KRS 161.032: Certification incentive fund -- Purpose of grants -- Eligibility -- Priorities --

Forgivable loan incentive -- Stipend -- Other financial incentives.

(1) (a) There is hereby created a certification incentive fund in the State Treasury to

be a dministered by the Education Professional Standards Board. The fund

shall provide grants to eligible recipients for conducting institutes as described

in KRS 161.048(8), including the costs of salaries of institute instructors,

consultants, materials, stip ends and loans to participants, other costs

associated with the institutes, and costs of assistance to teachers throughout

their first year of teaching.

(b) Eligible recipients of grant funds may be nonprofit organizations, institutions,

and agencies, incl uding but not limited to postsecondary education

institutions, school districts, education cooperatives, and consortia of school

districts.

(c) The Education Professional Standards Board shall promulgate administrative

regulations establishing standards an d procedures for the grant program,

including minimal participation levels and maximum grant awards.

(2) (a) The Education Professional Standards Board shall determine priority for

specific institutes.

(b) The board shall request proposals and approve at l east one (1) summer

institute for the purpose described in paragraph (a) of this subsection each

academic year. The institute shall be a minimum of ninety (90) clock hours,

based on six (6) hour days for a three (3) week period.

(c) Each individual who completes a summer institute shall have additional hours

of formal instruction or assistance during the first year of teaching to reach the

minimum number of clock hours as required in KRS 161.048(8)(b).

(d) The candidate shall be assigned a teacher mentor by the grant recipient the

first year of teaching. Payment of the teacher mentor shall be from the grant

provided under subsection (1) of this section.

(3) (a) Individuals who are accepted into an institute shall be provided a forgivable

loan incentive at the beginning of the institute to encourage their participation.

The amount of the forgivable loan shall be determined by the Education

Professional Standards Board. The loan shall be forgiven if the participant

teaches in a Kentucky public or Kentucky Board of Education certified

nonpublic school for one (1) year within the three (3) years following the

awarding of the loan.

(b) If an individual does not successfully complete the institute or teach in a

qualifying Kentucky school, the loan must be repaid acc ording to procedures

promulgated in administrative regulation by the Kentucky Higher Education

Assistance Authority.

(c) The Education Professional Standards Board shall enter into a memorandum

of understanding with the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority to

administer the forgivable loan incentive under this section. Based on the

memorandum of understanding, the authority may retain a portion of the

funds for administering the forgivable loan incentive. Funds recovered under

provisions of this section, minus the administrative costs, shall be returned to

the State Treasury.

(4) Each individual who successfully com pletes a summer institute shall be awarded a

stipend equal to the amount of the forgivable loan as described in subsection (3) of

this section. The stipend shall be awarded at the end of the institute without

restrictions.

(5) Grant recipients and local school districts may offer financial incentives to potential

participants and individuals who complete an institute from fund sources other than

the grant funds.