ARIZONA STATE SENATE

Fifty-Fifth Legislature, Second Regular Session

AMENDED

FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1328

~~schools; protective eyewear; terminology~~

(NOW: high-quality teacher program)

Purpose

Effective July 1, 2023, continues the High-Quality Teacher Professional Development Pilot Program (Pilot Program) as a statutory program.

Background

In 2017, the Legislature directed the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) to establish the Pilot Program, which is set to terminate on July 1, 2023. Under the Program, SBE-certified teachers currently teaching at an Arizona public school may apply to receive up to $2,000 in scholarship and grant assistance to obtain additional credentials and certifications from an accredited postsecondary educational institution to teach in high-need content areas. A high-need content area is any math, science, technology, engineering or career and technical education content.

A Pilot Program scholarship or grant recipient agrees to teach in an Arizona public school for at least three years after completing the professional development coursework or program. An applicant who accepts a scholarship or grant and does not fulfill the teaching requirement must fully repay the scholarship or grant amount. ADE may retain up to three percent of monies appropriated to the Pilot Program and must annually report the Pilot Program results to the Governor, President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives (Laws 2017, Ch. 284, as amended by Laws 2019, Ch. 265).

The Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) fiscal note on the Senate Engrossed version of S.B. 1328 estimates that establishing a permanent program would cost between $140,000 and $400,000 from the state General Fund above the JLBC Baseline. In FYs 2020 through 2022, the Pilot Program annually received $400,000 and, in November 2021, ADE reported total FY 2020 and FY 2021 expenditures of $442,100, or an annual average of $147,000 (JLBC fiscal note; ADE).

Provisions

1. Codifies the Pilot Program as the statutory High-Quality Teacher Professional Development Program and specifies that ADE's authority to issue professional development scholarships or grants is subject to available appropriations.

2. Becomes effective on July 1, 2023.

Amendments Adopted by Committee

· Adopted the strike-everything amendment.

Amendments Adopted by the House of Representatives

· Subjects the issuance of professional development scholarships and grants to the availability of appropriated monies.

Senate Action House Action

ED 2/1/22 DPA/SE 8-0-0 ED 3/1/22 DP 9-1-0-0

3^rd Read 2/10/22 28-0-2 3^rd Read 6/22/22 41-18-1

Prepared by Senate Research

June 23, 2022

LB/slp