This is a printer friendly version of an article from
www.goupstate.com
To print this article open the file menu and choose
Print.
Back
Article published Oct 8, 2004
National certification bonuses could be squeezed from
budget
ASHLEI N. STEVENS
Staff
Writer
Sixth-graders in Kathleen Elam's class are studying the
human cell, but it's Elam and others like her who are under the microscope.Elam
was one of the first teachers in the nation to earn National Board
Certification, a process she says allowed her to learn about herself as an
educator.Now, a decade later as she celebrates her recertification, state
officials are questioning whether certified teachers are serving students more
effectively than noncertified teachers and are threatening to take away state
money that encourages certification.The state offers a $2,300 loan to apply and
a $7,500 annual bonus to those who hold National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards (NBPTS) certification, which is a standards-based effort to improve
teaching quality.More than 3,000 teachers in South Carolina have successfully
completed the rigorous process, which can take up to three years to
complete.Only about half of the teachers who apply attain the 10-year
certification on their first attempt, according to the NBPTS."What it's done is
it's caused teachers who've gone through the process to examine how they teach
and make themselves better teachers," said state Rep. Bobby Harrell,
R-Charleston, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. "I think that's
something that should be rewarded by the state for teachers who are willing to
put in the incredible effort it takes to be certified."Money for National Board
Certification was included in the state budget about three years ago. Each year
since then, House members have suggested measures to reduce or remove the
stipend."I do expect members of the General Assembly to come after the funding
and try to reduce it or take it away again this year," said Harrell, whose
committee writes the first version of the budget. "I believe we will prevail and
continue to have the funding, but there will be a political fight over it to
make sure that happens."Gov. Mark Sanford said the issue of providing monetary
incentives to certified teachers came up in Monday's budget hearing.His chief
concern is whether the millions of dollars truly support a program that benefits
underprivileged students."If we're going to make a $450 million investment, why
wouldn't we want those teachers to go in the areas where there's the greatest
need?" Sanford said.He wants to see the results of a study showing the
effectiveness of the program, which his spokesman Will Folks said may affect
Sanford's decision on the future of this funding. The Office of Program
Evaluation at USC expects the study to be released by the end of this month.In
other states, bonuses are offered only to certified teachers who teach at
low-performing schools.Elam already teaches at a Title 1 school, Z.L. Madden
Elementary, that serves a significant number of students from a low-income
background.For her, national certification is not about receiving incentives but
rather about personal growth."I never did it for the money," she said. "I did it
for finding out about myself and my practices."In fact, when she earned
certification in 1994, there was no financial incentive from the state.Now,
South Carolina pays one of the highest incentives in the nation, according to
NBPTS director of research David Lussier, and has the third highest number of
certified teachers -- trailing only Florida and North Carolina.When South
Carolina first decided to support certified teachers financially, their annual
pay -- an average of $32,000 -- was increased to the teacher's national average
salary of $38,000, Harrell said.About three years ago, a flat bonus of $7,500
was approved for certified teachers, which still places them above the national
average.Teachers in South Carolina seeking certification also receive a $2,300
loan -- the cost to apply -- which is forgiven if teachers earn certification
within three years of applying.Elam predicts that if the loan is taken away,
fewer teachers will be able to afford to take money out of their own pockets to
apply.Personal and professional renewalWith or without the incentive, Elam says
she would have sought recertification for personal and professional reasons."The
entire process allowed me to be reflective, and it turned me into an educator
who felt more assured about the way I teach," she said. "I've been able to show
my work in ways that have become more effective than I was 10 years ago."To
renew her certificate -- which is now valid until Nov. 30, 2014 -- Elam had to
state an area of professional growth and document how she demonstrates her
expertise.In the past decade, she has written a book about ideas for effective
teaching philosophies and coached other teachers through the certification
process."We think board certification is really something that amplifies the
skill of someone like Kathleen Elam and takes their teaching to the next level,"
Lussier said.The threat of reducing or eliminating the stipend doesn't bother
Elam, who has 21 years of experience, but she hopes the governor "would
re-evaluate his thinking and restructure incentives.""Doctors and lawyers go
through a board certification process, and they receive their bonuses from the
job they do," she said. "If we're going to look at education as a profession,
then we should be rewarded."Staff writer Alexander Morrison contributed to this
report.Ashlei Stevens can be reached at 562-7425 or ashlei.stevens@shj.com.