Section 1716G - Substitute teachers(a) Substitute teachers shall be used to provide temporary teaching to pupils when the regular teacher is unavailable due to illness, leave, or other reasons.(b) During the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2023, and annually thereafter, allocation of funds shall be targeted to high needs elementary, middle and high schools, with populations of 50% or more of low-income students,(c) Substitute teachers shall be paid from state funds for 10 months and shall be paid a starting salary equitable to a no degree step 1 in accordance with § 1305 of this title.(d) Individuals hired under this section must have obtained an associate's or bachelor's degree from an accredited institute of higher education.(e) All individuals hired under this section are subject to the provisions of Chapter 41 of this title and, at the discretion of each local education agency, subject to district and building level professional development requirements.(f) To ensure success of these substitute teachers, each school district and charter school must develop and implement a professional development program specifically designed for these substitute teachers that, at a minimum, includes all of the following: (1) Implementing lesson plans.(2) Classroom management.(3) Student behavior, including disability awareness and behaviors that may manifest as a result of disabilities.(4) Basic understanding of Individualized Education Plans and 504 Plans.(g) Participation in professional development provided in subsection (g) of this section shall be used as credit towards a standard certificate.Added by Laws 2021, ch. 393,s 1, eff. 8/4/2022.