Senate Bill 337 Summary

• Requires the office of management and budget to establish and administer a teacher innovation grant program that provides grants to teachers for developing innovative ideas designed to improve student outcomes that are scalable and replicable within schools or school corporations.

• Appropriates $4,000,000 from the state general fund to the teacher innovation fund on July 1, 2014, with grants made from this fund and money remaining in the fund not reverting to the general fund at the end of each fiscal year.

• Establishes a classroom expense program and fund to provide annual advances to licensed teachers employed by school corporations to purchase items that qualify for the federal educator expense income tax deduction under Internal Revenue Code Section 62(a)(2)(D).

• Requires school corporations to distribute identical advance amounts to each full-time educator (pro-rated for part-time educators) before July 15 of each year, with educators able to decline or return advances without explanation.

• Specifies that advances do not affect wages, hours, or employment terms; are not subject to collective bargaining; and educators must return unused payments to the school corporation at the end of the school year.