Wentling Bill to Offer School Districts, Teachers and Administrators Continuing Education Reprieve Signed into Law
HARRISBURG – Legislation by freshman lawmaker Rep. Parke Wentling (R-Crawford/Erie/Lawrence/Mercer) to extend continuing education deadlines placed on public school teachers and administrators by one year was signed by Gov. Tom Wolf today.
“Act 118 of 2016, formerly
House Bill 1734, provides relief from state-mandated deadline requirements and relieves some financial burdens placed on school districts,” Wentling, who was an industrial arts and technology education teacher in the Wilmington Area School District for more than 17 years, said. “I am pleased the governor signed by first bill, which was also unanimously approved in the House and Senate.”
In many cases, districts pay for their educators’ continuing education requirements. Additionally, schools are required to produce three-year compliance plans to explain to the state when and how their employees will complete professional development courses. Further, public school teachers and administrators are mandated to take 180 hours of continuing professional education every five years or have their certifications listed as “inactive.”
The Pennsylvania School Boards Association, which represents 4,500 school directors in the Commonwealth, and the Pennsylvania State Education Association, which represents 180,000 public school teachers, staff and other education professionals, supported the bill.
For more information, visit
RepWentling.com or
Facebook.com/RepWentling.
Representative Parke Wentling
17th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Greg Gross
717.260.6374
ggross@pahousegop.com
RepWentling.com / Facebook.com/RepWentling