector consultants with expertise in human resource optimization, the use of merit based compensation and the establishment of objective evaluation systems to drive excellence to assist the committee with developing recommendations under this section.

(
f
)

The
committee
shall report recommendations developed under this section to the joint education
interim
committee not later than November 1, 2011.

Section 2
.

(a)

There is appropriated fifty thousand dollars ($50,000.00) from the school foundation account to the legislative service office to contract with private sector consultants as provided in subsection 1(e) of this act.

(b)

There is appropriated ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) from the general fund to the legislative service office for the salary, per diem and travel for the legislative members of the special committee.

(c)

A
ny unexpended, unobligated funds remaining from th
ese
appropriation
s
shall revert as provided by law on
June 30, 2012.

Section 3.

(a)

If 2011 Senate File 70 is enacted into law:

(i)

The committee created by this act shall not be formed and the duties of the committee shall be assumed by the select committee on education accountability established by Senate File 70;

(ii)

The select committee may seek advice from the advisory committee created by Senate File 70 as it determines appropriate in carrying out its duties under this act;

(iii)

The appropriation in subsection 2(b) of this act may be expended for salaries, per diem and travel of the select committee members in the performance of their duties;

(iv)

The appropriation in subsection 2(a) of this act may be expended by the select committee to contract with private sector consultants as provided in subsection 1(e) of this act.

Section
4
.

This act is effective immediately upon co
m
pletion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constit
u
tion.

(END)

1
HB0072