A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to permit national board certified teachers to serve as Full‑time Mentors, as recommended by the joint legislative education oversight committee.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 115C‑296.2 reads as rewritten:
"§ 115C‑296.2.  National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification.
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(b)	Definitions. – As used in this subsection:
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(2)	A "teacher" is a person who:
a.	Either:
1.	Is certified to teach in North Carolina; or
2.	Holds a certificate or license issued by the State Board of Education that meets the professional license requirement for NBPTS certification;
b.	Is a State‑paid employee of a North Carolina public school;
c.	Is paid on the teacher salary schedule; and
d.	Fulfills one of the following:
1.	Spends at least seventy percent (70%) of his or her work time in classroom instruction, if the employee is employed as a teacher. Most of the teacher's remaining time shall be spent in one or more of the following: mentoring teachers, doing demonstration lessons for teachers, writing curricula, developing and leading staff development programs for teachers; 
2.	Spends at least seventy percent (70%) of his or her work time in work within the employee's area of certification or licensure, if the employee is employed in an area of NBPTS certification other than direct classroom instruction; or
3.	Is serving as a full‑time mentor under subsection (e1) of this section.
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(e1)	Assignment of Teachers With NBPTS Certification to Serve as Full‑Time Mentors. – A local board of education may assign teachers with NBPTS certification to serve as full‑time mentors as follows:
(1)	The maximum number of teachers with NBPTS certification that a local board of education may assign to serve as full‑time mentors is the greater of (i) five or (ii) five percent (5%) of the number of teachers with NBPTS certification it has employed during the school year immediately preceding the assignment of teachers as  full‑time mentors.
(2)	A teacher must teach in a classroom for at least two years after receiving NBPTS certification to be eligible for assignment as a full‑time mentor.
(3)	A teacher may serve as a full‑time mentor for up to three consecutive years.
(4)	After service as a full‑time mentor, a teacher must teach in a classroom for at least three years to be eligible for reassignment as a full‑time mentor.
(5)	A teacher serving as a full‑time mentor shall be school‑based, work at one or more schools, and mentor at least 15 newly hired teachers per year who are in their first through third year of teaching."
SECTION 2.  Teachers with NBPTS certification serving as full‑time mentors under G.S. 115C‑296.2(b)(2)(e1) shall remain on the NBPTS teacher salary schedule.
SECTION 3.  The State Board of Education shall monitor and assess the effectiveness and impact of allowing teachers with NBPTS certification to serve as full‑time mentors and shall report its findings to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee prior to April 15, 2010.
SECTION 4.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2008.