GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1999

H	1 

HOUSE BILL 1392

Short Title:  Teacher Ass't Salary Schedule Funds.	(Public)

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Sponsors: Representatives Moore; Barefoot and Nesbitt.

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Referred to:  Education, if favorable, Appropriations.

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April 29, 1999

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO ESTABLISH A SALARY SCHEDULE FOR ASSISTANT TEACHERS.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  G.S. 115C-12 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C-12.  Powers and duties of the Board generally.
The general supervision and administration of the free public school system shall be vested in the State Board of Education. The State Board of Education shall establish policy for the system of free public schools, subject to laws enacted by the General Assembly. The powers and duties of the State Board of Education are defined as follows:
…		(16)	Power with Regard to Salary Schedules. – The Board shall provide for sick leave with pay for all public school employees in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter and shall promulgate rules and regulations providing for necessary substitutes on account of sick leave and other teacher absences.
a.	Support personnel refers to all public school employees who are not required by statute or regulation to be certified in order to be employed. The State Board of Education is authorized and empowered to adopt all necessary rules for full implementation of all schedules to the extent that State funds are made available for support personnel.
b.	Salary schedules for the following public school support personnel shall be adopted by the State Board of Education: school finance officer, office support personnel, maintenance supervisors, custodial personnel, and transportation personnel. The Board shall classify these support positions in terms of uniform pay grades included in the salary schedule of the State Personnel Commission.
	Local boards of education shall place State-allotted office support personnel, and custodial personnel on the salary schedule adopted by the State Board of Education so that the average salary paid is the State-allotted amount for the category. In placing employees on the salary schedule, the local board shall consider the education, training, and experience of each employee, including experience in other local school administrative units. It is the intent of the General Assembly that a local school administrative unit not fail to employ an employee who was employed for the prior school year in order to implement the provisions of this sub-subdivision. A local board of education is in compliance with this sub-subdivision if the average salary paid is at least ninety-eight percent (98%) of the State-allotted amount for the category at the end of the third payroll period of each fiscal year. The Department of Public Instruction shall provide technical assistance to local school administrative units regarding the implementation of this sub-subdivision.
c.	Salary schedules for other support personnel, including but not limited to maintenance and school food service personnel, shall be adopted by the State Board of Education. The Board shall classify these support positions in terms of uniform pay grades included in the salary schedule of the State Personnel Commission. These schedules shall apply if the local board of education does not adopt a salary schedule of its own for personnel paid from other than State appropriations.
… ."
Section 2. Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read:
"§ 115C-315.1. Teacher Assistant Professional Development Certificate Program.
(a)	Development of a Teacher Assistant Professional Development Certificate Program. – The State Board of Community Colleges, subject to the direction, control, and approval of the State Board of Education, shall develop and administer a teacher assistant professional development certificate program.  The program curriculum shall be appropriate to meet the requirements necessary for teacher assistants to contribute to student achievement.  The certificate program shall include an associate degree certificate that prepares a teacher assistant to enter a teacher education program at a university.  Community colleges are encouraged to offer courses in collaboration with local school administrative units, educational associations, the Teacher Academy Program, and other entities that provide in-service or preservice training to educators.
(b)	Development of a Portfolio Program to Enable Teacher Assistants to Earn Credit for Prior Learning Experience. – The State Board of Community Colleges, subject to the direction, control, and approval of the State Board of Education, shall develop and administer a portfolio program to assist teacher assistants with prior learning experience in developing portfolios of that experience which may be used to earn credit under the certificate program.   Teacher assistants who participate in the portfolio program and develop portfolios may apply to community colleges for credit for their prior learning experience. A transcript or verification form signed by the representative of the college offering the course shall document participation in the portfolio program.
Portfolios submitted to community colleges for credit shall be evaluated by an expert in education who holds a masters degree or higher degree.
A teacher assistant shall complete a portfolio by 2004 in order to use prior learning experience as credit for a certificate.  The State Board of Education may extend this date if the Community College System has not been able to accommodate eligible teacher assistants prior to January 1, 2004.
(c)	Credit for Courses Taken in Other States and for Courses Taken Prior to Establishment of the Program. – The State Board of Education and the State Board of Community Colleges shall, to the maximum extent possible,  accept transcripts from colleges in any state as college credits if the courses taken meet curriculum guidelines and are related to the competencies necessary to be a teacher assistant.
Continuing education or staff development courses  taken between 1981 through 2000 shall be eligible for credit under the certification program.
(d)	Establishment of a Professional Development Plan Certificate Committee. –  The State Board of Community Colleges shall appoint a Professional Development Plan Certificate Committee to monitor the teacher assistant certificate programs  and portfolio programs offered at the colleges and to make recommendations to the State Board of Community Colleges on ways to improve implementation of the programs to meet the needs of local school administrative units.
The Committee shall be comprised of one elementary school principal, one community college director, one teacher, one university educator, a local school staff development specialist, and six teacher assistants.
(e)	Types of Teacher Assistant Certificates Offered. – The State Board of Education shall offer the following types of teacher assistant certificates:
(1)	A Standard Certificate that requires 15 credits for courses taken at community colleges or accredited colleges or universities and 240 contact hours of continuing education or staff development activities that meet certification requirements;
(2)	An Advanced Certificate that requires 30 credits and 480 contact hours;
(3)	An Instructional Associate Certificate that requires 60 credits and 960 contact hours;
(4)	An Associate Degree Certificate for teacher assistants who are interested in a higher level of proficiency or in  continuing at a college or university to become a teacher; and
(5)	A Baccalaureate Degree Certificate that requires a  Baccalaureate Degree and 30 credits of basic education courses or a valid teacher certificate from any state.
The teacher assistant certificate fee shall be set by the State Board of Education in an amount up to ___________."
Section 3.(a) Effective July 1, 1999, teacher  assistants shall receive a three percent (3%) salary increment.
Section 3.(b)	Effective January 1, 2000, teacher assistants shall be paid retroactive to July 1, 1999, on the following salary schedule:

CERTIFICATE LEVEL
Standard	Advanced	Instructional	Associate	BA Degree
Certificate	Certificate	Associate	Degree	Certificate
Certificate	Certificate   Experience
0	$13,094	$13,330	$13,570	$13,841	$13,979
1	$13,330	$13,570	$13,814	$14,090	$14,231
2	$13,570	$13,814	$14,063	$14,344	$14,487
3	$13,814	$14,063	$14,316	$14,602	$14,748
4	$14,063	$14,316	$14,573	$14,865	$15,013
5	$14,316	$14,573	$14,836	$15,132	$15,284
6	$14,573	$14,836	$15,103	$15,405	$15,559
7	$14,836	$15,103	$15,375	$15,682	$15,839
8	$15,103	$15,375	$15,651	$15,964	$16,124
9	$15,375	$15,651	$15,933	$16,252	$16,414
10	$15,651	$15,933	$16,220	$16,544	$16,710
11	$15,933	$16,220	$16,512	$16,842	$17,010
12	$16,220	$16,512	$16,809	$17,145	$17,317
13	$16,512	$16,809	$17,112	$17,454	$17,628
14	$16,809	$17,112	$17,420	$17,768	$17,946
15	$17,112	$17,420	$17,733	$18,088	$18,269
16	$17,420	$17,733	$18,052	$18,413	$18,597
17	$17,733	$18,052	$18,377	$18,745	$18,932
18	$18,052	$18,377	$18,708	$19,082	$19,273
19	$18,377	$18,708	$19,045	$19,426	$19,620
20	$18,708	$19,045	$19,388	$19,775	$19,973
21	$19,045	$19,388	$19,737	$20,131	$20,333
22	$19,388	$19,737	$20,092	$20,494	$20,699
23	$19,737	$20,092	$20,453	$20,863	$21,071
24	$20,092	$20,453	$20,822	$21,238	$21,450
25	$20,453	$20,822	$21,196	$21,620	$21,837Section 3.(c)	Notwithstanding the provisions of the salary schedule set out in subsection (a) of this section, no teacher assistant shall be paid less during the 1999-2000 school year than the teacher assistant was paid during the 1998-99 school year.
Section 3.(d)	In computing years of experience under the salary schedule, one year of experience means at least six months of  employment as a teacher or teacher assistant in a publicly funded school of any state or of the federal government.
A teacher assistant shall submit a statement of experience verified by an authorized person at the local school administrative unit at which the teacher assistant was previously employed.
Section 3.(e) Placement on the salary schedule for each year shall be in accordance with the type of teacher assistant certificate the teacher held on July 1 prior to the beginning of the school year.
Section 4.  Nothing in this act shall be interpreted to tenure to teacher assistants.
Section 5.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to State Aid to Local School Administrative Units the sum of thirty-one million dollars ($31,000,000) for the 1999-2000 fiscal year and the sum of thirty-one million dollars ($31,000,000) for the 2000-2001 fiscal year to implement this act.
There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of ______________ for the 1999-2000 fiscal year and the sum of _______________ for the 2000-2001 fiscal year to certify teacher assistants.
Section 6.  This act becomes effective July 1, 1999.