Senate Bill No. 246

(By Senators Tomblin, Mr. President, Prezioso, Kessler, Love,

Oliverio, McKenzie, Minard, Dempsey, Bowman, Fanning, Bailey, Sprouse, Sharpe, Foster, Jenkins, Weeks, Unger, Lanham, Barnes, Minear, Guills, Chafin, Caruth, Yoder, Deem, White, Boley and Hunter)

____________

[Introduced January 23, 2006; referred to the Committee on Education; and then to the Committee on Finance.]

____________


A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §18A-4-2b, relating to establishing a state minimum salary supplement for professional personnel holding a nationally recognized professional certification in speech-language pathology, audiology or counseling.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §18A-4-2b, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 4. SALARIES, WAGES AND OTHER BENEFITS.
18A-4-2b. State minimum salary supplement for professional personnel with recognized national certification in speech-language pathology, audiology or counseling.

(a) (1) The Legislature finds that achieving a nationally recognized professional certification in speech-language pathology or audiology involves a rigorous process of demonstrating both knowledge and skills and results in highly trained and capable employees. Individuals who attain the national professional certification by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) provide needed and essential services to the school students of this state and, consequently, should be encouraged to achieve and maintain the national board certification through reimbursement of expenses and a salary bonus which reflects their additional certification, to be paid in accordance with subsection (b) of this section.
(2) The Legislature further finds and declares that the rigorous standards and processes for advanced certification by either the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) or the West Virginia Board of Examiners in Counseling (WVBEC) helps to promote the quality of counseling in schools. Counselors in the public schools of West Virginia should be encouraged to achieve and maintain the advanced certification through reimbursement of expenses and a salary bonus that reflects their additional certification, to be paid in accordance with subsection (b) of this section.
(3) Therefore, the purpose of this section is to provide a statewide salary supplement for certain professional personnel employed in the public schools who hold a nationally recognized professional certification in speech-language pathology, audiology or counseling, to treat the professional certification equally, to encourage others to attain such a certification and to help school systems with recruitment of these highly qualified professionals.
(b) In addition to any amounts prescribed in the applicable state minimum salary schedule, any professional personnel who hold 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) To be made in equal monthly installments;
(2) To be considered a part of the state minimum salaries for teachers; and
(3) To continue for the life of the certification, or for ten years for any one certification, whichever first expires.
(c) Professional personnel who attain national certification under the provisions of this section are eligible for reimbursement of expenses actually incurred in attaining the certification. Reimbursement is obtained through application to the state department and onehalf of the certification fee shall be paid for reimbursement to each professional personnel who enroll in the program for national certification and onehalf of the certification fee shall be paid for reimbursement to each professional personnel who complete the national certification, and an additional six hundred dollars in incurred expense as approved by the state department.
(d) The state board shall limit the number who receives the initial reimbursements to one hundred individuals annually. The state board shall establish selection criteria for the one hundred individuals by legislative rule required pursuant to subsection (e) of this section.
(e) The board shall report the rule to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability by the January, two thousand seven, 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 in this section is subject to legislative appropriation therefore; 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.

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