South Carolina § 59-26-85 - NBPTS recertification; development of application fee loan program.

§ 59-26-85. NBPTS recertification; development of application fee loan program.

(A)(1) Teachers who are certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) before July 1, 2010, shall enter a recertification cycle for their South Carolina certificate consistent with the recertification cycle for National Board certification and NBPTS certified teachers moving to this State are exempted from initial certification requirements and are eligible for continuing contract status and their recertification cycle will be consistent with National Board certification. Teachers receiving national certification from the NBPTS before July 1, 2010, shall receive an increase in pay for the initial ten-year National Board certification and no more than one ten-year renewal of National Board certification. The pay increase shall be determined annually in the appropriations act. The established amount shall be added to the annual pay of the nationally certified teacher.

(2) Teachers who apply on or after July 1, 2010, for certification by the NBPTS shall enter a recertification cycle for their South Carolina certificate and consistent with the initial ten-year cycle for National Board certification, and teachers moving to this State who apply for National Board certification on or after July 1, 2010, and subsequently achieve National Board certification are exempted from initial certification requirements and are eligible for continuing contract status and their recertification cycle will be consistent with the initial ten-year cycle. Teachers receiving national certification from the NBPTS on or after July 1, 2010, only shall receive an increase in pay for the initial ten years of the certification. The pay increase shall be determined annually in the appropriations act. The established amount shall be added to the annual pay of the nationally certified teacher.

(B) The Center for Teacher Recruitment shall develop guidelines and administer the programs whereby teachers applying to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards for certification before July 1, 2010, may receive a loan equal to the amount of the application fee. One-half of the loan principal amount and interest shall be forgiven when the required portfolio is submitted to the National Board. Teachers attaining certification within three years of receiving the loan will have the full loan principal amount and interest forgiven. This subsection does not apply to any application submitted on or after July 1, 2010.

HISTORY: 2000 Act No. 393, SECTION 11; 2010 Act No. 201, SECTION 1, eff June 3, 2010.

Effect of Amendment

The 2010 amendment added the item designator (1) to subsection (A), and in subsection (A) added the date restriction to the first and third sentences, and substituted "the initial ten-year National Board certification and no more than one ten-year renewal of National Board certification" for "the life of the certification"; added subsection (A)(2) regarding recertification cycle for teachers who apply on or after July 1, 2010; and in subsection (B), added the date restriction in the first sentence, and added the last sentence regarding applications submitted after July 1, 2010.