An act to amend and reenact sections 15-20.2-07 and 15.1-09-33.1 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the powers and duties of center boards and the authority of a school board to pay a first-year signing bonus , the official text

Sixty-ninth Legislative Assembly of North Dakota In Regular Session Commencing Tuesday, January 7, 2025
HOUSE BILL NO. 1498 (Representatives Maki, Monson, Richter)
(Senator Schaible)
AN ACT to amend and reenact sections 15-20.2-07 and 15.1-09-33.1 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the powers and duties of center boards and the authority of a school board to pay a first-year signing bonus for teachers; and to declare an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF NORTH DAKOTA: SECTION 1. AMENDMENT. Section 15-20.2-07 of the North Dakota Century Code is amended and
reenacted as follows: 15-20.2-07. Powers and duties of center boards. The powers and duties of a center board are as follows: 1. To supervise, manage, and control an area career and technology center established by the cooperating school districts pursuant to this chapter. 2. To provide career and technical education programs approved by the state board. 3. To contract with, employ, or pay personnel to administer the affairs and to teach in the area career and technology center, and to remove for cause any personnel when the interests of the area career and technology center may require it; provided, that personnel employed by a center board shall have the same statutory rights as provided by law for personnel employed by public school districts. 4. To lease, acquire, or purchase career and technical education equipment for an area career and technology center. 5. To lease, acquire, purchase, or sell career and technical education facilities, including real property, for an area career and technology center; provided, that any purchase or sale of real property must first be approved by two-thirds of the school boards of the participating school districts. 6. To receive and administer any private, local, state, or federal funds provided for the operation and maintenance of an area career and technology center. 7. To enter into contracts consistent with the other powers and duties provided for by this chapter. 8. To accept real or personal property available for distribution by the United States or any of its departments or agencies and also to accept federal grants that may be made available in the field of career and technical education. 9. To offer a first-year signing bonus to an individual who is licensed or approved by the education standards and practices board, has signed a contract of employment with the center board, and was not a classroom teacher in the state during the previous school year. A bonus paid under this subsection: a. Is in addition to an amount payable under a negotiated teachers' contract. b. May not be included in the center board's negotiated salary schedule.

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c. May not be included as salary for continuing contract purposes. SECTION 2. AMENDMENT. Section 15.1-09-33.1 of the North Dakota Century Code is amended and reenacted as follows: 15.1-09-33.1. School board authority - Payment of signing bonuses. 1. The board of a school district may offer a signing bonus to an individual who:
a. Is licensed by the education standards and practices board or approved by the education standards and practices board;
b. Has signed a contract of employment in the school district; and c. Has never been employed in the newly assigned role by the board of athe school district. 2. The board of a school district may pay to the individual the signing bonus authorized by subsection 1 in: a. One lump sum upon the individual signing a contract of employment; or b. Installments over a period of time not to exceed five years from the date the individual
signed a contract of employment. 3. A signing bonus paid under this section:
a. Is in addition to any amount payable under a negotiated teachers' contract. b. May not be included in the district's negotiated salary schedule. c. May not be included as salary for continuing contract purposes. d. May not be paid until the individual is licensed and qualified for the newly assigned role
by the education standards and practices board. e. May not be used for an individual employed the prior year in the same role by another
school district in the state until the individual has been employed in the district for two years. SECTION 3. EMERGENCY. This Act is declared to be an emergency measure.

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____________________________ Speaker of the House

____________________________ President of the Senate

____________________________ Chief Clerk of the House

____________________________ Secretary of the Senate

This certifies that the within bill originated in the House of Representatives of the Sixty-ninth Legislative Assembly of North Dakota and is known on the records of that body as House Bill No. 1498 and that two-thirds of the members-elect of the House of Representatives voted in favor of said law.

Vote:

Yeas 85

Nays 7

Absent 2

____________________________ Speaker of the House

____________________________ Chief Clerk of the House

This certifies that two-thirds of the members-elect of the Senate voted in favor of said law.

Vote:

Yeas 44

Nays 1

Absent 2

____________________________ President of the Senate

____________________________ Secretary of the Senate

Received by the Governor at ________M. on _____________________________________, 2025. Approved at ________M. on __________________________________________________, 2025.

____________________________ Governor
Filed in this office this ___________day of _______________________________________, 2025, at ________ o’clock ________M.

____________________________ Secretary of State