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Budget proposal would add $100 million to sustain National Board certification incentive program
Summary
The governor proposed $100 million in one-time Prop. 98 funding to continue the state's National Board Certified Teacher subsidy and incentive; proponents pointed to research showing benefits to student outcomes and teacher retention while the LAO urged waiting for additional outcome data.
Sacramento — The governor’s January budget would allocate $100 million in Proposition 98 funding to extend California’s National Board Certified Teacher subsidy and incentive program, which aims to increase the number of board-certified teachers in high-priority schools.
Department of Finance testimony described a three-part design: a subsidy to help candidates pursue certification, funding to assist with the cost of candidacy, and an incentive payment to teachers who earn certification and serve in priority schools. The Department summarized research showing nationally board-certified teachers have lower turnover and positive student impacts, and said California currently ranks third in the nation for new National Board certified teachers.
Why it matters: Backers told the Assembly subcommittee that continuing the incentive would encourage more experienced, high-performing teachers to pursue certification and to teach in high-need schools. California’s existing investment has coincided with a marked increase in candidacy and completion rates, proponents said, but committee members and the Legislative Analyst’s Office sought more program outcome data to assess cost-effectiveness.
Program details and numbers: The Department of Finance said the $100 million proposal would support roughly 3,600 incentive awardees and about 4,000 subsidy awardees over multiple years; the incentive is structured as a multi-year stipend paid after certification. California Department of Education witnesses reported that, since the state subsidy program began, hundreds of participants who received state support have completed National Board certification and that participation by teachers working in priority schools has increased substantially.
The Legislative Analyst’s Office recommended rejecting the proposed appropriation at this time, noting that current program funds are expected to support the 2025–26 application cycle and that additional completed cohort data will be available in coming years to assess effectiveness. CDE asked the Legislature to consider making the program ongoing or expanding allowable uses to permit local or university-run candidate support programs that help candidates succeed in the certification process.
Committee members asked for more data on geographic distribution (which school districts and regions host board-certified teachers), impacts where candidates cluster and how local incentives or bargaining agreements layer with the state incentive. CDE agreed to provide more detail on where participating and certified teachers are located and recommended the Legislature consider long-term funding to avoid the uncertainty that followed an earlier 2008–09-era cancellation that interrupted incentive payments to candidates.
The subcommittee held the item open for additional data and analysis before taking any funding action.
