Substitute Senate Bill No. 1022 Summary

• Establishes a target to hire at least 250 new minority teachers and administrators annually in Connecticut schools beginning July 1, 2020, with a requirement that at least 30% are men.

• Expands educator certification reciprocity by requiring the Commissioner of Education to enter into reciprocity agreements with other states and establish interstate agreements to facilitate certification of qualified educators from other states.

• Expands mortgage assistance program eligibility to include teachers who graduated from historically black colleges, universities, or Hispanic-serving institutions, or from public high schools in educational reform districts.

• Allows retired teachers to be reemployed for up to two school years if they teach in subject shortage areas, priority school districts, or graduated from historically black colleges, universities, or Hispanic-serving institutions.

• Lowers subject area assessment requirements for teacher certification in shortage areas by allowing a satisfactory score instead of an excellent score, and provides exemptions from assessments for out-of-state teachers with equivalent experience or advanced degrees.