HBA-MPM H.B. 491 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 491 By: Kitchen Public Education 3/12/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Like many states, Texas is having difficulty attracting and retaining quality teachers. Increasing teacher compensation and advancing the recognition of teachers as professionals is one way to address this problem. Other professions use certification by peers to recognize achievement of professional standards. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) has created a rigorous and challenging certification program for public educators. NBPTS certified teachers perform better on a variety of performance measures than those who fall short of NBPTS standards. A few local school districts provide incentives for teachers to obtain NBPTS certification, but there is no statewide system of incentives. House Bill 491 entitles a classroom teacher who is certified by NBPTS to an annual salary increase of $7,500. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 491 amends the Education Code to entitle a classroom teacher certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (board) to a $7,500 award for each year the teacher holds that certification, in addition to any other compensation received. The bill provides that the financial award be paid from state money appropriated specifically for that purpose. A classroom teacher is not entitled to the award for the time the teacher was certified by the board prior to the effective date of this Act. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.