Senate Bill No. 191
(By Senators Tomblin (Mr. President) and Sprouse
By Request of the Executive)
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[Introduced January 22, 1999; referred to the Committee
on Education; and then to the Committee on Finance.]
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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-a, relating to providing a salary bonus for classroom
teachers who hold a valid certificate issued by the national
board of professional teaching standards.
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-a, 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 process 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 national board certification through an
additional salary bonus which reflects their additional
certification to be paid in accordance with subsection (b) of
this section.
(b) One thousand dollars shall be paid annually to each
classroom teacher who holds a valid certificate issued by the
National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. 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 part of
the state minimum salaries for teachers.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide a $1,000
annual salary bonus to classroom teachers who hold a valid
certificate issued by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. National Board Certification is valid for ten years
from the date of issuance. Renewal for subsequent ten-year
periods is subject to a process for verification that the
applicant continues to meet Board standards.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.