The Arkansas Department of Education has agreed to shelve a proposal to its National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Rules after many concerns were expressed by educators from across the state.
Johnny Key, commissioner of the ADE, announced the decision on Monday during a joint meeting of the Arkansas House and Senate education committees. The state's incentive program for National Board Certification was among items for discussion on the agenda.
A proposal was recently presented to the State Board of Education to cut funding for bonuses awarded to teachers who renew their National Board Certification for another decade after their original 10-year certification. Act 1803 of 2003 provides a $5,000 annual bonus to national certified teachers for the lifetime of their certification.
Key said Gov. Asa Hutchinson requested the department rescind the proposed revisions and seek a new solution. The committees approved a motion by state Sen. Uvalde Lindsey, D-District 4, to appoint an adequacy subcommittee to seek additional funds to supplement the proposed cuts in funding written into the rules. Lindsey is the vice chair of the Senate's education committee.
Jil'Lana Heard, library media specialist at Lake Hamilton Junior High, is among at least 120 teachers who would have been immediately affected by the changes due to the recent completion of their renewals or submitted payments to renew the certification. Heard renewed her national certification in Library Media Early Childhood through Young Adulthood in 2014.
"I do think the positive is that the governor, it looks like other legislators and people who are stakeholders in education saw the importance of not taking away funding from your teachers that are already in the classroom," Heard said.
The proposal would have cut the bonuses by $1,000 every year for teachers who have completed a submission for renewal before June 1 and those with five or more years left on their renewal certification. Eligible teachers would receive $5,000 in 2017, $4,000 in 2018, $3,000 in 2019, $2,000 in 2020, $1,000 in 2021 and no bonus in 2022.
Gardner STEM Magnet School literacy coach Janie Hill was not surprised by the decision to pull the proposal, but she was surprised it happened so quickly. Hill earned national certification in 2007 in Literacy in Early and Middle Childhood and plans to renew ahead of the June 30 deadline.
"This happens every year and every year it turns out to be nothing, but this was the first year they went through a full proposal," Hill said. "I was more worried about it than I have been in the past."
The subcommittee is expected to present a new proposal to state legislators during the fiscal session in April. The session will begin April 13 and may last up to 30 days.
"We have to remember it's just been kind of tabled," Hill said.
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards began to offer 10-year renewals in 2008. The board will reduce certifications from 10 years to five years in 2017.
Renewals of 10-year certificates will discontinue after 2020. The term for renewals will also be decreased from 10 years to five years.
The state proposed provisions to include bonuses for teachers during their initial five-year certification and the first five-year renewal. Hill said she was surprised to learn the $5,000 bonuses continued for renewals.
"Yes, I want it, but I wouldn't begrudge them not to do that," Hill said. "What I would begrudge is not (awarding) the initial 10 years. I did not think it should be taken from them. So I am very happy and, of course, in the process it benefits me as well. That's double good."
Teachers with national certification doubled in Arkansas after the National Board began to offer renewals. Participation doubled again by 2014 when $12,177,588 was paid out to more than 2,300 Arkansas teachers.
"There's only so much money," Heard said. "You can't grab money off of a tree."
State estimates show about 3,300 teachers could receive almost $17 million by the 2018 fiscal year as 621 teachers can renew their certifications in the next three years. The changes were estimated to save the state more than $1.65 million between 2017 and 2021.
Local on 02/10/2016