House Bill 267 Summary

• Establishes a Critical Need Reimbursement program providing direct reimbursement to institutions of higher education or Secretary of Education-approved alternative teacher certification programs for coursework taken by eligible teachers.

• Eligible teachers must be full-time public school or charter school employees teaching on emergency certification, temporary certificate, limited standard certificate, or certificate of eligibility in state-identified critical need areas.

• Reimbursement covers up to 6 credits per academic year (including Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer sessions) or up to 2 non-credit-bearing seminars/workshops, or a combination thereof, with a maximum reimbursement amount not exceeding tuition and fees at Delaware's highest-cost public institution.

• Reimbursement funds are distributed directly to institutions upon course completion with a 2.0 or higher grade (on 4.0 scale) for credit courses or equivalent passing grade for non-credit courses.

• If demand exceeds available funding, reimbursement is allocated proportionally among eligible institutions and school districts/charter schools on a prorated basis.