Section 20-2-217. Professional and staff development stipends

   The State Board of Education is authorized and directed to devise a program to provide professional and staff development stipends sufficient to allow eligible licensed personnel, paraprofessionals, and aides to participate in development programs which will enable such employees to increase their education pertaining to their job classification or to obtain appropriate degrees to become certified teachers. Such stipends shall be provided to individuals on a reimbursable basis on a state approved schedule. The State Board of Education shall be authorized to require the local professional and staff development plan required under Code Section 20-2-232 to include professional and staff development for licensed personnel, paraprofessionals, aides, and education secretaries before state funding for the purposes of this Code section will be made available to a local system. As used in this Code section, the term "paraprofessional" shall be defined as provided in Code Section 20-2-204.

Code 1981, § 20-2-217, enacted by Ga. L. 1990, p. 1254, § 1; Ga. L. 1991, p. 1546, § 4; Ga. L. 2009, p. 8, § 20/SB 46.