BILL REQ. #:  S-2215.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/23/07.   

     AN ACT Relating to funding for teachers attaining national board for professional teaching standards certification; adding a new section to chapter 28A.410 RCW; creating a new section; and making an appropriation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds and declares:
     (1) The national board for professional teaching standards has established high and rigorous standards for what highly accomplished teachers should know and be able to do in order to increase students' learning results;
     (2) The national board certifies teachers who meet these standards through a rigorous, performance-based assessment process;
     (3) A certificate awarded by the national board attests that a teacher has met high and rigorous standards and has demonstrated the ability to make sound professional judgments about how to best meet students' learning needs and effectively help students meet challenging academic standards; and
     (4) Teachers who pursue national board certification should receive funding assistance in order to encourage more teachers to pursue certification for the benefit of Washington students.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.410 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) Certificated instructional staff who have met the eligibility requirements and have applied for certification from the national board for professional teaching standards shall receive funding for the assessment fee. The assessment fee for national certification is provided 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 limitation under RCW 28A.400.200. The fee payment shall not be considered earnable compensation as defined in RCW 41.32.010 or compensation earnable as defined in RCW 41.40.010 and 41.35.010.
     (2) The superintendent of public instruction shall identify criteria for selecting recipients if more than one thousand certified instructional staff seek funding assistance for national board certification.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   The sum of two million five hundred thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008, from the general fund to the superintendent of public instruction for the purposes of this act.