161.134 Preparation for national board certification -- Incentives -- Authority to prorate reimbursements if funds insufficient -- Administrative regulations for mentoring program. (1) (a) A teacher pursuing national board certification shall receive from the fund established under KRS 161.133 a stipend of two hundred dollars ($200) per day for two (2) days beyond the school contract year to prepare for the certification assessments. (b) A local board of education shall provide five (5) days' released time during the school year for a teacher pursuing national board certification. The local board of education shall request reimbursement from the fund established under KRS 161.133 for substitute teacher pay based on the local board of education salary schedule for substitute teachers and for stipends paid to a teacher described in subsection (3) of this section. A local board of education may, at its own expense, provide additional released time for teachers pursuing national board certification. (c) If a teacher does not successfully complete all assessments required for national board certification during a school year, the provisions in this subsection may be applied to a second school year. (d) When funds are not available to fully fund the requirements of paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this subsection for all national board applicants, the board may prorate the specified reimbursements in paragraphs (a) and (b) and may limit the conditions under which provisions of paragraph (c) shall be applied to second year participants. The board shall establish the procedures for carrying out the provisions of this subsection in an administrative regulation. (2) (a) As of July 14, 2000, a teacher who attains national board certification shall be reimbursed seventy-five percent (75%) of the certification fee for the initial ten (10) year certificate, except the Education Professional Standards Board may decrease the percentage of reimbursement if a teacher receives payment other than a repayable loan for the same purpose from another source and the cumulative amount would exceed one hundred percent (100%) of the cost of the certification fee. (b) Fees for retaking one (1) or more entries of the national board assessment for the initial national board certificate and fees for renewal of the certificate shall be at the teacher's expense. (c) Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit the board from reimbursing a percentage of the initial certification fee to a teacher who has received a repayable loan from a local board of education or other agency to offset initial costs. (3) A national board certified teacher may receive a stipend in addition to his or her annual compensation for serving as a mentor to teachers within his or her school or school district. The Education Professional Standards Board shall promulgate administrative regulations under which a local board of education, in cooperation with the school-based decision making council, may establish a mentoring program within a school to utilize national board certified teachers. The administrative regulations shall specify the conditions for the mentoring program as well as the amount of the stipend that will be provided to a teacher serving as a mentor. Effective: March 31, 2003 History: Amended 2003 Ky. Acts ch. 160, sec. 2, effective March 31, 2003. -- Created 2000 Ky. Acts ch. 257, sec. 4, effective July 14, 2000.