H. B. 4586
(By Delegates Campbell, Williams, Beach, Duke,
Tabb, Spencer, Paxton, Poling and Perry)
[Introduced February 16, 2006; referred to the
Committee on Education then Finance.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §18A-4-1 of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to requiring graduate work
completed by teachers for advanced salary classification to be
limited to course offerings in a degree program in the field
of education or subject areas in which certification is
granted; exceptions.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §18A-4-1 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-4-1. Definitions.
(a) For the purpose of this article, salaries
shall be are
defined as:
(a) (1) "Basic salaries"
which shall mean the salaries paid to
teachers with zero years of experience and in accordance with the classification of certification and of training of said teachers;
and
(b) (2) "Advanced salaries"
which shall mean the basic salary
plus an experience increment based on the allowable years of
experience of the respective teachers in accordance with the
schedule established herein for the applicable classification of
certification and of training of said teachers.
(b) "Classification of certification" means the class or type
of certificate issued by the state superintendent under the
statutory provisions of this chapter. "Classification of training"
means the number of collegiate or graduate hours necessary to meet
the requirements stipulated in the definitions set forth in
the
next paragraph in items subdivisions (2) to (11), inclusive,
subsection (c) of this section.
(c) The column heads of the state minimum salary schedule set
forth in section two of this article are defined as follows:
(1) "Years of experience" means the number of years the
teacher has been employed in the teaching profession, including
active work in educational positions other than the public schools,
and service in the armed forces of the United States if the teacher
was under contract to teach at the time of induction. For a
registered professional nurse employed by a county board, "years of
experience" means the number of years the nurse has been employed
as a public school health nurse, including active work in a nursing position related to education, and service in the armed forces if
the nurse was under contract with the county board at the time of
induction. For the purpose of section two of this article, the
experience of a teacher or a nurse
shall be is limited to that
allowed under their training classification as found in the minimum
salary schedule.
(2) "Fourth class" means all certificates previously
identified as:
(a) (A) "Certificates secured by examination"; and
(b) (B) "Other first grade certificates."
(3) "Third class" means all certificates previously identified
as:
(a) (A) "Standard normal certificates"; and
(b) (B) "Third class temporary (sixty-four semester hours)
certificates."
(4) "Second class" means all certificates previously
identified as "second class temporary certificates based upon the
required ninety-six hours of college work."
(5) "A.B." means a bachelor's degree, from an accredited
institution of higher education, which has been issued to, or for
which the requirements for such have been met by, a person who
qualifies for or holds a professional certificate or its
equivalent. A registered professional nurse with a bachelor's
degree, who is licensed by the West Virginia Board of Examiners for Registered Professional Nurses and employed by a county board,
shall be is within this classification for payment in accordance
with sections two and two-a of this article.
(6) "A.B. plus 15" means a bachelor's degree as defined above
plus fifteen hours of graduate work, from an accredited institution
of higher education certified to do graduate work, in an approved
planned program at the graduate level which requirements have been
met by a person who qualifies for or holds a professional
certificate or its equivalent.
(7) "M.A." means a master's degree, earned in an institution
of higher education approved to do graduate work, which has been
issued to, or the requirements for such have been met by, a person
who qualifies for or holds a professional certificate or its
equivalent.
(8) "M.A. plus 15" means the above-defined master's degree
plus fifteen hours of graduate work, earned in an institution of
higher education approved to do graduate work, if the person is
qualified for or holds a professional certificate or its
equivalent.
(9) "M.A. plus 30" means the above-defined master's degree
plus thirty graduate hours, earned in an institution approved to do
graduate work, if the person is qualified for or holds a
professional certificate or its equivalent.
(10) "M.A. plus 45" means the above-defined master's degree plus forty-five graduate hours, earned in an institution approved
to do graduate work, if the person is qualified for or holds a
professional certificate or its equivalent.
(10) (11) "Doctorate" means a doctor's degree, earned from a
university qualified and approved to confer such a degree, which
has been issued to or the requirements for such have been met by a
person who qualifies for or holds a professional certificate or its
equivalent.
(d) For purposes of advanced salary classification, graduate
work completed after the first day of July,
one thousand nine
hundred ninety-four two thousand six, shall be related to the
public school program,
including any course offering in a degree
program in the field of education or in a subject area in which the
state board grants professional teaching, student support or
educational administrative certification, as prescribed by the
state board.
(e) Notwithstanding the requirements set forth in subdivisions
(6), (8),
and (9)
and (10) of
subsection (c) of this section
relating to hours of graduate work at an institution certified to
do such work, fifteen undergraduate credit hours from a regionally
accredited institution of higher education, earned after the
effective date of this section, may be
utilized used for advanced
salary classification if
such the hours are in accordance with:
(a) (A) The teacher's current classification of certification and of training;
(b) (B) A designated instructional shortage area documented by
the employing county superintendent; or
(c) (C) An identified teaching deficiency documented through
the state approved county personnel evaluation system.
Effective the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred
ninety-four, the following definition shall be applicable.
(11) "M.A. plus 45" means the above-defined master's degree
plus forty-five graduate hours, earned in an institution approved
to do graduate work, if the person is qualified for or holds a
professional certificate or its equivalent.
Note: The purpose of this bill is to limit graduate work
completed by teachers for advanced salary classification to course
offerings in a degree program in the field of education or subject
areas in which certification is granted.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.