SB 599 - Excellent Educators for Every Classroom

• Establishes the Professional Educator Preparation and Standards Commission with 18 members to develop and recommend rules for educator preparation programs, professional standards, licensure, and continuing education to the State Board of Education.

• Creates a new educator preparation program (EPP) approval and accountability system with "initially authorized" and "authorized" statuses based on performance standards, with sanctions including warnings, probation, and revocation of approval authority.

• Reorganizes educator licensure requirements into initial professional licenses (IPL), residency licenses (RL), emergency licenses (EL), and continuing professional licenses (CPL), replacing previous lateral entry and standard certificate structures.

• Requires annual reporting by the State Board on teacher vacancies by subject area and school, and on teachers leaving the profession, including reasons for departure and data on hard-to-staff schools and subject areas.

• Allows local boards and charter schools to conduct periodic criminal background checks of employees and requires notification to the State Board when a teacher's criminal history is relevant to their resignation or dismissal.