NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. Since 2000, the Washington legislature has provided a bonus for K-12 certificated instructional staff who attain certification from the national board for professional teaching standards. There are certain certificated instructional staff who do not have an opportunity to pursue certification through the national board for professional teaching standards because their field is not included in that certification process. Those staff include occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech language pathologists, audiologists, school nurses, school social workers, and school psychologists. These professionals work closely with students, often providing specialized services to students who need extra help to succeed. Some of these staff have pursued opportunities to attain quality national certification through their professional associations. The legislature intends to recognize all instructional staff who pursue and attain national certification in their relevant fields.

(1) Certificated instructional staff who have attained certification from the national board for professional teaching standards shall receive a bonus each year in which they maintain the certification. The bonus shall be calculated as follows: The annual bonus shall be five thousand dollars in the 2007-08 school year. Thereafter, the annual bonus shall increase by inflation, except that the bonus shall not be increased during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years.

(2) Certificated instructional staff who have attained certification from the national board for professional teaching standards shall be eligible for bonuses in addition to that provided by subsection (1) of this section if the individual is in an instructional assignment in a school in which at least seventy percent of the students qualify for the free and reduced-price lunch program.

(4) Certain certificated instructional staff are not eligible for certification through the national board for professional teaching standards, including occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech language pathologists, audiologists, school nurses, school social workers, and school psychologists. If these certificated instructional staff attain national certification through the relevant national professional associations for these fields, they shall receive an equivalent bonus to those in subsection (1) of this section and, if assigned to a high poverty school that meets the standards in subsection (2) of this section, the additional bonus amount in subsection (2) of this section.

(5) The bonuses provided under this section are in addition to compensation received under a district's salary schedule adopted in accordance with RCW 28A.405.200 and shall not be included in ((calculations of a district's average)) salary and associated salary limitations under RCW 28A.400.200(3).