H. B. 4077
(By Delegates Williams, H. White, Boggs, Varner,
Kominar, Carmichael, Houston, Cann,
Canterbury, Proudfoot and Browning)
[Introduced January 24, 2006; referred to the
Committee on Education then 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.