§ 3033 — New York state mentor teacher-internship program

§ 3033. New York state mentor teacher-internship program. 1. Boards\nof education and boards of cooperative educational services are hereby\nauthorized to participate in the New York state mentor\nteacher-internship program in accordance with the provisions of this\nsection.\n 2. Each board of education or board of cooperative educational\nservices which applies for funds under this section shall prepare a plan\nfor implementation of a mentor teacher-internship program consistent\nwith article fourteen of the civil service law. The plan shall be\ndeveloped in accordance with this section and regulations of the\ncommissioner. The board of education or board of cooperative educational\nservices shall submit an application and plan by May first of the\ncurrent year for approval by the commissioner; provided however for the\nnineteen hundred ninety-seven--ninety-eight school year, such plan may\nbe submitted by November first, nineteen hundred ninety-seven.\n 3. Each board of education and board of cooperative educational\nservices which determines to participate in the program shall select\npersons eligible to serve as mentor teachers from a list of persons who\nhave demonstrated their mastery of pedagogical and subject matter\nskills, given evidence of superior teaching abilities and interpersonal\nrelationship qualities, and who have indicated their willingness to\nparticipate in such program. Such list of persons eligible to serve as\nmentor teachers shall be developed by a selection committee composed of\ncertified or licensed personnel employed by the school district or the\nboard of cooperative educational services, a majority of whom shall be\nclassroom teachers chosen by the certified or recognized teachers\nemployee organization. The assignment of particular mentor teachers and\nteacher interns to work together shall be made by the superintendent of\nthe participating district or district superintendent of the\nparticipating board of cooperative educational services. Each person\ndesignated as a mentor teacher shall continue to provide classroom\ninstruction for at least sixty percent of the time spent in performance\nof such individual's duties during the school year or such person may so\nserve on a full-time basis for not more than two school years out of\nfive consecutive school years, provided that such service as a mentor\nteacher shall not diminish or impair the tenure and seniority rights of\nthe mentor teacher.\n 4. Each board of education and board of cooperative educational\nservices which determines to participate in the mentor\nteacher-internship program shall require those first or second year\neligible teachers which it chooses to include in the program to perform\ntheir duties under the guidance of a mentor teacher, and shall ensure\nthat such teacher intern and mentor carry no more than a ninety percent\nclassroom instruction assignment in order to allow such teacher intern\ntime to receive special assistance from a mentor teacher. In order to\nparticipate as a teacher intern in a mentor teacher-internship program,\na first or second year teacher shall hold a provisional or permanent\nteaching certificate, temporary emergency license, regular license, or\ntemporary per diem certificate for a field in which no licensed person\nis available to teach and shall not have participated in such program in\nthe previous year.\n 5. A school district or board of cooperative educational services\nparticipating in an approved mentor teacher-internship program in the\ncurrent year shall be eligible for aid including but not limited to\ncosts related to release time of the intern and mentor teacher up to ten\npercent of the mentor teacher's salary and up to ten percent of the\nteacher intern's salary respectively in accordance with the provisions\nof this subdivision. To receive such assistance, a school district or\nboard of cooperative educational services must file a claim with the\ncommissioner by October first of the current school year in a form\nprescribed by the commissioner which shall include the actual salary of\neach program participant as of September fifteenth of such year. The\ncommissioner shall pay one-half of the amount of such assistance by\nJanuary fifteenth of each year and shall pay the remaining amount based\nupon a final report filed by the school district by August fifteenth of\neach year.\n 6. Each board of education and board of cooperative educational\nservices which participates in the program shall file a report with the\ncommissioner on or before August first of each school year concerning\ncompliance with the requirements of the program during the preceding\nschool year. Such report shall be in such form and in such manner as\nthe commissioner may require. The commissioner shall evaluate such\nprograms and file a report with the legislature on or before December\nfirst, nineteen hundred eighty-seven.\n