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Introduced Version House Bill 2922 History

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H. B. 2922


(By Delegates Hubbard and Boggs)
[Introduced March 20, 2001; referred to the
Committee on Education then Finance.]




A BILL to amend article four, chapter eighteen-a of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated section two-b, relating to state minimum salary bonus and certification expenses for guidance counselors with national board certification.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article four, chapter eighteen-a of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section two-b, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 4. SALARIES, WAGES AND OTHER BENEFITS.

§18A-4-2b.  State minimum salary bonus and expense reimbursement for school counselors with national board certification.

(a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that the rigorous standards and processes for endorsement by the national board of certified counselors (NCSC) as a national certified school counselor helps to promote the quality of counseling in schools.  Therefore, counselors in the public schools of West Virginia should be encouraged to achieve the national board certification through reimbursement of expenses and an additional salary bonus which reflects their additional certification, to be paid in accordance with subsection (b) of this section.
(b)
Two thousand five hundred dollars shall be paid annually to each school counselor who holds a valid national certified school counselor certificate issued by the national board of certified counselors for the life of the certification, but in no event more than ten years for any one certification. The payments: (i) Shall be in addition to any amounts prescribed in the applicable state minimum salary schedule; (ii) shall be paid in equal monthly installments; and (iii) shall be considered a part of the state minimum salaries for counselors.
(c) Subject to legislative appropriation, one-half the certification fee shall be paid for reimbursement once to each counselor who enrolls in the program for national certified school counselor certification and one-half the certification fee shall be paid for reimbursement once to each counselor who acquires the national board of certified counselors' national certified school counselor certification. Counselors who achieve national certified school counselor certification from the national board of certified counselors may be reimbursed a maximum of six hundred dollars for expenses actually incurred while obtaining the endorsement.
(d) The state board shall limit the number of counselors who receive the initial reimbursements to one hundred counselors annually.  The state board shall establish selection criteria for the one hundred counselors by the legislative rule required pursuant to subsection (f) of this section.
(e) Funding for reimbursement of the certification fee and expenses actually incurred while obtaining the certification from the national board of certified counselors shall be administered by the state department of education from an appropriation established for that purpose by the Legislature.  If funds appropriated by the Legislature to accomplish the purposes of this subsection are insufficient, the state department shall prorate the reimbursements for expenses and shall request of the Legislature, at its next regular session, funds sufficient to accomplish the purposes of this subsection, including needed retroactive payments.
(f) The state board shall promulgate legislative rules pursuant to article three-b, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code to implement the provisions of this section.


NOTE: The purpose of this bill is provide a $2,500 annual salary bonus and reimbursement for certification expenses to school counselors certified by the National Board of Certified Counselors. The provisions are limited to 100 counselors.

This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring have been omitted.
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