In an effort to stay abreast of political actions that affect education, I will occasionally blog about current and/or proposed legislation. If the words “political” and “legislation” just made you uneasy, this is the perfect place for you. My intention is to keep it simple and relevant. SB1214 is a Senate Bill that would benefit teachers clearing their credential.

If you need a very quick brush up on how bills work because all you remember is part of the song from SchoolHouse Rock, see this Quick Guide to Passing a Federal Bill. Conversely, if you feel that you’d like to completely dive in and see every bill ever, you can do that on the CA Legislature’s website: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/home.xhtml

Now, because I’ve wanted to understand more about the entire process and why educators face the frustrations we do in the classroom, I applied and was accepted to the Teach Plus Policy Fellowship. You can read more about this program here.

Currently, we are supporting a bill that provides a tax deduction for teachers who have to pay for their own Induction programs while clearing their credential. A group of the Teach Plus Policy Fellows wrote a letter of support that you can read just below here. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SB1214 Letter of Support - Teach Plus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The official wording of the bill is below but here is a summary of what this would mean for teachers:

Who

  • Any teacher who has their preliminary credential and is enrolled in an Induction program (CTC approved) that they pay for out-of-pocket.

What

  • Is allowed to deduct up to $2,500 from their taxes, based on their Induction program costs.

When

  • This bill unanimously passed in the Senate and is being heard by the CA Assembly Revenue & Taxation Committee on July 2, 2018. It would be in effect until 2025, at which time it would be revisited.

Where

  • California

Why

  • To support the qualification and professional development of early career teachers.

 

Here’s a list of who supports this bill:

California Federation of Teachers – Sponsor

California Catholic Conference – Sponsor

Association of Independent California Colleges & Universities

California Association of Private School Organizations

California State PTA

Pasadena Unified School District

School Employers Association of California (SEAC)

The California State University

Teach+Plus

 

If you would like to express support for this bill, you can email or call any of the following Assembly Revenue & Taxation Committee members (before July 2nd) and use this standard message:

 

“Hello, I’d like to express my support for Senate Bill 1214, which provides a tax deduction for teachers who are paying for qualified Induction programs.  SB1214 is the most cost-effective way to ensure greater support for all of California’s new teachers. By supporting these beginning teachers who are actively educating California’s students, we can meaningfully increase California’s supply of qualified and fully prepared educators, as well as increase the equity seen in our schools. Thank you for your consideration.”

 

Brough, William (Vice-Chair)
Email
916-319-2073

Burke, Autumn (Chair)
Email
916-319-2062

Chu, Kansen
Email
916-319-2025

Gray, Adam
Email
916-319-2021

Melendez, Melissa
Email
916-319-2067

Mullin, Kevin
Email
916-319-2022

Quirk, Bill
Email
916-319-2020

Rivas, Luz
Email
916-319-2039

Ting, Philip
Email
916-319-2019

Voepel, Randy
Email
916-319-2071

 

SB1214 – Excerpts from the bill

Full bill found here:

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB1214

 

SEC. 2.

Section 17208 is added to the Revenue and Taxation Code, to read:
17208.

(a) (1) For each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2025, subject to paragraph (2), there shall be allowed as a deduction an amount equal to the amount paid or incurred, not to exceed two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500), for teacher professional development expenses by a qualified taxpayer during the taxable year.

(2) Unless otherwise specified in any bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill, the deduction amount for each taxable year beginning on or after January 1, 2020, and before January 1, 2025, shall be zero dollars ($0).

(3) A deduction pursuant to this section may be allowed for no more than three taxable years.

 

(b) For purposes of this section:

(1) “Qualified taxpayer” means a taxpayer who meets all of the following requirements:

(A) Completed a teacher preparation program or fulfilled the requirements of the early completion option described in Section 44468 of the Education Code and is in possession of a preliminary general education (multiple or single subject) teaching credential or a preliminary special education teaching credential.

(B) Enrolled in a program, approved by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, in order to earn a general education clear credential or an education specialist instruction clear credential.

(C) Is not otherwise reimbursed for the teacher professional development expenses.

 

 

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