Section 18-27A-04 - Teacher preparation program grant(a)(1) The Department shall award a grant to a local school system that is part of a collaborative for employees of the local school system to complete a teacher preparation program at an institution of higher education under the agreement described in § 18-27A-03 of this subtitle.(2) The Department shall award a grant for: (i) Tuition, books, and fees for teacher candidates;(ii) Stipends for mentor teachers; and(iii) Costs associated with the administration of the Program.(3) In awarding a grant, the Department shall take necessary steps to ensure that not more than one quarter of expenses awarded in the grant goto supporting provisional teacher participants in the Program.(4) The Department, in collaboration with the Maryland Department of Labor, shall, on request, provide technical assistance to a collaborative in obtaining State, federal, or other funding for the operation of the Program.(b) A teacher candidate shall be paid a rate of pay and offered benefits that are at least equal to the rate of pay received by and benefits offered to a noncertified education support professional or provisional teacher of the equivalent classification and tenure in the local school system provided in the collective bargaining agreement.(c)(1) A collaborative shall provide each teacher candidate a mentor teacher for the entirety of the Program.(2) A teacher candidate may not serve as a teacher of record or a substitute teacher for any teacher other than the mentor teacher assigned to the teacher candidate.(d) A local school system and an employee organization that represents the teacher candidates shall negotiate a gradual release model that allows teacher candidates to focus primarily on internship and practicum requirements.(e) A teacher candidate shall perform a service obligation to teach full-time in the State in a public school or a public prekindergarten program in a high-needs school, as identified by the Department, or in a grade level or content area in which there is a shortage of qualified educators, as identified by the Department for a minimum of 2 years.Added by 2024 Md. Laws, Ch. 228,Sec. 1, eff. 7/1/2024.Added by 2024 Md. Laws, Ch. 227,Sec. 1, eff. 7/1/2024.