ENGROSSED
Senate Bill No. 783
(By Senators Plymale, Edgell, Dempsey, Oliverio, Boley, Guills
and Sprouse)
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[Originating in the Committee on Education;
reported February 24, 2006.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact §18A-4-2a of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to defining completion of the
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
certification.
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)
One thousand dollars shall be paid annually to each
classroom teacher who holds a valid certificate issued by the
national board of professional teaching standards for the life of
the certification, but in no event more than ten years for any one
certification: Provided, That beginning on the first day of July,
two thousand one, in lieu of the one thousand dollars, Two thousand
five hundred dollars shall be paid annually to each classroom
teacher who holds a valid certificate issued by the National Board
of Professional Teaching Standards for the life of the
certification, but in no event more than ten years for any one
certification.
(c) The payments:
(i) (1) Shall be in addition to any amounts prescribed in the
applicable state minimum salary schedule;
(ii) (2) Shall be paid in equal monthly installments; and
(iii) (3) Shall be considered a part of the state minimum
salaries for teachers.
(d)
One thousand dollars 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 thousand dollars shall be paid for reimbursement once to each teacher who
completes the national board for professional teaching standards
certification. Effective the first day of July, two thousand one,
in lieu of the one thousand dollar payment for reimbursements,
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 six hundred dollars 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 one hundred teachers annually.
Effective the first day of July, two thousand one, in lieu of the
limit of one hundred teachers annually, 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) 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 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.