PSC Updates

1. PSC Updates

2. 2010 Legislative Session They finally left, but what did they do?

3. 2010 Legislative Session This is as of today. Nothing is final yet. Subject to change.

4. 2010 Legislative Update 2010 Legislation affecting certification Deadlines for completing leadership degrees PLUs for certificate renewal Clearance certificates Open Records protections

5. 2010 Legislative Update Deadlines for completing leadership degrees

6. 2010 Legislative Update HB923 – Deadlines for Completing Leadership Degrees The only thing this does is to modify the grandfathering conditions in last year’s “unused leadership degree” law

7. 2010 Legislative Update Deadlines for Completing Leadership Degrees Follow-up from last year’s HB455 (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-212) Salary increase for advanced degrees in leadership Grandfather in everyone already holding a leadership degree Grandfather in everyone completing a program by July 1, 2010 Leadership degrees earned after July 1, 2010 – salary increase ONLY if working in a leadership position Done in response to a proliferation of “unused” leadership degrees

8. 2010 Legislative Update Deadlines for Completing Leadership Degrees The original House version: this shall not apply to an educator who possessed a leadership degree prior to July 1, 20102013, as long as he or she was enrolled in an educator leadership preparation program on or before April 1, 2009, regardless of whether or not he or she is in a leadership position. Two important points: Extends the completion date Introduces a “must be enrolled by” date

9. 2010 Legislative Update Deadlines for Completing Leadership Degrees Senate substitute: Regardless of position – Paid for leadership degree earned by July 1, 2010 Regardless of position – Paid for leadership degree if enrolled in a program by April 1, 2009 and the degree is completed by July 1, 2012 for master’s degree July 1, 2013 for ed specialist degree July 1, 2014 for doctoral degree Otherwise, paid for leadership degree only if working in a leadership position

10. 2010 Legislative Update Deadlines for Completing Leadership Degrees PSC will issue a guidance document with details on what this means who it applies to how it will actually work what we have to provide to you and in what form anything else you tell us we should include

11. 2010 Legislative Update PLUs for certificate renewal

12. 2010 Legislative Update HB1307 – PLUs for Certificate Renewal 2010 – the year of “flexibility” in light of budget crisis Flexibility to provide relief to educators Temporarily suspend the PLU requirement for purposes of certificate renewal Notion arose independently in House and Senate House version prevailed

13. 2010 Legislative Update PLUs for Certificate Renewal “July 1, 2010, through July 1, 2015, no professional learning requirements shall be required for certificate renewal for clear renewable certificates for certificated personnel or for certificate renewal for paraprofessionals.” Rationale – Give everyone one renewal cycle for “free”

14. 2010 Legislative Update PLUs for Certificate Renewal Implementation: For clear renewable certificates, if certificate renewal date (end validity date) is June 30, 2011 – PLU requirement waived June 30, 2012 – PLU requirement waived June 30, 2013 – PLU requirement waived June 30, 2014 – PLU requirement waived June 30, 2015 – PLU requirement waived June 30, 2016 and thereafter – PLU requirement reinstated

15. 2010 Legislative Update PLUs for Certificate Renewal Considerable confusion: “This means there will be no professional development for the next five years.” --- NOT TRUE “This means I don’t have to renew my certificate.” --- NOT TRUE “This waives all certification requirements.” – NOT TRUE

16. 2010 Legislative Update PLUs for Certificate Renewal PSC will issue a guidance document with details on what this means who it applies to how it will actually work what we have to provide to you and in what form anything else you tell us we should include

17. 2010 Legislative Update Clearance Certificates

18. 2010 Legislative Update Clearance Certificates Concept and intent are simple and straightforward However, considerable confusion

19. 2010 Legislative Update Clearance Certificates Intent: Close an unintended loophole in charter and IE2 laws Loophole could allow exemption from criminal background checks and the Code of Ethics

20. 2010 Legislative Update Clearance Certificates Major impact on schools / systems exempting all of certification. If you continue to require certification, 95% of this will not have any real impact on you.

21. 2010 Legislative Update Criminal Background Checks and Code of Ethics Two major pieces: Clearance certificate for educators Fingerprint and background checks for non-educators

22. 2010 Legislative Update Clearance Certificate Clearance certificate: What is it? A certificate issued by the Professional Standards Commission that verifies: that an educator has completed fingerprint and criminal background check requirements, and that the individual does not have a certificate that is currently revoked or suspended in Georgia or any other state

23. 2010 Legislative Update Clearance Certificate Clearance certificate: How does it differ from existing certificates? Current certificates are “a certificate, license, or permit … based upon academic, technical, and professional training, experience, and competency” Clearance certificates are not based on these factors; issued solely on the basis of passing criminal background and ethics violation checks

24. 2010 Legislative Update Clearance Certificate Clearance certificate: Who does this apply to? Beginning January 1, 2011, all educators employed in public schools – including charters of all types and IE2 systems – must hold a clearance certificate “Educator” defined as a teacher, school or school system administrator, or other education personnel who would, if not exempted under an increased flexibility contract, be required to hold a professional educator certificate, license, or permit issued by the Professional Standards Commission

25. 2010 Legislative Update Clearance Certificate Clearance certificate: How do I get one? If you hold an existing “professional educator certificate” issued by PSC, and if you do not have criminal or ethical violations, a clearance certificate will be automatically added to your existing certificate If you are applying for your first Georgia “professional educator certificate,” complete the application, get fingerprinted and have a background check. If you meet all requirements, you will be issued both professional and clearance certificates If you are at a school that is exempt from certification and if you do not already have a certificate, get fingerprinted and have a background check. If you pass the background and ethics checks, you will be issued a clearance certificate

26. 2010 Legislative Update Clearance Certificate Clearance certificate: How / when is it renewed? Valid for five years Complete renewal application Criminal background and ethics checks, but no additional fingerprinting required If you hold a professional educator certificate, the clearance cert will have the same validity period

27. 2010 Legislative Update Clearance Certificate Clearance certificate: What does it mean for me as an individual educator? If you already hold a professional educator certificate, adding the clearance will have basically not have any effect. Clearance simply “added.” If you are at a school that is exempt from certification and if you do not already have a certificate, the clearance certificate will allow you to be hired and will place you under the Code of Ethics.

28. 2010 Legislative Update Clearance Certificate Clearance certificate: What does it mean for my school / system? For systems / schools that are not under a charter or IE2 contract that exempts certification, very little impact. Does offer some cost savings – Previously, educator moving from one system to another would have to be fingerprinted at the new system. Clearance certificate takes away the need for this.

29. 2010 Legislative Update Clearance Certificate Clearance certificate: What does it mean for my school / system? For systems / schools that are under a charter or IE2 contract that exempts certification: Educators must hold clearance certificate Must report ethics violations to PSC

30. 2010 Legislative Update Non-Education Employees HB1103 requires all Georgia public schools, including charter and IE2, to fingerprint and background check all non-educator employees. Already in law - HB1103 makes mandatory at all schools (closes the loophole)

31. 2010 Legislative Update One other thing This will affect you: Previously, employee could work for up to 200 days while awaiting criminal background check. HB1103 reduces that to 20 days.

32. 2010 Legislative Update Status Passed the House March 22 – 162Y, 1N Passed the Senate as amended April 27 – 45Y, 0N In the last hours of the Session: stripped out of HB1103 and put into HB1079 Still has not been officially released If signed into law, becomes effective January 1, 2011

33. 2010 Legislative Update Clearance Certificate PSC will issue a guidance document with details on what this means who it applies to how it will actually work what we have to provide to you and in what form anything else you tell us we should include

34. 2010 Legislative Update Open Records Protection

35. 2010 Legislative Update HB1086 – Open Records Protections Email addresses are collected through MyPSC and paperless certification This bill explicitly makes email addresses exempt from Open Records requests

36. Differential Pay for Mathematics and Science Teachers

37. Differential Pay forMathematics and Science Teachers Lots of confusion Lots of questions Lots of differences of opinion Lots of worries Precious few answers

38. Differential Pay forMathematics and Science Teachers HB280 (O.C.G.A. § 20-2-212.5) Passed the General Assembly a year ago Signed into law April 2009 Becomes effective July 1, 2010

39. Differential Pay forMathematics and Science Teachers 6-12 mathematics and science teachers Primarily a recruitment and retention tool Mathematics and science teachers below Salary Step 4 rise to Step 4 Increase on the salary schedule with each subsequent year of creditable service

40. Differential Pay forMathematics and Science Teachers 6-12 mathematics and science teachers Eligibility requirements: Hold a clear renewable certificate in a mathematics and/or science field Must be teaching mathematics / science in grades 6-12

41. Differential Pay forMathematics and Science Teachers 6-12 mathematics and science teachers Progress up the salary schedule from Step 4 with each year of creditable service for five years After five years, the teacher must meet student achievement criteria set by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. If criteria met, continue up the salary schedule. If criteria not met, revert back on the salary schedule to where you would have been absent this law.

42. Differential Pay forMathematics and Science Teachers 6-12 mathematics and science teachers Effective July 1, 2010 Eligible mathematics and science teachers paid on the elevated salary step Funding is formula driven

43. Differential Pay forMathematics and Science Teachers K-5 mathematics and science endorsements Primarily a teacher quality tool $1000 salary stipend for K-5 teachers holding a new K-5 mathematics or K-5 science endorsement Annual stipend - $1000 for each endorsement

44. Differential Pay forMathematics and Science Teachers K-5 mathematics and science endorsements Salary stipend each year for five years After five years, the teacher must meet student achievement criteria set by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement. If criteria met, continue to receive stipend. If criteria not met, no longer receive stipend.

45. Differential Pay forMathematics and Science Teachers K-5 mathematics and science endorsements NEW endorsement based on post-baccalaureate nondegree programs, independent of an initial preparation program in early childhood education; minimum of three courses two courses focused on content knowledge one course or more courses, focused on content-specific pedagogy and proven strategies for teaching math or science to children in kindergarten through fifth grade

46. Differential Pay forMathematics and Science Teachers K-5 mathematics and science endorsements NEW endorsement Program providers had to re-tool existing programs or design new programs Require PSC Ed Prep program approval

47. Differential Pay forMathematics and Science Teachers K-5 mathematics and science endorsements NEW endorsement In progress – the earliest program approval will be late this summer Possible that some may be enrolling this Fall, but most will be next summer “Bridge” is being developed for current P-5 endorsement holders

48. Differential Pay forMathematics and Science Teachers K-5 mathematics and science endorsements Remember: Old P-5 endorsement ≠ new K-5 endorsement! Holding the old P-5 endorsement will NOT get you the stipend

49. Differential Pay forMathematics and Science Teachers K-5 mathematics and science endorsements Funding is NOT formula driven Requires special funding appropriation Funds not appropriated for FY2011