WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE

2023 REGULAR SESSION

Introduced

House Bill 2231

By Delegate Foster

[Introduced January 11, 2023; Referred to the Committee on Education]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto two new sections, designated §18A-4-2d, and §18A-4-4a, all relating to teacher salary enhancement; requiring that to qualify for certain additional salary provisions, the teacher’s earned master’s degree or graduate work toward or following obtaining a master’s degree, shall be in the field in which the teacher is teaching.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 4. SALARIES, WAGES AND OTHER BENEFITS.

§18A-4-2d. Master’s degree or work toward a master’s degree in teaching field required to receive certain salary increase.

In order to receive additional salary as specified in §18A-4-2 of this code for having completed an increment of work toward a master’s degree, for obtaining the degree, or for work following the degree, the teacher shall have completed the work in the field in which the teacher is teaching.

§18A-4-4a. Work required in specialized field to qualify for advanced salary classification.

In order to qualify for advanced salary classification provided in §18A-4-4 of this code, the teacher shall have earned the additional semester hours or completed the degree in the specialized field.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to require that teachers have advanced credit hours in work toward or completion of a master’s degree in their teaching field in order to receive additional salary for master’s degree work.

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