21-7-501. National certification program; program limits and requirements; appropriations requirements; certified teacher pay incentive reimbursement.

(a) The department of education may enter into an agreement with a nonprofit entity to establish a program under which the department or the nonprofit entity will administer a program to assist teachers in earning national board teacher certification. The agreement between the department and the nonprofit entity shall require annual reporting by the nonprofit entity to the department. The program may provide professional development and mentoring specific to national board teacher certification, along with other activities related to national certification. Additionally, on behalf of teachers employed by Wyoming school districts the program may make payments directly to an organization that provides national board teacher certification for not more than fifty percent (50%) of the fees to receive national certification, as established by the national board for professional teaching standards. The program shall only make payments if:

(i) The teacher has completed at least three (3) years of teaching in the state of Wyoming;

(ii) The teacher timely pays the teacher's portion of the certification fees and timely completes progress toward certification as required by the program; and

(iii) Repealed by Laws 2019, ch. 192, § 2.

(iv) The teacher agrees to reimburse the program for any certification fee payments the program makes on behalf of the teacher in the event the teacher fails to formally withdraw from the process or to submit an entry that can be scored, as determined by the program.

(b) Repealed by Laws 2019, ch. 192, § 2.

(c) The legislature may appropriate funds to the department to implement subsection (a) of this section. No funds appropriated by the legislature shall be distributed to the program if the nonprofit entity with whom the department has entered into an agreement under subsection (a) of this section does not contribute to the program an amount equal to the amount that will be distributed from funds appropriated by the legislature. The department shall ensure that state funds and funds the nonprofit entity provides to the program shall be accounted for separately.

(d) Repealed by Laws 2019, ch. 192, § 2.

(e) Repealed By Laws 2001, Ch. 193, § 2.

(f) In addition to the program established under subsection (a) of this section, and to promote employment of national board certified teachers by school districts, each district employing a national board certified teacher shall be reimbursed for payments to these teachers subject to the following:

(i) For each year the certificate is valid, the district provides each teacher employed by the district and holding certification by the national board for professional teaching standards a lump sum payment of four thousand dollars ($4,000.00) which is in addition to the teacher's annual salary as determined by the board, and which is paid to each certified teacher between December 1 and December 31 of the school year for which application is made;

(ii) The teacher holding certification shall be employed by the district full time as a teacher;

(iii) The district submits a report to the department of education in a manner, on a form and at times specified by department rule and regulation, documenting the number of national board certified teachers employed by the district, verifying payments to such teachers in accordance with paragraph (i) of this subsection;

(iv) From amounts appropriated by the legislature from the public school foundation program account for purposes of this subsection, the department of education shall distribute payments to eligible districts in accordance with this subsection on or before February 15 of the applicable school year, together with the district's foundation payment under W.S. 21-13-313(c), if applicable. The department shall not provide reimbursement to a school district for a lump sum payment made in accordance with paragraph (i) of this subsection to a teacher who earned initial national board teacher certification on or after January 1, 2021 and has received fifteen (15) lump sum payments under this subsection;

(v) Not later than January 31 of each year, the department shall report to the joint education interim committee on district reports submitted under paragraph (iii) of this subsection and estimated distributions under this subsection to eligible districts for the applicable reporting period.

(g) For purposes of this section, "teacher" means a school district employee who is employed full time as a teacher, instructional facilitator, certified tutor, librarian, speech-language therapist or counselor.