Speech pathologists-national certification.

WORKING DRAFT
2008
STATE OF
WYOMING
08LSO-0235

HOUSE BILL
NO.
HB0144

Speech pathologists-national certification.

Sponsored by:
Representative(s) Meyer, Craft, Davison, Gilmore and Iekel and Senator(s) Decaria

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to
education, providing reimbursement for speech pathologists who obtain national certification;
and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of
Wyoming
:

Section 1.
W.S. 21
‑
7
‑
501
(a)(intro), (ii), (b), (c), (f)(intro), (i), (ii), (iii) and by
creating
a new paragraph (g)
is amended to read:

21
‑
7
‑
501.

National certification incentive; certification fee reimbursement; consultants and mentors; certified teacher pay incentive reimbursement.

(a)

The professional teaching standards board
in cooperation with the
state board of examiners of speech pathology and audiology

shall by rule establish a program under which school districts shall reimburse no more than fifty (50) teachers
, speech pathologists
and certified or licensed service providers employed by Wyoming school districts the actual cost of receiving national certification, not to exceed the national certification fee established by the
national board for professional teaching standards

entity which issues the certification
for the applicable year certification was received, provided:

(ii)

The teacher
, speech pathologist
or service provider, as applicable, was successful in receiving his national certification; and

(b)

Upon verification by the professional teaching standards board that national certification is complete, the district which employs the teacher
, speech pathologist
or service provider shall subject to the limit imposed under subsection (a) of this section, reimburse the teacher
, speech pathologist
or service provider for the actual cost of the national certification fee.

(c)

A school district may apply for an innovative program grant under W.S. 21
‑
22
‑
106(a)(iii) to recover amounts reimbursed to teachers
, speech pathologists
and service providers under subsection (b) of this section.

(f)

In addition to reimbursement of the cost of national board certification under subsection (b) of this section, and to promote employment of
national board certified

teachers

and speech pathologists who have obtained national certification

by school districts, each district employing a
national board certified

teacher

or speech pathologist who has obtained national certification

shall be reimbursed for payments to these teachers
and speech pathologists

subject to the following:

(i)

For each year the certificate is valid, the district provides each teacher
and speech pathologist

employed by the district
and holding

certification by the national board for professional teaching standards
or the American Speech and
Hearing Association

a lump sum payment of four thousand dollars ($4,000.00) which is in addition to the teacher's
or speech pathologist's

annual salary as determined by the board, and which is paid to each certified teacher
or speech pathologist

between December 1 and December 31 of the school year for which application is made under paragraph (ii) of this subsection;

(ii)

Effective school year 2007-2008 and each school year thereafter,
T
he teacher
or speech pathologist

holding certification shall be employed by the district full-time as a teacher

or speech pathologis
t
for that school y
e
ar in which application is made
;

(iii)

The district submits a report to the department of education in a manner, on a form and at times specified by department rule and regulation, documenting the number of national board certified teachers
and speech pathologists

employed by the district, verifying payments to such teachers in accordance with paragraph (i) of this subsection;

(g)

As used in this
section
"n
ational certification" includes
both teachers receiving n
ational board certification and
speech pat
hologist
s issued a certificate of clinical competence
by the American Speech and
Hearing Association
.

Section 2.
This act is effective July 1, 2008.

(END)

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HB0144