H3196: Educator Assistance Act

Legislative Summary

Amend The South Carolina Code Of Laws By Enacting The "educator Assistance Act" By Adding Section 59-25-112 So As To Provide Professional Certificates Issued By The State Board Of Education Are Permanent Unless Revoked Or Suspended And Are Not Subject To Renewal, To Provide No Teacher May Be Required To Renew A Professional Certificate Issued By The Board, And To Provide A Teacher With A Professional Certificate Shall Continue To Complete Ongoing Professional Learning And Development; By Adding Section 59-101-145 So As To Authorize The Use Of Data Being Collected Under Current Procedures To Report On Certain Postsecondary Matters Concerning Graduates Of South Carolina Public Schools, And To Require The Streamlining Of Data Collection Timelines And Processes; By Amending Section 59-25-47, Relating To Policies Authorizing Payments For Unused Teacher Leave, So As To Require Additional Policies That Allow Teachers To Donate Such Unused Leave To A Leave Bank For Other Employees, And To Provide Requirements For The Policies; By Amending Section 59-25-410, Relating To Annual Notification Of School Teacher Employment And Assignments, So As To Provide The Notification Must Include Certain Salary Information Requirements In The Required Notice, To Provide Notice Of Tentative Teacher Assignments Must Be Provided No Later Than Fourteen Calendar Days Before The Start Of The School Year, And To Prohibit Limitations On Teacher Reassignments; By Amending Section 59-25-420, Relating To Notices Concerning Annual Teacher Employment Contracts, So As To Provide Contract Acceptances Submitted Before The Statutory Notification Deadline May Be Withdrawn By Submission Of Written Notice To The School District Within Ten Days After Publication Of The School District Salary Schedule For The Upcoming School Year, And To Provide School Districts May Not Report Such Withdrawals As A Breach Of Contract; By Amending Section 59-1-425, Relating To Required Days For Collegial Professional Development In The Annual School Calendar, So As To Increase The Number Of Days To Four, To Provide Districts Must Verify Completing Of The Required Collegial Professional Development In A Certain Manner, To Provide Teachers And Instructional Assistants Must Be Provided Self-directed Free Time To Evaluate Student Academic Data, Instructional Planning, And Classroom Preparation, And To Remove A Two-day Maximum Limitation On Use Of These Collegial Professional Development Days For Preparation And Opening Of Schools; By Amending Section 59-25-530, Relating To Unprofessional Conduct And Breach Of Contract By Teachers, So As To Recharacterize Certain Actions As Being Breach Of Contract Instead Of Unprofessional Conduct, To Revise The Penalties And Consequences For Such Breaches Of Contract, Among Other Things; By Repealing Section 59-101-130 Relating To High Schools Reporting To The Superintendent Of Education; Institutions Of Higher Learning Reporting To High Schools; And By Repealing Section 59-101-140 Relating To Tabulation Of Reports.