Provides relative to associate teachers. (gov sig)

Senate Bill 28 amends Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:7.8(B)(3) to lower the minimum age requirement for participation in the state's associate educator program from twenty-five years to twenty-one years. The associate educator program permits the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to authorize certain individuals holding associate's degrees to serve as teachers in public elementary and secondary schools. This bill makes a single modification to the participant eligibility criteria by reducing the age threshold, thereby broadening the pool of potential candidates who may enter the program. The effective date is upon the governor's signature or the expiration of the time allowed for gubernatorial action as specified in the Louisiana Constitution.

School governing authorities and educational institutions will be directly affected by this change, as it opens the associate educator program to younger candidates who have completed associate degree requirements. Individuals between twenty-one and twenty-four years of age who hold associate degrees and meet all other program requirements will now be eligible to participate, expanding the talent pipeline for filling teacher positions in Louisiana's public schools. This modification may increase the number of qualified candidates available to school systems and could help address teacher shortages by allowing younger degree-holders to enter the classroom sooner in their careers.

This amendment operates within the existing statutory framework of the associate educator program established under Louisiana Revised Statutes 17:7.8. The program itself is authorized at the state board level, with participating school governing authorities making individual decisions about which candidates to authorize under the program. The change aligns with the broader structure of teacher certification and employment pathways in Louisiana while maintaining all other participant requirements not addressed in this bill. The constitutional basis for the effective date clause references Article III, Section 18 of the Louisiana Constitution, which governs the process for bills becoming law.