KRS 161.133: Teachers' national certification incentive trust fund -- Purposes --

Appropriations.

(1) There is hereby established a "Teachers' National Certification Incentive Trust

Fund" in the State Treasury for the purposes of:

(a) Funding stipends for teache rs to prepare for certification by the National

Board for Professional Teaching Standards;

(b) Reimbursing a portion of the certification fee to each teacher who is awarded

national board certification;

(c) Reimbursing local boards of education or the Depa rtment of Education for

persons who serve as substitute teachers for national board certification

candidates; and

(d) Funding stipends for national board certified teachers who serve as mentors to

other teachers within the school district or the Kentucky Tech system.

(2) Appropriations by the General Assembly in each biennial budget for the purpose of

supporting national board certification shall be credited to the fund and invested

until needed. All money credited to the fund, including interest earned on money in

the fund, shall be retained in the fund for reinvestment and used for the purposes of

this section. Funds appropriated to the fund shall not lapse at the end of a fiscal year

or a biennium.

(3) The Education Professional Standards Board shall prom ulgate administrative

regulations that establish the procedures for the administration of the funds as

described in this section and the requirements for participating teachers, local

boards of education, and the Department of Education. The board shall allocate only

those funds to teachers, school districts, or the department for the purposes in this

section for which other sources of funds are not being received. The board may

limit the number of participants accepted in any given enrollment or applicatio n

period due to the lack of available funds.

(4) Money in the fund shall be distributed to local boards of education, the Department

of Education, and teachers by the Education Professional Standards Board in

compliance with the administrative regulations promulgated by the board.