HB581:

School boards, local; teacher career ladder compensation programs.

Bill Summary:

Local school boards; teacher career ladder compensation
programs. Requires each local school board to establish a teacher
career ladder compensation program (program) whereby each rung on
the ladder corresponds to a specific teacher career and compensation
level as determined by the local school board. The bill requires
each local school board to design and implement its own program,
provided, however, that each program shall include the following
principles and components: (i) each teacher shall provide increasing
levels of student academic progress as measured by objective criteria
before the teacher progresses to the next rung of the ladder; (ii)
each teacher shall demonstrate improvement in teaching skills before
the teacher progresses to the next rung of the ladder; (iii) each
teacher shall assume additional teaching and other responsibilities
such as curriculum development, team teaching, mentoring, and professional
development activities before the teacher progresses to the next
rung of the ladder; (iv) the local school board is responsible for
providing teachers in the program with appropriate professional growth
and development opportunities; and (v) the local school board shall
ensure that equal pay is provided to teachers in the program who
are performing at the same level. The bill provides that teacher
participation in a teacher career ladder compensation program is optional
and any teacher may opt to be compensated pursuant to the local school
board's standard salary scale.