- Committee -

SCS/SB 265 - This act asserts that the State Board of Education shall issue lifetime certificates of license to teach valid for the life span of the possessor.

Further, the act supplies any person who holds, as of August 28, 2003, a professional classification I, professional classification II or a continuous professional classification certificate with a lifetime certificate.

Additionally, the act mandates that the state board grant lifetime certificates to any person, upon an appropriate background check, who is hired to teach in a public school in this state and who possesses a valid teaching certificate from another state.

The aforementioned lifetime certificates are valid for the life span of the possessor provided that the possessor annually completes fifteen hours of professional development monitored by the district and reviewed by the Missouri school improvement program. Should the possessor of a valid lifetime certificate fail, in any given year, to meet the fifteen-hour professional development requirement the possessor may, within two years, make up the missing hours. This act exempts all valid teaching certificates issued prior to September 1, 1988 from the fifteen hours of professional development requirement.

Should a possessor of a lifetime teaching certificate be inactive for more than one year, the possessor of the inactive certificate must complete fifteen hours of professional development six months prior to reactivating their certificate.

A holder of a lifetime certificate of license to teach must, during the first two years of employment under such certificate, participate in a mentoring program approved by the district.

DONALD THALHUBER