FIRST REGULAR SESSION
HOUSE BILL NO. 625
91ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES TREADWAY AND FROELKER (Co-sponsors).
Read 1st time February 1, 2001, and 1000 copies ordered printed.
TED WEDEL, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
To amend chapter 168, RSMo, by adding thereto one new section relating to national teacher certification incentives.
Section A. Chapter 168, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto one new section, to be known as section 168.700, to read as follows:
168.700. 1. The department of elementary and secondary education shall, pursuant to this section, adopt a "National Teacher Certification Salary Supplement Program". This program shall encourage teachers, or speech language pathologists and audiologists working in the public schools of this state, to voluntarily apply for and achieve teacher certification by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, or the certificate of clinical competence from the American Speech Language Hearing Association, pursuant to this section. Teachers, speech language pathologists or audiologists may apply for bonuses and fee reimbursements from the program pursuant to subsections 3 and 4 of this section and pursuant to other criteria promulgated by the department consistent with this section, on forms promulgated by the department for bonus applications.
2. The general assembly shall make an annual appropriation to the "National Teacher Certification Salary Supplement Program Fund", which is hereby created in the state treasury for the sole purpose of funding bonuses and fee reimbursements pursuant to this section. The fund shall consist of moneys appropriated annually by the general assembly from general revenue to such fund, any moneys paid into the state treasury and required by law to be credited to such fund and any gifts, donations, bequests and other moneys received by the fund. The fund shall be kept separate and apart from all other moneys in the state treasury and shall be paid out by the state treasurer pursuant to chapter 33, RSMo. The fund shall be administered by the department. All interest and moneys earned on the fund shall be credited to the fund. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 33.080, RSMo, to the contrary, moneys in the fund at the end of the biennium shall not be transferred to the credit of the general revenue fund.
3. Beginning July 1, 2002, subject to appropriation, the department shall pay the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards or American Speech Language Hearing Association certification fee for any teacher, speech language pathologist or audiologist seeking national certification, provided that:
(1) The teacher, speech language pathologist or audiologist seeking payment pursuant to this subsection shall first seek reimbursement for the costs of such certification through the school district in which he or she is employed. The department shall only be required to pay any portion of the certification fee that the school district does not pay pursuant to any applicable reimbursement programs that the district may have; and
(2) The department shall pay one-half of the certification fee when the applicant submits documentation to the department that he or she is a candidate for national certification. The department shall pay the second half of the fee upon receipt of documentation that the applicant has achieved the certification.
4. For any school year beginning after the achievement of the certifications described in subsection 1 of this section, the department shall, pursuant to this section, pay a bonus to any teacher, speech language pathologist or audiologist so certified. Any applicant seeking the bonus established pursuant to this subsection shall submit a copy of his or her national certification to the department. The bonus paid pursuant to this subsection may be paid in a lump sum at the beginning of the fiscal year to a school district in the amount necessary to cover all of the bonuses owed to recipients in the district, to be held by the district for a pro rata disbursement to be included in such recipients' paychecks; or such bonus may be paid to such recipients in whatever other manner that the department may by rule provide. The amount of the bonus shall be in addition to base salary, and shall be:
(1) Five thousand dollars for the first school year after the achievement of the certification described in subsection 1 of this section; and
(2) Five thousand dollars for every subsequent year for the life of the certificate.
5. The department of elementary and secondary education shall promulgate rules for the enforcement of this
section. No rule or portion of a rule promulgated pursuant to this section shall take effect unless such rule has been
promulgated pursuant to chapter 536, RSMo.
Missouri House of Representatives