HOUSE BILL ANALYSIS

                  HB 2748

Title:  An act relating to creating the national board certification stipend program.

Brief Description:  Creating the national board certification stipend program.

Sponsors:  Representatives Quall, Cox, Talcott, Haigh, Thomas, Anderson, Lovick, Constantine, Regala, Linville, Keiser, Stensen, Esser, Kagi, Morris and Kenney.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Meeting Date:  January 31, 2000

Bill Analysis Prepared by:  Susan Morrissey (786-7111).

Background:  The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that provides advanced, voluntary certification for experienced teachers.  The board was created as a way for the teaching profession to recognize highly accomplished teaching practice. A certificate awarded by the board is intended to show that a teacher has been judged by his or her peers as one who meets high and rigorous professional standards. The NBPTS is governed by a 63 member board of directors, of whom a majority are classroom teachers.  The organization is funded through gifts and grants from foundations, corporations, individuals, the U.S. Department of Education, and the National Science Foundation.

The board certifies teachers in 21 fields using a rigorous process of assessment and evaluation, for which those seeking certification pay a fee.  The standards used in the process are developed by committees of teachers and other experts, and structured around student developmental levels and subject areas.  There are about 28 educators teaching in Washington who have obtained NBPTS certification. 

The 1999-00 biennial budget provided funding for a 15 percent salary bonus for teachers who obtained NBPTS certification before or during the 1999-2000 school year.  The bonus was intended to provide recognition for the teachers' outstanding performance.   The SPI was directed to establish a competitive selection process for teachers who applied for a bonus through the program after September 1, 1999.  The process was intended to ensure that the number of bonuses requested did not exceed the 45 bonuses funded through the budget for the 2000-01 school year.  In addition, the budget required SPI to establish an advisory committee to review the NBPTS standards in order to determine whether additional requirements are needed to align the board's standards with the state's standards for students and teachers under education reform.

Summary:  The Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) shall provide annual salary stipends of $3,500 per year to teachers who have attained NBPTS certification, subject to legislative funding.  The teachers may receive the annual stipend for the duration of their certificates.  The stipends are provided in recognition of the teachers' outstanding performance.   Teachers who receive a 15 percent salary bonus through the 1999-00 budget are not eligible for salary stipends until the beginning of the next fiscal year.

By December 31, 2003, and periodically thereafter, the SPI, with the assistance of the State Board of Education and an advisory committee, will review the NBPTS standards to determine whether additional requirements are needed to align the board's standards with the state's standards for students and teachers under education reform.  By November 15, 2003, the Washington Institute for Public Policy will report to appropriate legislative committees on the results and accomplishments of the program.  The report may include recommendations for program continuation, modification, or elimination.

The authority to offer salary stipends to NBPTS certified teachers expires on June 30, 2004.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Requested January 27, 2000

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which the bill is passed.