Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"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 organizations. The legislature intends to consider providing equitable bonuses for these national certifications. To further that debate, the legislature intends to create a work group to review the national certifications available to these staff in their relevant fields and to understand how many Washington educators have attained those national certifications.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) Within existing resources, the office of the superintendent of public instruction shall convene a work group to review the national certifications that are available to Washington certificated instructional staff who cannot achieve certification through the national board for professional teaching standards. These certificated instructional staff who are educational staff associates include occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech language pathologists, audiologists, school nurses, school social workers, and school psychologists.
(2) The work group shall consist of the following members:
(a) Three members appointed by the Washington education association representing three different job categories of educational staff associates;
(b) Four members appointed by the superintendent of public instruction in consultation with professional organizations for each category of educational staff associate;
(c) A representative of the Washington professional educator standards board; and
(d) The superintendent of public instruction or his or her designee.
(3) Within existing resources, the office of the superintendent of public instruction and the Washington professional educator standards board shall provide staff support to the work group.
(4) The work group shall document the national certifications available to educational staff associates in their professional fields, the requirements to attain each of these national certifications, which of these national certifications have standards that are connected to student outcomes, and the number of active educational staff associates in Washington who have achieved each of these national certifications.
(5) The work group shall submit a final report to the education and fiscal committees of the legislature by December 1, 2019, in compliance with RCW
43.01.036.
(6) This section expires July 1, 2020."
(2) Directs the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to, within existing resources, convene a work group to review the national certifications that are available to certificated instructional staff who cannot achieve 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. Specifies the members and duties of the work group. Requires the OSPI and the Professional Educator Standards Board to staff the work group, within existing resources. Directs the work group to report to the Legislature by December 1, 2019.
(3) Revises the intent language to specify that the Legislature intends to consider providing equitable bonuses for these national certifications; and to further that debate, create a work group to review the national certifications available to these staff in their relevant fields and to understand how many Washington educators have attained those national certifications (rather than language specifying that the Legislature intends to recognize all instructional staff who pursue and attain national certification in their relevant fields).