AB 237 — Revises provisions relating to out-of-pocket expenses for teachers and other educational personnel. (BDR 34-608)

EXEMPT (Reprinted with amendments adopted on April 17, 2019) FIRST REPRINT A.B.

237–A SSEMBLYWOMAN M UNK M ARCH 5, 2019 ____________ Referred to Committee on Education SUMMARY—Revises provisions governingrelating theto reimbursement of certain out-of-pocket expenses for teachers and other educational personnel.

EffectEffEffect on Localthe Government:State:

May have Fiscal Impact.

Effect on the State:

providing for a stipend to cover the reimbursementcost of certain out-of-pocket expenses of certain educational personnel;

renaming the Teachers’ School Supplies Reimbursement Account as the School Supplies Reimbursement Account for Certain Educational Personnel;

requiring the board of trustees of a school district or the governing body of a charter school to establish certain requirements for the submission of a request for reimbursement from the Account;

Existing law establishes the Teachers’ School Supplies Reimbursement Account and requires the Department of Education to determine the amount of moneyamong available in the Accountschool districts and apportioncharter theschools moneyannually depositedbased inon the Accountnumber amongoft theteachers schoolemployed districtsby andeach charterschool schoolsdistrict annuallyor basedcharter onschool, theas numberapplicable, ofup to $250 per teacher.

(NRS 387.1253, 387.1255) Sections 37 and 78 of this bill expandtoprovide thefor educationala personnelstipend who are authorized to receivecover reimbursementthe forcost of certain out-of-pocket expenses fromfor thecertain moneyeducational apportionedpersonnel, fromrather thethan Accounta toprocess thefor schoolreimbursement. districts and charter schools.

SectionSections 63 and 7 of thisfor billcertain renamesout-of-pocket expenses from the Accountmoney asapportioned from the SchoolAccountpend Suppliesto Reimbursementthe Accountschool fordistricts Certainand Educationalcharter Personnel.schools.

moneySection remaining6 in the Account at the end of thethis fiscalbill yearrenames must be carriedny - *AB237* – 2 – award a grant of money from the Account toas certain nonprofit organizations.on to Under existing law, the DepartmentSchool ofSupplies Education determines the amount of money available in the Account tofor distributeCertain amongEducational thePersonnel. school districts and charter schools.

ExistingSection law8 requires the board of trusteesthis ofbill arequires school district and the governingDepartment body of a charter school to distributedetermine suchthe moneymethod toof teacherspayment to reimburse expenses incurred by purchasing necessary school supplies for direct this bill authorizes money from the Accountstipend to be used to reimburse out-of-pocket expenses incurred by purchasingeach school suppliesdistrict forand bothcharter directschool andto indirect educational services.personnel.

ExistingSection law9 also requires the board of trusteesthis ofbill eachmakes school district and the governing body of each charter school to determine in what manner to distribute the board of trustees or the governing body to determine whether to require auires receipt submitted by educational personnel to be an original or a photocopy.conforming change.

SectionUnder 8existing alsolaw, requiresany themoney board(NRS of387.1253) trusteesSection or6 also authorizes the governingDepartment bodyof Education to determineaward a dategrant byof which educational personnel must purchase supplies to receive money from the Account forto thatcertain fiscalnonprofit year.organizations.

- *AB237_R1* – 2 – Under existing law, the Department of Education determines the amount of money available in the Account to distribute among the school districts and charter schools.

Existing law requires the board of trustees of a school district and the governing body of a charter school to distribute such money to teachers to reimburse expenses incurred by purchasing necessary school supplies for direct this bill authorizes money from the Account to be used to provide a stipend to cover the cost of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by purchasing school supplies for both direct and indirect educational services.

“Educational personnel” means a licensed or certified employee of a school district who devotes the majority of his or her working time to the rendering of direct or indirect educational services to pupils, including, without limitation, a school counselor, school nurse, school librarian, paraprofessional, speech-language pathologist and substitute teacher if the substitute teacher is employed as a substitute teacher for 20 consecutive days or more in the same classroom or assignment.

387.1251 As used in NRS 387.1251 to 387.1257, inclusive, [“teacher” means a licensed employee of a school district who devotes the majority of his or her working time to the rendering of direct educational service to pupils, except that the term does not include a substitute teacher.] and sections 2, 3 and 4 of this act, unless the context otherwise requires, the words and terms defined - *AB237* – 3 – in sections 2, 3 and 4 of this act have the meanings ascribed to them in those sections.

The [Teachers’] School Supplies Reimbursement[Reimbursement] Account for Certain Educational Personnel is hereby created in the State General Fund.

- *AB237_R1* – 3 – 2.

The Department may award a grant of money from the Account to one or more nonprofit organizations which provide school supplies for educational personnel if the Department determines that such organizations will provide such supplies more efficiently than using the money in the Account to reimburseprovide a stipend to educational personnel.

On or before September 1 of each year, the Department shall determine the amount of money that is available in the [Teachers’] School Supplies Reimbursement[Reimbursement] Account for Certain Educational Personnel created by NRS 387.1253 for distribution among all of the school districts and charter schools in this State for that fiscal year.

Any such distribution must be provided to each school district and charter school based on the number of [teachers] educational personnel employed by the school district or charter school, as applicable.

To the extent that money is available, the Department shall establish the amount of reimbursement for each [teacher] educational personnel which must not exceed $250 per fiscal year.year.ional 2.

2.

The money in the special revenue fund must be used only to reimburse[reimburse [teachers]teachers] educationalprovide personnela forstipend out-of-pocketto -educational *AB237*personnel –for 4out-of-pocket – expenses incurred in connection with purchasing necessary school supplies for the direct or indirect educational services provided to pupils .

- *AB237_R1* – 4 – 5.

Any money remaining in the special revenue fund at the end of a fiscal year reverts to the [Teachers’] School Supplies Reimbursement[Reimbursement] Account [.] for Certain Educational Personnel.

The Department shall determine the manner in which the board of trustees of each school district and the governing body of each charter school that receives money pursuant to subsection 1 of NRS 387.1255 shall[shall determine the manner in which toto] distribute the money to [teachers] educational personnel in the school district or charter school, as applicable,applicable including,. without limitation, whether to require [a teacher] educational personnel to submit a request for a claim for reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses from the special revenue fund established pursuant to NRS 387.1255.

[, including, without limitation, whether to require a teacher to submit a request for a claim for reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses from the special revenue fund established pursuant to NRS 387.1255.] 2.

To the extent that money is available in the special revenue fund, the board of trustees or governing body, as applicable, may reimburse[reimburse [aa teacher] provide a stipend to educational personnel up to the maximum amount determined by the Department for each [teacher] educational personnel pursuant to NRS 387.1255 for the fiscal year.

If[If the board of trustees of a school district or the governing educationalbody personnelof a charter school, as applicable, requires a teacher to submit a claim for reimbursement for out-out-of-pocket of-pocket expenses to receive money from the special revenue fund, the [teacher]teacher educational personnel must submit such a claimc4.] noThe laterboard thanof 2trustees weeksof aftera theschool lastdistrict daymay ofenter theinto schoolan. year.

4.agreement with the recognized employee organization representing purpose of obtaining assistance of the employee organization inhe administering the [reimbursement of teachers] stipend provided to educational personnel pursuant to this section.

The[5. board of trustees of a school district may enter into an agreement with the recognized employee organization representing licensed educational personnel within the school district for the purpose of obtaining assistance of the employee organization in administering the reimbursement of [teachers] educational personnel pursuant to this section.

5.A teacher who receives money from the special revenue fund must submit receipts for any supplies purchased with the money to the principal of the school or charter school, as applicable.

[AThe teacher]principal Anymust educationalmaintain personnelsuch whoreceipts [receives]until receivethe moneyend fromof the specialnext revenuefiscal fundyear mustand submitmake receiptsthem available for anyinspection suppliesupon purchasedrequest with the money to the principal of the schoolDepartment.] orSec. charter school, as applicable.

The principal must maintain such receipts until the end of the next fiscal year and make them available for inspection upon request of the Department.

The board of trustees of a school district and the governing body of a charter - *AB237* – 5 – school shall determine whether such receipts should be submitted in the form of an original or a photocopy of the receipt.

6.