§ 17:7.3 — Continuing education programs for teachers; reimbursement to public

Louisiana § 17:7.3

• Jurisdiction: Louisiana
• Title 17: Credit Union Law

Text

§7.3. Continuing education programs for teachers; reimbursement to public
and nonpublic colleges and universities for tuition costs; rules and
regulations; reporting; repayment for noncompletion of courses;
services rendered
A.(1) The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall
adopt rules and regulations establishing a program or programs of continuing
education for degreed classroom teachers in state-approved elementary and
secondary schools. Such rules and regulations shall include provisions under
which a teacher may continue his education at a public college or university
in this state, at Centenary College, Dillard University, Louisiana College,
Loyola University, Our Lady of Holy Cross College, Tulane University,
including Tulane Medical School, Xavier University, or at Louisiana State
University Health Sciences Center for the purpose of taking one or more
courses of instruction in his field or discipline and under which the teacher
shall be exempt from the payment of tuition imposed by or applicable to the
college or university he attends; however, the amount paid by the state for any
tuition imposed by or applicable to the nonpublic college shall be equal to but
not greater than the highest tuition charged by a public college or university in
this state. In no case may state funds be used toward tuition for courses in
theology or divinity.
(2) For purposes of this Section, "course of instruction in his field or
discipline" shall include:
(a) Additional graduate or undergraduate courses in either the
applicant's area of certification or job assignment.
(b) Additional graduate or undergraduate courses in pursuit of another
area of certification required by job assignment or in an area where there is a
critical teacher shortage, as approved in writing by the superintendent of any
city or parish school system.
(c) Graduate courses in pursuit of a master's, specialist, or doctoral
degree in the applicant's area of certification or job assignment.
(d) Any coursework required of an applicant as a result of an
unsatisfactory evaluation pursuant to direction from his employing school
board.
(3) Tuition exemptions shall be limited to the amount of tuition
assessed for on campus courses. For purposes of this Section, "tuition" is
defined as registration fee and building use fee per semester hour. No student
shall be allowed to participate in this program outside the geographical
boundaries of the state of Louisiana, except for the study of foreign languages
abroad when such study is pursued through a Louisiana college or university
specified in this Section, as provided by regulation.
(4) All such rules and regulations shall be promulgated pursuant to
Chapter 13 of Title 49 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950.
B.(1) The state superintendent of education shall, at the beginning of
each semester, pay to each college and university listed in Subsection A of this
Section an amount equal to one-half of the amount of tuition assessed by the
college or university for teachers enrolled in the program.
(2) Funds for the repayment to the colleges and universities shall come
from monies appropriated or otherwise made available for this purpose.
(3) Such payments shall be made in accordance with the provisions of
this Section and in accordance with any rules and regulations adopted by the
board to effectuate the provisions of this Section.
(4) The state superintendent of education shall annually submit a report
to the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education
relative to any program or programs for continuing education for teachers
established pursuant to this Section. Such report shall include but not be
limited to the following:
(a) The number of persons applying for such education.
(b) The number of persons receiving such education.
(c) The educational background and work experiences of such persons.
(d) The types of courses pursued under such programs.
(e) The amount of reimbursements paid by the Department of
Education under such program or programs.
C.(1) Each participating teacher shall present a written plan to the
Department of Education and receive approval based on the rules adopted
pursuant to Subsection A of this Section before entering the program. The
Department of Education shall review each plan and approve it and shall also
approve each course for which the participating teacher seeks reimbursement
under the program, before reimbursement is made for the participating
teacher's tuition. At or prior to registration, any teacher participating in the
program or programs established pursuant to this Section shall be required to
enter into a written agreement with the state superintendent of education
obligating the teacher to reimburse the state superintendent of education for all
or any part of the tuition costs paid on behalf of the teacher as provided in
Subsection B of this Section, together with the cost of collection in the event
the teacher fails to make timely reimbursement. Such reimbursement shall be
required for applicants found to be ineligible and for courses not completed as
provided in Subsection D of this Section and shall be made as provided in
Subsection D of this Section. Each course taken by a participating teacher
shall be successfully completed at the end of the semester or quarter in which
the course was taken.
(2)(a) Each participating teacher shall render a semester of service as
a classroom teacher in any state approved elementary or secondary school for
each semester or quarter successfully completed under the provisions of the
program provided by this Section.
(b) Failure to comply with the provisions of Subparagraph (a) of this
Paragraph shall obligate a participating teacher to reimburse the state
superintendent of education for all of the tuition costs paid on behalf of the
teacher together with the cost of collection in the event the individual fails to
make timely reimbursement. The attorney general, on behalf of the state
superintendent of education, shall collect all such obligations which are not
timely paid.
(c) The board shall adopt rules and regulations to implement the
provisions of this Paragraph. Such rules and regulations shall include but not
be limited to a procedure by which the reimbursement required by this
Paragraph shall be accomplished and a provision exempting a participating
teacher from the requirements of this Paragraph upon such teacher providing
documented evidence that failure to comply is due to extraordinary
circumstances beyond the control of the teacher.
D.(1) Except as provided in the rules and regulations of the board,
whenever any teacher participating in the continuing education program is
found to be ineligible or drops a course after the deadline for obtaining a full
or partial tuition refund from the college or university, or otherwise fails to
successfully complete a course, that teacher shall, as provided in Subsection
C of this Section, reimburse the state superintendent of education for any
monies allocated to that course and paid in his behalf pursuant to this Section
which are not otherwise reimbursed, together with the cost of collection in the
event timely reimbursement is not made in accordance with this Section and
rules adopted pursuant hereto. The board shall adopt rules and regulations to
establish a procedure by which this reimbursement shall be accomplished. The
attorney general shall collect all such obligations which are not timely paid on
behalf of the superintendent of education.
(2) Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection C of this Section and
Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, whenever any teacher participating in the
continuing education program fails to complete a course in his approved plan
for any acceptable extenuating circumstance as may be determined by the
Department of Education, such teacher shall have an additional sixty days from
the end of the semester or quarter in which the course was taken to
successfully complete that course before reimbursement for tuition costs may
be demanded by the state superintendent of education.
E. The board shall have authority to adopt, amend, or repeal rules and
regulations to fully effectuate the purposes of this Section.
F. The following persons shall not be eligible to participate in the
program described in this Section:
(1) Any person receiving retirement benefits from a state retirement
system.
(2) Any person owing reimbursement to the state superintendent for
monies paid in his behalf under this Section.
(3) Any person owing reimbursement, as provided in R.S. 17:3621.1,
to the state superintendent for monies paid to him for participating in the
Louisiana Educational Employees Professional Improvement Program.

Legislative History

Acts 1977, 1st Ex.Sess., No. 20, §1, eff. Aug. 17, 1977; Acts 1978, No. 718, §1, eff. July 13, 1978; Acts 1979, No. 261, §1, eff. July 10, 1979; Acts 1979, No. 302, §1, eff. July 10, 1979; Acts 1980, No. 379, §1, eff. July 18, 1980; Acts 1981, No. 515, §1, eff. July 19, 1981; Acts 1981, No. 817, §1, eff. Aug. 2, 1981; Acts 1982, No. 360, §1, eff. Jan. 20, 1982; Acts 1982, No. 369, §1, eff. July 20, 1982; Acts 1983, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 44, §1, eff. Jan. 19, 1983; Acts 1986, No. 1010, §1; Acts 1987, No. 868, §1; Acts 1990, No. 596, §1, eff. July 19, 1990; Acts 1990, No. 635, §1; Acts 1990, No. 856, §1, eff. July 24, 1990; Acts 1990, No. 865, §1, eff. July 25, 1990; Acts 1992, No. 964, §1; Acts 1999, No. 802, §1, eff. July 2, 1999.