National Board Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund; eligibility.
Summary
SB1129 revises Virginia’s National Teacher Board Certification Incentive Reward Program and Fund, which is administered by the Board of Education. The bill continues the special nonreverting fund and directs it to be used for incentive grants that help public school teachers and other eligible public school staff pay the upfront costs of obtaining or maintaining National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification.
The bill changes the award structure for certified staff and certification candidates. It authorizes grants to cover half of the initial certification fee at registration and the remaining half upon successful certification, and to cover the full maintenance-of-certification fee upon completion. For staff who obtain national certification, the bill provides a $5,000 initial award, followed by $7,500 each year for the life of the certificate, plus an additional $2,500 in any year the staff member works in a Title I school. These amounts are to be increased biennially during rebenchmarking to account for inflation, and the Board of Education may adopt guidelines and procedures if available funds are insufficient.
Impact
The bill amends § 22.1-299.2 of the Code of Virginia to expand and restructure state-funded incentives for National Board certification. It affects the Board of Education, the State Treasurer, the Department of Education, and public school teachers and staff who are pursuing or have earned National Board certification. It also preserves the special nonreverting fund structure, meaning unused balances remain available for future awards rather than reverting to the general fund.
Sentiment
The available vote history suggests strong support for the bill in committee, as it was reported from the Senate Education and Health Committee by a 15-0 vote and rereferred to Finance and Appropriations. No committee transcript was provided, but the unanimous vote indicates broad agreement on the policy goal of encouraging National Board certification and supporting teacher retention and professional development.
Contention
There is little visible opposition in the available record, but the main policy issue appears to be cost and funding adequacy. The bill increases and expands incentive payments, so the amount of money available in the Fund will determine whether all eligible teachers receive the full award amounts. The legislation anticipates this by directing the Board of Education to establish procedures for prorating or otherwise determining awards if the Fund is insufficient. Another likely point of discussion is the added incentive for Title I schools, which targets hard-to-staff schools and may raise questions about fiscal impact and equity across districts.