(a) The Arkansas Traveling Teacher Program is hereby established and shall be administered by the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education with the assistance of public school districts and education service cooperatives.
(b)
(1) Pursuant to the provisions of this section, and to the extent sufficient funding is available, the following persons and public school districts may enter into an agreement to provide traveling teacher services for one (1) or more receiving school districts for one (1) or more courses required by the Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools and School Districts and any advanced placement courses required by § 6-16-1204:
(A) A traveling teacher who is appropriately licensed in Arkansas as a teacher and employed on a full-time equivalent basis by a host school district;
(B) A host school district that is an Arkansas public school district with a student population of eight thousand (8,000) students or fewer and that desires to provide traveling teacher services to a receiving school district; and
(C) A receiving school district that is a public school district other than the host school district and that desires to receive traveling teacher services.
(2) The parties shall enter into a written agreement, in the form established by the division, that shall include without limitation the following:
(A) That the traveling teacher is to provide professional teaching services to the receiving school district for one (1) or more required courses;
(B) The amount of the bonus to be provided to the traveling teacher under subdivision (c)(1)(A) of this section;
(C) For each course to be taught under the agreement:
(i) A description of the course;
(ii) The time and day for teaching each course; and
(iii) The exact location where the course will be taught;
(D)
(i) Whether the agreement is for a school semester or a school year.
(ii) No agreement shall be for a time period longer than a school year or shorter than a school semester;
(E)
(i) That the receiving school district will reimburse the host school district for the time the traveling teacher is not working in the host school district.
(ii) The reimbursement shall be the receiving school district's pro rata share of the traveling teacher's time based on the hourly rate of the traveling teacher's contract with the host school district;
(F) That at all times during the period of the agreement, the traveling teacher is an employee of the host school district and is subject to the personnel policies and contractual obligations of the host school district; and
(G)
(i) That sufficient time will be allowed for the traveling teacher to travel to and from the host school district and the receiving school district.
(ii) The division shall not approve an agreement under this section unless the agreement requires the traveling teacher to be physically present in the receiving school district while the traveling teacher is teaching any course specified in the agreement.
(3) The agreement shall be reviewed and approved by the division under subsection (f) of this section.
(c) To the extent the agreement is approved by the division:
(1)
(A) Upon completion of the traveling teacher's services provided under the agreement and under the terms of the agreement, the host school district shall pay the traveling teacher, in addition to the amount required by the teacher's annual teacher's contract with the host school district a bonus of either:
(i) Two thousand dollars ($2,000) for a semester agreement; or
(ii) Four thousand dollars ($4,000) for a full school year agreement.
(B) The division shall reimburse the host school district for the amount of bonus paid to the traveling teacher; and
(2)
(A) The host school district shall reimburse the traveling teacher for expenses related to travel to and from a receiving school district at the appropriate state rate of reimbursement in existence and approved by the Department of Finance and Administration for the school year in which the traveling teacher's services are provided.
(B) The division shall reimburse the host school district for the amount of travel reimbursement paid by the host school district to the traveling teacher.
(d) Neither the division nor the State of Arkansas shall be obligated or liable to reimburse any bonus or travel expenses incurred under an agreement for traveling teacher services under this section if the division has not reviewed and approved the entire agreement.
(e) The division may, if feasible and if funding is available, establish an online registry of public school teachers willing to enter into an agreement for traveling teacher services under this section with information concerning the teacher's employing school district and any course the teacher is qualified to teach.
(f)
(1) All proposed agreements among a host school district, a receiving school district, and a traveling teacher shall be submitted to the division by a date certain for review and approval by the division.
(2) The division shall review each agreement with all requisite authority to approve or deny the agreement based on the provisions of law, rule, availability of funding, and discretionary determination as to the best use of state resources and funding.
(3) The division shall endeavor to consider approval of an agreement to:
(A) Place a traveling teacher with a receiving school district to maximize the efficiency of the traveling teacher's service to both the host and receiving school districts; and
(B) Minimize the extent and duration of any travel required.
(g)
(1) The division shall establish any rules and agreement forms necessary for the administration of the Arkansas Traveling Teacher Program.
(2) In establishing the rules, the division shall:
(A) Prioritize the approval of agreements for traveling teacher services based on subject-area course needs;
(B) Establish appropriate travel limitations;
(C) Develop a method of equitable distribution of traveling teachers among the area's education service cooperatives; and
(D) Provide a means by which education service cooperatives may assist in facilitating traveling teachers.
(h) No provision of this section is intended or should be interpreted to waive any immunity or defense of the State of Arkansas or its various agencies, boards, or commissions and no person shall be deemed to have any legal entitlement, recourse, or cause of action against the State of Arkansas or its various agencies, boards, or commissions based on the terms, conditions, or provisions of this section.
(i) An agreement for traveling teacher services under this section is not governed by or subject to the provisions of The Teacher Fair Dismissal Act of 1983, § 6-17-1501 et seq.