Signed by Governor Mitch Daniels, Jr.

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill increasing state requirements for charter school teachers and expanding state regulations of charter schools.

Highlights:

• Requires the State Board of Education to grant limited 1 year certificates upon the request of the commissioner (Sec. 2).

• Requires an individual who teaches at a charter school to hold a bachelors degree with a GPA of at least 3.0 from an accredited postsecondary educational institution (Sec. 7).

• Requires at least 50 percent of a charter school's teachers to hold a license to teach in Indiana public schools or be in the process of obtaining one (Sec. 7).

• Specifies that the superintendent is responsible for hiring and discharging principals, administrators, business managers, teachers, and staff, among others (Sec. 11).

• Requires charter school education to focus on student mastery of education standards established by the state (Sec. 14).

• Specifies that a teacher will not receive additional compensation based upon the teacher's attainment of additional degrees or graduate credit hours beyond the requirements for employment, and that salary increases must be based primarily on student academic performance (Sec. 29).

• Specifies that a teacher given ratings of "ineffective" or "improvement necessary" three times in five years may not receive any raise or increment for the following year if the teacher's employment contract is continued (Sec. 29).

• Requires all schools to have performance plan evaluations for each certified employee (Sec. 30).

Full Bill Text