20-4-134. Professional stipends for teachers certified by national board for professional teaching standards. (1) Pursuant to subsection (4), a one-time stipend of $3,000 must be provided to each teacher who obtains certification from the national board for professional teaching standards if the teacher is:
     (a) a full-time classroom teacher, librarian, or other full-time employee serving in an assignment covered by national board certification assessment;
     (b) certified to teach in Montana under the provisions of 20-4-103; and
     (c) a full-time employee of:
     (i) a Montana public school district, as defined in 20-6-101;
     (ii) an education cooperative, as described in 20-7-451;
     (iii) the Montana school for the deaf and blind, as described in 20-8-101; or
     (iv) a state youth correctional facility, as defined in 41-5-103.
     (2) A teacher is eligible for the stipend in the school year beginning July 1 after the teacher obtains certification from the national board for professional teaching standards.
     (3) By March 1, the superintendent of public instruction shall distribute stipend payments to each eligible teacher.
     (4) The obligation for funding the professional stipend is an obligation of the state. This section may not be construed to require a school district to provide a stipend to a qualifying teacher without a payment from the state to the district. If the funding for professional stipends is less than the total amount for which Montana teachers qualify, the superintendent of public instruction shall prorate the funding to the districts in a manner that provides the same amount of stipend to each qualifying teacher.

     History: En. Sec. 1, Ch. 555, L. 2001.