H. B. 2967
(By Delegates M. Poling, Paxton and Michael)
[Introduced March 5, 2009; referred to the
Committee on Education then Finance.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §18A-4-2a of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards certificate renewal; continuing salary
bonus for renewed certificates; providing for reimbursement of
renewal fees; and continuing bonus eligibility if a holder
accepts employment as principal or in another school level
instructional leadership position.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §18A-4-2a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows
:
ARTICLE 4. SALARIES, WAGES AND OTHER BENEFITS.
§18A-4-2a. State minimum salary bonus for classroom teachers with
national board certification.
(a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that the rigorous standards and processes for certification by the National
Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) helps to promote
the quality of teaching and learning. Therefore, classroom
teachers in the public schools of West Virginia should be
encouraged to achieve and maintain national board certification
through a reimbursement of expenses and an additional salary bonus
which reflects their additional certification, to be paid in
accordance with the provisions of this section.
(b) (1) Three thousand five hundred dollars shall be paid
annually to each classroom teacher who holds a valid certificate
issued by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards for
the life of the certification, but in no event more than ten years
for any one certification.
(2) Three thousand five hundred dollars
shall be paid annually
to each classroom teacher who holds a valid renewal certificate
issued by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards for
the life of the renewal certificate, but in no event more than ten
years for any one renewal certificate.
(c) The payments:
(1) Shall be in addition to any amounts prescribed in the
applicable state minimum salary schedule;
(2) Shall be paid in equal monthly installments; and
(3) Shall be considered a part of the state minimum salaries
for teachers.
(d) For initial certification, one-half the certification fee
shall be paid for reimbursement once to each teacher who enrolls in
the program for the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards certification and one-half the certification fee shall be
paid for reimbursement once to each teacher who completes the
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification.
Completion shall be defined as the completion of ten scorable
entries, as verified by the National Board for Professional
Teaching Standards. Teachers who achieve National Board for
Professional Teaching Standards certification may be reimbursed a
maximum of $600 for expenses actually incurred while obtaining the
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification.
(e) For renewal certification, each teacher who completes the
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification
renewal process shall be reimbursed for the renewal certification
fee. Completion of the certification renewal process means the
successful renewal of the ten-year NBPTS certification as verified
by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
(e) (f) The state board shall limit the number of teachers who
receive the initial reimbursements of the certification fees
are
reimbursed for the first one half of the fee for initial
certification, as
set forth in subsection (d) of this section, to
two hundred teachers annually. The state board shall establish
selection criteria for the teachers by the legislative rule required pursuant to subsection (g) (i) of this section.
(f) (g) Subject to the provisions of subsection (e) (f) of
this section, funding for reimbursement of the certification fee
and expenses actually incurred while obtaining the National Board
for Professional Teaching Standards certifications 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.
(h) A classroom teacher who holds certification by the
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and accepts
employment as a principal, an assistant principal, or in another
instructional leadership position at the school level, shall remain
eligible for the additional salary bonus for NBPTS certification
for the life of the certificate held.
(g) (i) 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 to encourage teachers who
have achieved a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
certificate to renew their certifications when they expire after
ten years. The bill continues the salary bonus for renewed
certificates and provides for reimbursement of renewal fees. The
bill also continues bonus eligibility if the holder accepts
employment as principal or assistant or in another school level
instructional leadership position.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.