Candidates who are eligible for the bonus shall be limited to those meeting the following requirements:
(1) Hold current certification by the national board for professional teaching standards; and
(2) Who are:
(a) Teachers and other certificated staff employed full time or part time under written contract by Washington public school districts or educational service districts pursuant to RCW
28A.405.210; or
(b) Teachers and other certificated staff employed full time or part time by a contractor pursuant to WAC
392-121-188 and
392-121-206 (2)(a); or
(c) Teachers and other certificated staff employed full time or part time by the Washington school for the deaf or Washington school for the blind.
(3) In addition to bonuses provided by subsection (2) of this section, teachers and other certificated staff shall be eligible for additional bonuses if the employee is in an instructional assignment in challenging, high poverty schools, subject to the following conditions and limitations:
(a) For the 2011-12 school year and thereafter, challenging, high poverty schools are schools where, for the prior year, the student headcount enrollment eligible for the federal free or reduced price lunch program was at least:
(i) 70 percent for elementary schools;
(ii) 60 percent for middle schools; or
(iii) 50 percent for high schools; as determined by the October 1 count of the comprehensive education data and research system (CEDARS) or successor data collection and reporting systems, of the office of superintendent of public instruction, on May 1st of that prior year.
(b) For purposes of the national board challenging, high poverty schools bonus, a school shall be categorized based upon the highest grades served as follows:
(i) A school whose highest grade served is 6th grade or lower shall be considered an elementary school;
(ii) A school whose highest grade served is either 7th, 8th, or 9th grade shall be considered a middle school;
(iii) A school whose highest grade served is either 10th, 11th, or 12th grade shall be considered a high school.
(c) A school shall be considered only if it serves thirty or more students, or is the largest school in the district serving its designated category.
(d) Schools that provide institutional education programs pursuant to WAC
392-122-205 shall be designated as challenging, high poverty schools with the student headcount enrollment eligible for the federal free or reduced price lunch program at one hundred percent and shall not be subject to the requirement in this subsection of serving thirty or more students.
(e) The student enrollment data used shall include the state-funded students in kindergarten through twelfth grade, plus prekindergarten students in special education.
(f) Teachers and other certificated staff that meet the qualifications for additional bonuses under this subsection who are assigned for less than one full school year or less than full time for the school year shall receive the additional bonuses in a prorated manner, subject to the following conditions and limitations:
(i) The portion of the employee's assignment to challenging, high poverty schools shall be determined as of June 15th of the school year.
(ii) If the employee's assignment to challenging, high poverty schools is less than 1.0 full-time equivalent, the proration shall use the methodology in WAC
392-121-212 and shall be rounded to three decimal places.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 28A.150.290(1) and 28A.405.415. 11-23-116, § 392-140-973, filed 11/21/11, effective 12/22/11. Statutory Authority: RCW 28A.150.290(1). 11-02-054, § 392-140-973, filed 1/3/11, effective 2/3/11; 10-12-020, § 392-140-973, filed 5/21/10, effective 6/21/10; 09-07-043, § 392-140-973, filed 3/11/09, effective 4/11/09; 08-17-013, § 392-140-973, filed 8/8/08, effective 9/8/08. Statutory Authority: RCW 28A.150.290(2) and 2001 c 7 § 514(12). 02-15-023, § 392-140-973, filed 7/9/02, effective 8/9/02.]