BILL REQ. #:  H-3498.1 

Read first time 01/25/10.   Referred to Committee on Education.

     AN ACT Relating to providing salary bonuses for nationally certified educators; and amending RCW 28A.405.415.

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

Sec. 1   RCW 28A.405.415 and 2009 c 539 s 6 are each amended to read as follows:
     (1)(a) 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. For the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years the annual bonus shall be subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this purpose. During the 2011-2013 and 2013-2015 fiscal biennia, in addition to annual adjustments for inflation, the bonus amount shall be additionally increased such that, by the end of the 2014-15 school year, national board bonus amounts are, at a minimum, equal to what they would have been if annual adjustments for inflation had not been suspended during the 2009-10 or 2010-11 school year.
     (b) Beginning in the 2011-12 school year, educational staff associates certified as school speech-language pathologists, audiologists, psychologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, social workers, or school nurses, who have attained a national certificate within their respective profession shall receive a bonus each year in which they maintain the certification. The bonus shall be in an amount equal to the bonus provided under (a) of this subsection to certificated instructional staff with certification from the national board for professional teaching standards.
     (2)(a) 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 that meets the criteria under (b) of this subsection. Beginning in the 2011-12 school year, educational staff associates certified as school speech-language pathologists, audiologists, psychologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, social workers, or school nurses, who have attained a national certificate within their respective profession shall be eligible for bonuses in addition to that provided by subsection (1) of this section if the individuals are in assignments in schools that meet the criteria under (b) of this subsection.
     (b) For the purposes of this subsection, a school must be either: (i) A high school in which at least fifty percent of the students qualify for the free and reduced-price lunch program; (ii) a middle school in which at least sixty percent of the students qualify for the free and reduced-price lunch program; or (iii) an elementary school in which at least seventy percent of the students qualify for the free and reduced-price lunch program.
     (3) The amount of the additional bonus under subsection (2) of this section for those meeting the qualifications of subsection (2) of this section is five thousand dollars.
     (4) 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.
     (5) The bonuses provided under this section shall be paid in a lump sum amount.