21-N:8-d Recruitment of Educators in New Hampshire. –
I. In this section:
(a) "Academic residency" means participation in an approved educator preparation program field-based experience under the supervision of a cooperating teacher or mentor.
(b) "Approved program" means an approved professional educator preparation program by the state board of education.
(c) "Educator" means a teacher or certified paraprofessional.
(d) "Eligible student" means a student who is enrolled in an approved program of preparation and eligible for financial assistance because the student's expected family contribution does not exceed 200 percent of the maximum federal Pell-eligible expected family contribution.
(e) "Candidate" means an educator candidate who is participating in an academic residency and placed in a school or community-based setting.
II. There is established an educator recruitment grant program administered by the department of education. Stipends or grants shall be awarded for the purpose of reducing the financial barriers to entering the educator workforce while eligible students gain clinical teaching experience either through a student teaching program or pre-educator preparation program. The program shall:
(a) Provide grants to New Hampshire institutions of higher education that fund programs designed to increase participation in the educator workforce.
(b) Provide grants to fund stipends for candidates during their clinical experience while engaging in education career pathway programs designed to culminate in licensure as an educator.
(c) Stipends for a student teaching program shall be $500 per week for not more than 16 weeks.
III. The higher education commission shall adopt any rules and guidelines to implement and administer the program.
IV. In order to qualify to participate in the stipend program, a student must be an eligible student and placed as student teacher in a public school or community agency as a candidate working toward an initial teaching certificate.
V. The department shall report annually to the chairs of the senate education committee and the house education committee, on:
(a) The number of students served by the program.
(b) The amounts of stipends received each year.
(c) The reported number of hours each eligible student works a second job to earn income.
VI. If the amount appropriated to the department for use in the educator recruitment grant program in a state fiscal year is insufficient to fully fund the stipends and grants for the total number of eligible students for that state fiscal year, the department shall reduce the amount distributed to each approved program of preparation by the same percentage that the deficit bears to the amount required to fully fund the total number of eligible students who qualify for the stipend program.