(A) A grant program is hereby established to recognize and reward teachers in public and chartered nonpublic schools who hold valid teaching certificates or licenses issued by the national board for professional teaching standards. The superintendent of public instruction shall administer this program in accordance with this section and rules which the state board of education shall adopt in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. In each fiscal year that the general assembly appropriates funds for purposes of this section, the superintendent of public instruction shall award a grant to each person who, by the first day of April of that year and in accordance with the rules adopted under this section, submits to the superintendent evidence indicating both of the following:

(1) The person holds a valid certificate or license issued by the national board for professional teaching standards;

(2) The person has been employed full-time as a teacher by the board of education of a school district or by a chartered nonpublic school in this state during the current school year. An individual may receive a grant under this section in each fiscal year the person is eligible for a grant and submits evidence of that eligibility in accordance with this section. No person may receive a grant after the expiration of the person's initial certification or license issued by the national board.

(B) The amount of the grant awarded to each eligible person under division (A) of this section in any fiscal year shall equal two thousand five hundred dollars. However, if the funds appropriated for purposes of this section in any fiscal year are not sufficient to award the full grant amount to each person who is eligible in that fiscal year, the superintendent shall prorate the amount of the grant awarded in that fiscal year to each eligible person.

Effective Date: 09-26-2003; 09-16-2004; 05-18-2005; 09-29-2005; 2007 HB119 09-29-2007 .