2012 Wyoming Statutes
TITLE 21 - EDUCATION
CHAPTER 13 - SCHOOL FINANCE
21-13-335. Supplemental financial assistance program for instructional facilitators and instructional coaches.

(a) The supplemental financial assistance program for instructional facilitators and instructional coaches is established to augment resources within the education resource block grant model available to districts for professional development. Supplemental assistance under this section shall be for school-based instructional facilitators and instructional coaches to assist schools with providing ongoing instructional coaching and instructional mentoring.

(b) Each school district may apply to the department of education for financial assistance under this section on or before April 15 of the school year immediately preceding the school year for which financial assistance is requested. Application shall be on a form and in a manner prescribed by the department and application review and selection shall be in accordance with the process established by department rule and regulation, with priority given to programs incorporating requirements specified under paragraphs (iv) and (v) of this subsection. At minimum, the application shall include documentation of the following program components:

(i) Evidence of a research-based approach to instructional facilitator program implementation;

(ii) A plan for evaluation of the instructional facilitator program over time.

(iii) Except for facilitators and teachers with at least five (5) years of classroom teaching experience employed on or before June 30, 2009, financial assistance available under this section will be used to employ facilitators with at least five (5) years of classroom teaching experience and who hold either a masters degree or national certification by the national board for professional teaching standards;

(iv) A system by which school administrators prioritize use of instructional facilitators based upon student achievement gains measured over time;

(v) In addition to paragraph (b)(iv) of this section, a program under which the facilitator is:

(A) Recognized for instructional leader skills;

(B) Dedicated to improving teacher instructional skills;

(C) Delegated duties which are substantially associated with and devoted to improvement of instruction within their assigned school or grade configuration;

(D) Not delegated or assigned to primarily perform other duties or responsibilities not related to instructional improvement;

(E) Not given responsibility for direct administrative supervision or for the evaluation of instructors for the purpose of making personnel decisions including contract renewal or termination.

(c) The department shall notify each district of its eligibility to participate in the financial assistance program on or before May 1 of the school year preceding the school year for which application is made, together with any estimated amount to be made available to the district for the applicable school year. The department shall distribute assistance to each eligible district on or before August 15 of the applicable school year for which assistance is requested.

(d) Financial assistance under this section shall be based upon prior year school level attendance and configuration reports submitted by each eligible school district pursuant to W.S. 21-13-309(m)(iv). Grant amounts shall be computed by the department for the eligible applicant district as if the education resource block grant model contained the following component for instructional facilitators, funded at an amount equal to sixty percent (60%) for each full-time equivalent position, prorated up and down from the FTE position level specified for each prototype similar to computational operation of other components within the block grant model:

(i) One and one-half (1.5) FTE position in each 288 ADM prototypical elementary school within the qualifying district;

(ii) One and one-half (1.5) FTE position in each 315 ADM prototypical middle school within the district;

(iii) One and one-half (1.5) FTE position in each 315 prototypical high school within the district;

(iv) "FTE" and "ADM" as used in this section shall be as defined in ATTACHMENT "A", as referenced in W.S. 21-13-101(a)(xvii).

(e) Financial assistance to each qualifying applicant school district shall be made by the department from amounts appropriated by the legislature to the foundation program account for purposes of the program established by this section and shall be in addition to the foundation program amount computed for that district under W.S. 21-13-309(p). If there is an insufficient amount within the foundation program account from amounts appropriated by the legislature for financial assistance under this section for any school year, the department shall make a pro rata reduction in financial assistance payments among all qualifying districts for that school year. District expenditures of amounts distributed under this section shall be solely for district instructional facilitator and instructional coaching programs in accordance with the program documentation submitted by the district under subsection (b) of this section. The department may withhold a portion or the entire amount to be distributed to any district under this section for noncompliance with program documentation required to be submitted by the applicant district. Any appropriated amounts not expended or encumbered under this subsection as of July 1 of that school year immediately following the school year for which the appropriation applies, shall revert to the foundation program account.

(f) Each district shall report to the department of education on expenditures of amounts distributed under this section together with additional information required by the department on instructional facilitation strategies employed by the district, employment of facilitators meeting criteria specified under paragraph (b)(iii) of this section, the impact of facilitation on student performance and an evaluation of the effectiveness of the facilitation strategies employed by the recipient district as documented by data. The department shall compile the information reported by districts under this subsection and report the compilation to the joint education interim committee. Based upon this compilation and upon data substantiating the impact of facilitation strategies on instructor performance and student achievement, the department shall provide recommendations to the committee on future program structure and funding in sufficient time to guide recalibration of the education resource block grant model as required under W.S. 21-13-309(t) for consideration by the 2011 legislature.