A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to authorize the certification in north carolina of out‑of‑state teachers who are fully certified and highly qualified in another state.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  The General Assembly finds that there is a shortage of certified teachers for the North Carolina public schools; therefore, G.S. 115C‑296.3 is reenacted and reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C‑296.3. Certification of highly qualified teachers from other states.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a teacher from another state shall be granted North Carolina certification under the following conditions:
(1)	New hires to the profession from other states. – A teacher from another state who (i) has less than three years of experience as a full-time classroom teacher, (ii) is fully certified and highly qualified, as provided in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, 20 U.S.C. § 6301, et seq., in that other state; and (iii) is employed as a teacher by a local school administrative unit in North Carolina, is deemed to have satisfied the academic and professional preparation required to receive initial certification in North Carolina, except as otherwise provided in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The initial certification shall be granted for one year or for the period of time necessary for the teacher to acquire three years of full‑time teaching experience in North Carolina and the other state combined, whichever is longer.
Once the teacher has three years of experience as a full‑time teacher with at least one full year in a local school administrative unit in North Carolina, the teacher shall receive continuing certification unless the employing local school administrative unit recommends that the teacher not be granted continuing certification. The teacher shall be subject to the same requirements for continuing certification and certificate renewal as other teachers in North Carolina.
The teacher shall not be required to take and pass a standard examination to demonstrate adequate academic and professional preparation for certification, except as otherwise provided by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
(2)	New hires with at least three years of experience from other states. – A teacher from another state who (i) has three or more years of experience as a full‑time teacher, (ii) is fully certified and highly qualified as provided in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 in that other state, and (iii) is employed as a teacher by a local school administrative unit in North Carolina is deemed to have satisfied the academic and professional preparation required to receive continuing certification for one year in North Carolina, except as otherwise provided in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
If at the end of one year of employment, the employing local board of education recommends to the State Board of Education that the teacher's certification be renewed, the teacher shall be eligible to receive continuing certification. The teacher shall be subject to the same requirements for continuing certification and certificate renewal as other teachers in North Carolina.
The teacher shall not be required to take and pass a standard examination to demonstrate that preparation, except as otherwise provided by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001."
SECTION 2.  The Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee shall study the shortage of certified teachers for the North Carolina public schools.  The Committee shall report to the 2007 General Assembly on the continuing need to expedite the certification of out‑of‑State teachers in accordance with G.S. 115C‑296.3, as reenacted and rewritten in Section 1 of this act due to the teacher shortage.
SECTION 3.  This act is effective when it becomes law and applies to all persons initially employed as teachers by a local school administrative unit in North Carolina for the 2005‑2006 school year or the 2006‑2007 school year.  This act expires June 30, 2007.