Posted: | May 31, 2023 09:18 AM |
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From: | Senator David G. Argall |
To: | All Senate members |
Subject: | Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact |
In the near future, I will introduce legislation to bring Pennsylvania into the Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact to facilitate the mobility of certified teachers relocating to Pennsylvania to continue their teaching career. The Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact (ITMC) was created as part of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act with the goal of supporting military spouse reemployment in licensed professions. The final version of the model legislation was released in November 2022 and requires at least 10 participating states for the Compact to go into effect. As of today, 6 states have enacted ITMC legislation: Kentucky, Colorado, Utah, Kansas, Oklahoma and Florida, and legislation is pending in 13 other states including our neighbors in Ohio and New Jersey. The ITMC works by having member states submit teacher certifications that are eligible for the compact and teachers who hold a compact-eligible certification can apply for the closest equivalent certification in the receiving state without having to complete additional materials, exams or coursework. No existing pathways to teacher certification would be impacted in PA and state sovereignty would be maintained for regulating teacher certifications, including requiring security clearances and background checks. Teachers who are in good standing and need to relocate to PA should be able to easily and quickly transfer their certification. Our schools and students need quality teachers in the classroom without delay and we cannot afford to risk losing them to neighboring states. I hope you will join me in co-sponsoring this legislation. |
Introduced as SB843