Senate Bill 21-185 Summary

• Establishes the Teacher Recruitment Education and Preparation (TREP) Program allowing qualified high school students to concurrently enroll in postsecondary courses, with up to 200 participants funded annually beginning in the 2022-23 school year.

• Creates the Educator Recruitment and Retention Program providing up to $10,000 in financial assistance for tuition to armed forces members and nonmilitary educator candidates who commit to teaching 3 years in rural or small rural school districts.

• Designs a statewide teaching career pathway connecting secondary, community college, and four-year institutions, aligned with performance-based teacher licensing standards and allowing students to earn income while progressing.

• Expands adjunct instructor authorization eligibility to charter schools and allows rural school districts to employ adjunct instructors as full-time teachers when no qualified licensed applicants are available.

• Appropriates $9,132,856 to the Department of Education and $398,963-$2,500,000 to the Department of Higher Education for FY 2021-22 to support program administration, financial assistance, and educator loan forgiveness.