Bill Description: House Bill 711 (H711) would establish an alternate certification route for school administrators.

Rating: +1

Does it increase barriers to entry into the market? Examples include occupational licensure, the minimum wage, and restrictions on home businesses. Conversely, does it remove barriers to entry into the market?

H656 would establish an alternate certification route for school administrators. To be eligible for the program, an individual must either be a teacher with no less than five years of certified teaching experience at a public school or have no less than five years of experience in higher education, government service, nonprofit organization service, private sector service, military service at the officer level, or other equivalent experience as determined by the state department of education. In addition, a candidate must also:

• Pass a criminal history check as provided in section 33-130, Idaho
• Hold, at a minimum, a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from a regionally or nationally accredited college or university;
• Submit a letter from the school district board of trustees affirming that the applicant demonstrates leadership knowledge and skills, stating the district's intent to employ the applicant, and committing to provide mentoring.
• Complete coursework consisting of no less than three (3) semester credits in the statewide framework for teacher evaluations, including a laboratory or applied component.

Moreover, the applicant must satisfy certain ongoing mentorship requirements as a condition of their interim certification. 

Currently, school administrators must have a graduate degree and complete a state-approved program of at least 30 semester graduate credit hours in school administration. H656 allows professionals from other fields to bypass these onerous requirements, thus lowering the barrier of entry to the profession.

(+1)