H. B. 2382

(By Delegates Mezzatesta and Williams)
[Introduced January 17, 2003; 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 education; high quality educational programs; professional personnel; national certification and comparable credential; standards; salary supplement; expense reimbursement; limitations; rules; and report.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That

§18A-4-2b. State minimum salary supplement for nationally certified professional personnel.

(a) The Legislature finds that professional personnel who meet the requirements for national certification are highly trained and capable employees who provide needed services to the students of this state. The purpose of this section is to create an incentive for all professional personnel to increase their professional knowledge and skills by providing an additional statewide supplement to professional personnel who hold national certification by the national board for professional teaching standards, or a comparable credential as determined by rule of the state board of education.
(b) For any category of professional personnel for which national certification is not provided through the national board for professional teaching standards, the state department of education shall examine the standards and requirements to attain national certification in that profession. The department shall determine the quality of standards for that national certification. If the standards and requirements are not equivalent to the standards of the national board for professional teaching standards, the department shall develop standards that are equivalent to those of the national board for which a comparable credential may be attained through the state department. Achievement of the comparable credential qualifies the professional personnel for the annual salary supplement and reimbursement as provided in this section.

(c) In addition to any amounts prescribed in the applicable state minimum salary schedule, each employee included in professional personnel who holds national certification or other credential as provided in this section, must be paid an annual salary supplement of two thousand five hundred dollars. The payment is:
(1) In addition to any amounts prescribed in the applicable state minimum salary schedule;
(2) To be made in equal monthly installments;
(3) To be considered a part of the state minimum salaries for teachers; and
(4) To continue for the life of the certification, or for ten years for any one certification, whichever first expires.
(d) Professional personnel who attain national certification or comparable credential under the provisions of this section are eligible for reimbursement of expenses actually incurred in attaining the certification or credential. Reimbursement is obtained through application to the state department, and is limited to one half of the certification fee paid by the applicant, and an additional six hundred dollars in incurred expense as approved by the state department.
(e) The state board shall establish by rule, in accordance with the provisions of article three-b, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, the process and standards for achieving a comparable credential as provided in this section. The board shall report the rule to the legislative oversight commission on education accountability by the January, two thousand four, legislative interim meeting period, and shall report on its progress in developing the rule to the commission during each prior interim meeting period.
(f) Payment of the supplement and reimbursement provided for in this section is subject to legislative appropriation therefore, and is limited to one hundred professionals per year in any one category of professional personnel. Nothing in this section requires any appropriation, or any specific level of appropriation, by the Legislature.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to

provide salary supplements of $2,500 and expense reimbursements to professional personnel who meet certain professional national certification standards, and to require the state board of education to develop equivalent qualifying standards for professional fields where none currently exist.

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