45th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2001

RELATING TO PUBLIC EDUCATION; PROVIDING FOR A TEACHER CAREER LADDER PILOT PROJECT; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

Section 1. TEMPORARY PROVISION--TEACHER CAREER LADDER PILOT PROJECT--REPORT.--

A. The state department of public education shall establish a "teacher career ladder pilot project" to be modeled after the Milken family foundation teacher advancement program. The pilot project shall operate from the effective date of this act to June 30, 2004.

B. The state department of public education shall recruit ten public elementary, middle, junior high or high schools, including charter schools, to participate on a voluntary basis in the teacher career ladder pilot project. The schools selected shall represent geographic, ethnic, economic and social demographics across the state.

C. The state department of public education shall distribute one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) per school for the 2001-2002 school year to initiate the teacher career ladder pilot project. The distribution shall be used by each school to pay teachers to attend a one-week training in the teacher advancement program and to provide money to support the career ladder concept adopted by the department for the pilot project.

D. The state department of public education shall distribute fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) per year to the participating schools for the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 school years to continue to support the career ladder concept.

E. The state department of public education shall provide technical assistance, in collaboration with the Milken family foundation, to the participating schools through the three-year teacher career ladder pilot project.

F. The state department of public education shall require periodic reports for participating schools and shall evaluate the efficacy of the teacher career ladder pilot project. The department shall report its findings and recommendations to the second session of the forty-sixth legislature.

Section 2. APPROPRIATION.--Two million dollars ($2,000,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the state department of public education for expenditure in fiscal years 2002 through 2004 to conduct the teacher career ladder pilot project. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2004 shall revert to the general fund.