§ 21-7-501 — National certification program; program limits and requirements; appropriations requirements; certified teacher pay incentive reimbursement

(a) The department of education may enter into an
agreement with a nonprofit entity to establish a program under
which the department or the nonprofit entity will administer a
program to assist teachers in earning national board teacher
certification. The agreement between the department and the
nonprofit entity shall require annual reporting by the nonprofit
entity to the department. The program may provide professional
development and mentoring specific to national board teacher
certification, along with other activities related to national
certification. Additionally, on behalf of teachers employed by
Wyoming school districts the program may make payments directly
to an organization that provides national board teacher
certification for not more than fifty percent (50%) of the fees
to receive national certification, as established by the
national board for professional teaching standards. The program
shall only make payments if:
(i) The teacher has completed at least three (3)
years of teaching in the state of Wyoming;
(ii) The teacher timely pays the teacher's portion of
the certification fees and timely completes progress toward
certification as required by the program; and
(iii) Repealed by Laws 2019, ch. 192, § 2.
(iv) The teacher agrees to reimburse the program for
any certification fee payments the program makes on behalf of
the teacher in the event the teacher fails to formally withdraw
from the process or to submit an entry that can be scored, as
determined by the program.
(b) Repealed by Laws 2019, ch. 192, § 2.
(c) The legislature may appropriate funds to the
department to implement subsection (a) of this section. No funds
appropriated by the legislature shall be distributed to the
program if the nonprofit entity with whom the department has
entered into an agreement under subsection (a) of this section
does not contribute to the program an amount equal to the amount
that will be distributed from funds appropriated by the
legislature. The department shall ensure that state funds and
funds the nonprofit entity provides to the program shall be
accounted for separately.
(d) Repealed by Laws 2019, ch. 192, § 2.
(e) Repealed By Laws 2001, Ch. 193, § 2.
(f) In addition to the program established under
subsection (a) of this section, and to promote employment of
national board certified teachers by school districts, each
district employing a national board certified teacher shall be
reimbursed for payments to these teachers subject to the
following:
(i) For each year the certificate is valid, the
district provides each teacher employed by the district and
holding certification by the national board for professional
teaching standards a lump sum payment of four thousand dollars
($4,000.00) which is in addition to the teacher's annual salary
as determined by the board, and which is paid to each certified
teacher between December 1 and December 31 of the school year
for which application is made;
(ii) The teacher holding certification shall be
employed by the district full time as a teacher;
(iii) The district submits a report to the department
of education in a manner, on a form and at times specified by
department rule and regulation, documenting the number of
national board certified teachers employed by the district,
verifying payments to such teachers in accordance with paragraph
(i) of this subsection;
(iv) From amounts appropriated by the legislature
from the public school foundation program account for purposes
of this subsection, the department of education shall distribute
payments to eligible districts in accordance with this
subsection on or before February 15 of the applicable school
year, together with the district's foundation payment under W.S.
21-13-313(c), if applicable. The department shall not provide
reimbursement to a school district for a lump sum payment made
in accordance with paragraph (i) of this subsection to a teacher
who earned initial national board teacher certification on or
after January 1, 2021 and has received fifteen (15) lump sum
payments under this subsection;
(v) Not later than January 31 of each year, the
department shall report to the joint education interim committee
on district reports submitted under paragraph (iii) of this
subsection and estimated distributions under this subsection to
eligible districts for the applicable reporting period.
(g) For purposes of this section, "teacher" means a school
district employee who is employed full time as a teacher,
instructional facilitator, certified tutor, librarian, speech-
language therapist or counselor.