HB 2499 modifies the minimum salary schedule for certain public school employees by granting additional salary step credit for early-career educators in specific rural districts. The bill amends the Education Code to allow classroom teachers, full-time librarians, full-time school counselors, and full-time school nurses with less than five years of experience to receive salary step credit equivalent to five years of experience if they meet certain conditions. To qualify, the educator must be employed by the same school district from which they graduated high school and must work at a district campus located within a county with a population of 150,000 or less. This incentive aims to encourage new educators to return to and work in their home communities. The bill applies starting with the 2025-2026 school year.