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Regular Session, 2010 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 191
BY SENATOR MCPHERSON
A RESOLUTION
To urge and request the governing authority of each public elementary and secondary school
to consider implementing the salary supplement, as provided in law, for national
board certified school psychologists, speech-language audiologists and pathologists,
and school social workers, in the form of a salary increase.
WHEREAS, school psychologists, speech-language audiologists and pathologists,
and school social workers are school professionals employed by local school boards who
specialize in working with at-risk and special needs children and adolescents, as well as their
teachers and families, and are critical to ensuring that students have a positive and rewarding
educational experience, while helping to strengthen connections between home and school;
and
WHEREAS, with specialized training in education, psychology, social work, speech-
language pathology, these professionals employ their training and skills in collaboration with
educators, parents, and other professionals to help every student to succeed academically,
socially, and emotionally and to learn in a safe, healthy, and supportive environment; and
WHEREAS, there is a critical shortage of these professionals who have earned
advanced academic degrees and are national board certified in their respective areas of
expertise; and
WHEREAS, these school professionals are important to the overall success of the
student at school and a priority should be placed on compensating those professionals who
have achieved a national board certification in their profession; and
WHEREAS, the process to attain national board certification is considered very
rigorous and time consuming and can be very costly for these professionals; and
WHEREAS, the salaries for such employees are eligible for funding through the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act administered by the United States Department
of Education; and SR NO. 191 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, such school professionals are required to provide services to students
at school for a ten-month period, while the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
requires them to be available to students, parents, and the community on a year-round basis;
and
WHEREAS, an increase in salary of five thousand dollars is justified to reward these
professionals for the quality services they provide to at-risk and special needs students in
Louisiana schools; and
WHEREAS, state law requires local school boards to reward these school
professionals with salary supplements as an incentive to increase the number of full-time
national board certified school psychologists, speech-language audiologists and pathologists,
and school social workers; and
WHEREAS, R.S. 17:421.9 requires that an employing school board pay an annual
salary supplement not to exceed five thousand dollars per year to a full-time school
psychologist who holds both a valid Louisiana ancillary certificate and a National Certified
School Psychologist credential issued by the National School Psychology Certification
Board, however, the school board will be reimbursed by the state Department of Education
only if funds are appropriated for this purpose; and
WHEREAS, R.S. 17:421.10 requires that an employing school board pay an annual
salary supplement of five thousand dollars per year to a full-time school social worker who
holds both a valid professional ancillary certificate in school social work and the Certified
School Social Work Specialist credential issued by the National Association of Social
Workers, however, the school board will be reimbursed by the state Department of
Education only if funds are appropriated for this purpose; and
WHEREAS, R.S. 17:421.11 provides that the employing school board shall pay an
annual salary supplement of five thousand dollars per year to a full-time school
speech-language pathologist or audiologist who holds both a valid Louisiana credential, a
license issued by the Louisiana Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and
Audiology, and a Certificate of Clinical Competence issued by the American
Speech-Language Hearing Association, however, the school board will be reimbursed by the
state Department of Education only if funds are appropriated for this purpose; and SR NO. 191 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, school psychologists, speech-language audiologists and pathologists,
and school social workers have a positive impact on at-risk and special needs students and
take an active role in developing positive behavioral intervention strategies that enable
students to gain the maximum benefit from the normal educational classroom environment.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby urge and request the governing authority of each public elementary and
secondary school to consider implementing the salary supplement, as provided in law, in the
form of a salary increase of five thousand dollars for national board certified school
psychologists, speech-language audiologists and pathologists, and school social workers.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana does
hereby urge and request the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to take
such steps as may be necessary with regard to the classification of such employees to ensure
that the professionals are paid for a ten month budget period.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
president of the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and to the Louisiana
School Boards Association.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE