HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 ESSB 6462

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                          Education

Title:  An act relating to salary bonuses for teachers attaining certification by the national board for professional teaching standards.

Brief Description:  Providing a salary bonus for teachers receiving national board for professional teaching standards certification.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Senators McAuliffe, Kohl‑Welles, Eide, Brown, Rasmussen, Bauer, Goings, Patterson, Winsley and Jacobsen; by request of Governor Locke).

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Education:  2/21/00, 2/24/00 [DPA].

      Brief Summary of Engrossed Substitute Bill

            (As Amended by House Committee)

$In addition to their standard salaries, public school teachers who have attained National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) certification will receive a bonus; however, the timing and amount of the bonus is subject to funding by the Legislature.

$The bonus program expires June 30, 2004.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.  Signed by 14 members:  Representatives Quall, Democratic Co-Chair; Talcott, Republican Co-Chair; Haigh, Democratic Vice Chair; Schindler, Republican Vice Chair; Carlson; Cox; Keiser; Rockefeller; Santos; D. Schmidt; Schual-Berke; Stensen; Thomas and Wensman.

Staff:  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 to provide the teaching profession a method for recognizing highly accomplished teaching practices.  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 Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) was directed to establish a competitive selection process for teachers who applied for a bonus 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 OSPI to establish an advisory committee to 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.

Summary of Amended Bill:

In addition to their standard salaries, teachers who have attained NBPTS certification will receive a bonus; however, the timing and amount of the bonus is subject to funding by the Legislature.  The bonus is not part of the state's basic education funding.

By December 31, 2003, the OSPI, with the assistance of the State Board of Education (SBE)  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 bonus program.   The authority to offer salary bonuses to NBPTS certified teachers expires on June 30, 2004. 

Amended Bill Compared to Engrossed Substitute Bill:  The bonus is not part of basic education.  With the assistance of SBE and an advisory committee, OSPI will review the national standards by December 31, 2003 to determine the alignment between the standards and the state's standards for teachers and students.  The Institute for Public Policy will report on the results of the program by November 15, 2003.  The program expires June 30, 2004. 

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

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

Testimony For:  This legislation was requested by the Governor to recognize the hard work required of teachers who obtain certification from the national board.  The process required by the national board is rigorous and focused on student achievement.   Although only half of the teachers who begin the certification process achieve a certificate, all who undergo the process are benefitted by it.  The bonus proposed in this legislation will reward achievement and provide an incentive for other teachers to seek and complete certification.  The Governor hopes that 500 teachers will attain certification by 2005.  Although the bonus is funded in this biennium, teachers need an assurance that the bonus will continue.  The bonus program is an important way the state can support a teacher's professional growth.

Concerns:  The legislation is silent on the amount of the bonus and on the length of the time a teacher might receive it.  Teachers should continue to receive the bonus for the 10 year life of the certificate.  In addition, the amount of the bonus should be clarified. 

Testimony Against:  None. 

Testified:  (In support)  Senator McAuliffe, prime sponsor; Jennifer Wallace, Office of the Governor;  and Karen Davis, Washington Education Association.

(In support with concerns)  Greg Williamson, Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.