A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to increase the salary of nationally certified school counselors.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Effective for the 2005‑2006 school year:
(1)	A school counselor who either is provisionally certified by the State Board of Education or does not hold a masters degree shall be paid on the "A" salary schedule;
(2)	A school counselor who is fully certified by the State Board of Education as a school counselor who is paid on the "M" salary schedule, is not certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and is not certified as a national certified school counselor by the National Board for Certified Counselors, shall be paid on the "M" salary schedule.
(3)	A school counselor who is not certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards but is certified as a national certified school counselor by the National Board for Certified Counselors shall be paid ten percent (10%) more than a school counselor paid on the "M" salary schedule.
(4)	A school counselor who is certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards shall be paid on the "M" salary schedule for teachers with NBPTS certification, regardless of whether the counselor is certified as a national certified school counselor by the National Board for Certified Counselors.
SECTION 2.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Public Instruction the sum of eleven million one thousand fifty‑three dollars ($11,001,053) for the 2005‑2006 fiscal year and the sum of eleven million one thousand fifty‑three dollars ($11,001,053) for the 2006‑2007 school year to implement the provisions of this act.
SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2005.