(a) Pay increases, FY 2005-06. The State Budget Officer shall allocate to the State Board of Education, the Board of Trustees of the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind, the Board of Youth Services School District, the Board of Directors of the Alabama School of Fine Arts, and the Board of Trustees of the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science for disbursement to the employees thereof funds based on the criteria established in this section. It is not the intent of this section to make appropriations, but the appropriations required by this section shall be made in the annual budget act for the public schools and colleges for the designated fiscal years.

(1) CERTIFICATED PERSONNEL (K-12). For the fiscal year beginning October 1, 2005, and each year thereafter, each certificated employee at all city and county school systems and the teachers at the Department of Youth Services School District shall receive a six percent salary increase. Each step and cell on the State Minimum Salary Schedule contained in the annual budget act for the public schools shall be increased by the amounts below for fiscal year 2005-06, the State Minimum Salary Schedule shall reflect the following percentage increases:

All certified employees, including Adult Basic Education and Science in Motion employees, shall be guaranteed pay increases in the amounts indicated above for their years of experience and degrees earned and the corresponding pay increases shall be reflected in the appropriate local salary schedule and paid to each certificated employee. The provisions and requirements of this section shall be in addition to the provisions of Section 16-13-231.1, relating to the State Minimum Salary Schedule. Each certificated employee shall be properly placed on the local salary schedule according to degree earned and years of public education service, either in-state or out-of-state, which shall be not less than the amounts appropriated for the State Minimum Salary Schedule. The employee shall be paid according to degree earned and length of public education experience. The pay increase shall be given to each person employed for the 2005-06 fiscal year in addition to any state or local step increase to which the employee is otherwise entitled. The local board of education shall transmit to the State Department of Education the appropriate notice of the earned advanced degree for each employee in a timely fashion; thereafter, the employee shall be paid for the advanced degree as soon as the degree is certified to the State Department of Education as being earned. The annual budget act for public education shall contain an appropriation of at least five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each teacher who has successfully completed the certification process offered by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). Payment for passing the NBPTS test shall be appropriated from the Education Trust Fund and shall be given to the qualified teacher. The pay increase provided in this section shall apply only to the portion of an employee's salary as provided under the State Minimum Salary Schedule and shall not require a pay increase on any local supplement.

(2) EDUCATION SUPPORT PERSONNEL (K-12). A six percent salary increase shall be paid to each public education support worker and adult bus driver, including Adult Basic Education and Science in Motion personnel, employed for the 2005-06 fiscal year in addition to the salary received during the 2004-05 fiscal year, except employees covered under the state Merit System at the Department of Youth Services School District. Each governing body of authority shall establish and maintain a salary schedule for each class and type of employee and each step of each salary schedule shall be increased to reflect a six percent pay increase which shall be given to the person employed for the 2005-06 fiscal year and each year employed thereafter. A separate local salary schedule shall be established and maintained for each job.

(3) AIDB. For the fiscal year 2005-06, employees at the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind shall receive pay increases which shall be in excess of their salaries received during the 2004-05 fiscal year. The increases shall be as follows:

a. Certificated. The salary schedule for certificated employees shall be revised to reflect at least the following amount of raises:

b. Support. A six percent salary increase shall be given to each support worker employed by the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind. A separate salary schedule shall be established and maintained for each job.

c. Miscellaneous requirements. The AIDB board shall establish and maintain a salary schedule for each class and type of employee and each step of each salary schedule for fiscal year 2005-06 shall be increased to reflect the pay increases above to be given to each person employed for the 2005-06 fiscal year and each year employed thereafter. The raises contained in this subsection shall be paid to each employee.

(4) TWO-YEAR POSTSECONDARY INSTITUTIONS. The State Board of Education shall revise all salary schedules of the two-year postsecondary institutions to reflect an increase of six percent for the 2005-06 fiscal year. The pay increase shall be given to each person employed in addition to any step increase to which the employee is otherwise entitled. The Postsecondary Education Department shall take proper steps to ensure that employees on all salary schedules, including the C-3 schedules, are given full credit for prior work experience in the public schools and colleges, and shall take care to ensure proper placements on the salary schedules. Placement on the revised salary schedules shall be in accordance with the employee's length of service in public education. No pay increase shall be given to any two-year postsecondary employee in excess of six percent, except as specifically provided in this section. In addition, the State Board of Education shall add Step 25 to all salary schedules if the conditional appropriation contained in the education appropriation act for fiscal year 2006 is released or any other funds become available to fund Step 25.

(b) Miscellaneous provisions. The following provisions are hereby established:

(1) FISCAL YEAR. All salaries and salary increases which are established by the Legislature or authorized by the State Board of Education shall be paid in full to each person employed before the end of the applicable fiscal year as defined in Section 16-1-1, as amended.

(2) EXTENDED WORK. Public K-12 school employees on contracts which extend beyond 182 days shall be given a pro rata salary increment for each day or partial day of work extending beyond 182 days.

(3) LOCAL INCREMENT. Any cost-of-living adjustment and/or increase on the State Minimum Salary Schedule for teachers as provided in this section shall be exclusive of any local pay increase granted or due to teachers under provisions of any local salary schedule. Any cost-of-living adjustment and/or pay increase required by this section for public school support personnel shall be in addition to any pay increase due or granted to the employees under provisions of any local salary schedules. The pay raise provisions of this section shall not apply to any salary supplements granted by local boards of education, bonuses earned for certification by the NBPTS, or the federal portion of the salary paid to a Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) instructor employed by a local school board.

(4) REDUCED PAY. No employee shall be dismissed or have his or her work hours reduced or extended or have his or her salary reduced because of the provisions of any pay raise enacted by the Legislature or required by the State Board of Education.

(5) COMMUNITY EDUCATION. Each county and city board of education shall have the option to exclude from the provisions of this section any community education or school-sponsored child care or child enrichment program which is supplemental to the state-required educational program.

(6) LOCAL CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS. The pay raise provisions of this section shall not apply to superintendents of education of any school system. Any pay increase given to the superintendent shall be by recorded vote of the governing body of authority.

(7) CAREER-TECHNICAL PROGRAMS. There shall be no cutbacks or decreases in the Career-Technical Programs of any board as a result of this or any preceding pay raise act of the Legislature. Neither the salaries nor the number of career technical employee positions are to be reduced or diminished in any manner or method as a result of the passage of this section or any prior act after the 1995 fiscal year granting pay increase to any employee of the board. It shall be strictly prohibited for any board or chief executive officer to take monies from the Career-Technical Program to finance, in whole or in part, the programs or the salaries of the employees in the Career-Technical Program of the board, and the State Board of Education shall take care to protect the viability of the Career-Technical Programs of each board.