HB 18-1309 Summary

• Establishes the "Grow Your Own Educator Program" allowing school districts and charter schools to employ students as "teachers of record" while they complete their final 36 credit hours of a bachelor's degree, with tuition paid by the school district up to a limit of 50 new students annually.

• Requires program participants to work in the same school district or charter school for three academic years after program completion as a condition of tuition payment, with the requirement waivable by the school district or charter school.

• Creates a separate "Teacher of Record Program" authorizing local education providers to employ teachers of record for one or two years when there is a critical teacher shortage and no other qualified applicants, with required mentorship and performance evaluations.

• Appropriates $1,019,110 to the Department of Education for the Grow Your Own Educator Program and $156,116 to the Department of Higher Education for a Partnership for Rural Education Preparation based at the University of Colorado Denver.

• The Grow Your Own Educator Program is scheduled to sunset on September 1, 2023, subject to legislative review and renewal, with priority given to graduates of Colorado high schools and those committing to teach in rural schools with teacher shortages.