SB 56 Text

Introduced Version Senate Bill 56 History

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sb56 intr Senate Bill No. 56
(By Senators Edgell, Foster, Unger, Wells and Plymale)
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[Introduced February 11, 2009; referred to the Committee on Education; and then to the Committee on Finance.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact §18A-4-2a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to payment of National Board for Professional Teaching Standards salary bonus to holders subsequently employed in certain administrative and instructional leadership positions.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §18A-4-2a 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-4-2a. State minimum salary bonus for classroom teachers with national board certification.

(a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that the rigorous standards and processes 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 a reimbursement of expenses and an additional salary bonus which reflects their additional certification, to be paid in accordance with the provisions of this section.
(b) $3,500 shall be paid annually to each classroom teacher who holds a valid certificate issued by the National Board of for Professional Teaching Standards for the life of the certification, but in no event more than ten years for any one certification unless renewed.
(c) The payments:
(1) Shall be in addition to any amounts prescribed in the applicable state minimum salary schedule;
(2) Shall be paid in equal monthly installments; and
(3) Shall be considered a part of the state minimum salaries for teachers.
(d) One-half the certification fee shall be paid for reimbursement once to each teacher who enrolls in the program for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification and one-half the certification fee shall be paid for reimbursement once to each teacher who completes the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification. Completion shall be defined as the completion of ten scorable entries, as verified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Teachers who achieve National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification may be reimbursed a maximum of $600 for expenses actually incurred while obtaining the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification.
(e) The state board shall limit the number of teachers who receive the initial reimbursements of the certification fees set forth in subsection (d) to two hundred teachers annually. The state board shall establish selection criteria for the teachers by the legislative rule required pursuant to subsection ~~(g)~~ (h) of this section.
(f) Subject to the provisions of subsection (e) of this section, funding for reimbursement of the certification fee and expenses actually incurred while obtaining the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certifications shall be administered by the State Department of Education from an appropriation established for that purpose by the Legislature. If funds appropriated by the Legislature to accomplish the purposes of this subsection are insufficient, the state department shall prorate the reimbursements for expenses and shall request of the Legislature, at its next regular session, funds sufficient to accomplish the purposes of this subsection, including needed retroactive payments.
(g) The holder of a valid National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certificate awarded to him or her during his or her employment as a classroom teacher who is subsequently employed as a school principal, or assistant school principal, or in another position in an instructional leadership capacity, shall be paid the additional salary bonus as provided in this section.
~~(g)~~ (h) The state board shall promulgate legislative rules pursuant to article three-b, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code to implement the provisions of this section.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to pay the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards salary bonus to the holders of certificates awarded to them during employment as a classroom teacher if they are subsequently employed as a school principal, or assistant school principal, or in another position in an instructional leadership capacity.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.

This bill was recommended for passage by the Education Subcommittee A.