Tell Governor Jindal to save national certification supplements!
Tell Governor Jindal to retain supplements for nationally certified professionals!
Keep National Certification funds in the budget!
The supplement is a promise the state should keep.
Although the both houses of the legislature have adopted a $28.7 billion budget and sent it to the governor for his signature, there is not enough money in the budget to pay for everything that was approved.
Because the state cannot have a deficit budget, some items simply will not be funded. Among those items could be annual pay supplements for teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; school counselors certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors; school psychologists certified by the National School Psychology Certification Board; school social workers certified by the National Association of Social Workers; and school speech-language pathologists and audiologists certified by the America Speech-Language Hearing Association.
To his great credit, Sen. Ben Nevers (D-Bogalusa) fought for a $7.7 amendment to the state budget that guarantees funding for these supplements. But with a stroke of a pen, the governor can eliminate them from the budget.
These supplements are a promise made to teachers, guidance counselors, psychologists, social workers, speech pathologists and audiologists: upgrade your credentials beyond what is required for the job, and you will be rewarded.
Taking away these supplements earned by dedicated professionals would be a shameful breech of trust. Please click on the link and tell Gov. Bobby Jindal that you want to make sure the supplements are funded.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Please keep national certification supplements in the budget!
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
I understand that you must make hard choices to bring our state's budget into balance. But please retain the salary supplements in the budget for teachers, guidance counselors, school psychologists, social workers, speech pathologists and audiologists.
The $7.7 million amendment by Sen. Ben Nevers is nothing less than the keeping of a promise made to educators in past legislative sessions.
These educators kept their end of the bargain. They've gone above and beyond their job requirements and undergone rigorous testing to earn national certification.
Their sacrifice is a point of pride for public education in our state. School systems boast about the numbers of nationally certified professionals they employ. Studies show that students perform better when under the tutelage of nationally certified professionals.
Please keep Louisiana's promise to these dedicated professionals, and retain the supplement in the budget.
Sincerely,
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