Bill Text - SB219 (2024)

(New Title) requiring mandatory reporting by school districts of school expenses.


Revision: Jan. 10, 2023, 1:21 p.m.

 

2023 SESSION

23-1023.0

10/04

 

SENATE BILL [bill number]

 

AN ACT relative to a salary floor for public school teachers.

 

SPONSORS: [sponsors]

 

COMMITTEE: [committee]

 

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ANALYSIS

 

This bill prohibits public school teachers from receiving salaries below a salary floor if the corresponding school administrative unit or school district employs more than one assistant superintendent or employs one or more diversity professional.

 

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

23-1023.0

10/04

 

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

 

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Three

 

AN ACT relative to a salary floor for public school teachers.

 

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 

1 New Subdivision; Students First Act. Amend RSA 189 by inserting after section 74 the following new subdivision:

Students First Act

189:75 Definitions.  In this subdivision:

I. “Cost-per-pupil” refers to the cost-per-pupil within a school district and shall mean the lowest of:

(a) The total expenditures associated with the daily operation of schools divided by the average daily membership in attendance;

(b) Any reasonable and good faith estimate of subparagraph (a); or

(c) An amount determined in good faith by the department of education to correspond to subparagraph (a).

II. “Salary floor” shall mean a salary of not less than 4 times the cost-per-pupil.

III. “Corresponding school district” shall mean the school district which operates the school building in which a teacher principally teaches.

IV. “Corresponding school administrative unit” shall mean the school administrative unit which includes the corresponding school district.

V. “Assistant superintendent” shall mean any official whose role corresponds to that of an assistant superintendent on the effective date of this subdivision.

VI. “Diversity professional” shall mean any official whose role corresponds to that of a director or coordinator of diversity, equity, and inclusion, employed by a school administrative unit or school district, on the effective date of this subdivision.

189:76  Prohibition.

I. No public school teacher may be salaried below the salary floor if the corresponding school administrative unit employs more than one assistant superintendent and/or employs one or more diversity professional.

II. No public school teacher may be salaried below the salary floor if the corresponding school district employs one or more diversity professional.

189:77 Civil Remedies.

I.  A student in a public school district in which any teacher is salaried in violation of RSA 189:76 may initiate a civil action in superior court against the teacher’s employer for legal or equitable relief, including injunctive relief and reasonable attorney’s fees.

II. The attorney general may initiate a civil action in superior court against the employer of any public school teacher salaried in violation in RSA 189:76 for legal or equitable relief including injunctive relief.

189:78 Severability. If any provision of this subdivision or the application thereof to any person or circumstances is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other provisions or applications of the subdivision which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this subdivision are declared to be severable.

2  Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage