Hirono Urges OMB to Prioritize Funding for National Board Certified Teachers in FY25 Budget Proposal

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) sent a letter to the Director of Office Management and Budget (OMB) Shalanda Young, urging OMB to prioritize funding for National Board Certified Teachers in President Biden’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2025. In the letter, Senator Hirono requested dedicated funding to ensure teachers—especially those in high-need schools and school districts—have the resources they need to obtain Board certification.

“Over a decade of research has made it clear: teachers who have the opportunity to earn National Board Certification are more effective at accelerating student learning, more likely to serve as teacher mentors and leaders, and remain in the profession longer than their peers,” wrote Senator Hirono. “Many teachers, however, cannot access the credential without adequate financial and professional support. The federal government, however, has not provided dedicated funding for this cause since 2011.”

The letter emphasized the importance of supporting the growth of National Board Certified Teachers in addressing challenges that teachers face, including teacher pay, as over half of all states—including Hawaii—and hundreds of school districts now provide significant salary incentives for Board-certified teachers, with many further incentivizing National Board Certified Teachers to teach in high-need schools.

“By providing dedicated funding to ensure teachers have the resources they need to obtain Board certification, the Biden Administration has an opportunity to accelerate student success while making sure students have access to effective instruction in the classroom at a time when so many are still working to recover academically from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Senator Hirono concluded in the letter.

Senator Hirono is committed to improving opportunities for students and helping to ensure that our youth receive the quality education they deserve. In January, the Senate passed a bipartisan resolution introduced by Senator Hirono, along with Senators Britt, Heinrich, and Hyde-Smith, to recognize National Board Certified Teachers by designating the last week of January as “National Board Certified Teacher Week.” The resolution also encouraged administrators, school districts, and states to promote the growth of National Board Certified Teachers.

The full text of the letter is available here and below.

Dear Director Young,

Thank you for your continued work to make sure President Biden's policy priorities are funded in FY2025. I appreciate your efforts to deliver for the American people. As you complete your work on the President's budget proposal for the coming year, I respectfully request that you consider providing dedicated funding to ensure our nation's teachers have the resources they need to be effective in the classroom. Specifically, I request funding to support the continued growth of National Board Certified Teachers, particularly those in high-need schools and school districts throughout the United States.

National Board Certification is the profession's only research-based, student-centered advanced certification. Similar to medicine and other fields, it assures policymakers, parents, and the public that teachers have met the profession's highest standards. Over a decade of research has made it clear: teachers who have the opportunity to earn National Board Certification are more effective at accelerating student learning, more likely to serve as teacher mentors and leaders, and remain in the profession longer than their peers. Many teachers, however, cannot access the credential without adequate financial and professional support. The federal government, however, has not provided dedicated funding for this cause since 2011.

Supporting the growth of National Board Certified Teachers has the opportunity to address some of our education system's most pressing challenges, such as teacher pay: over half of all states and hundreds of school districts now provide significant salary incentives for Board-certified teachers, with many further incentivizing National Board Certified Teachers to teach in high­-need schools. For example, a teacher in a high-need school in Hawaii receives $10,000 for every year they remain certified- encouraging teachers who have met the profession's highest standards to teach in the schools that would benefit from them the most.

By providing dedicated funding to ensure teachers have the resources they need to obtain Board certification, the Biden Administration has an opportunity to accelerate student success while making sure students have access to effective instruction in the classroom at a time when so many are still working to recover academically from the COVID-19 pandemic. I reiterate our request for the Administration to provide dedicated funding to support the continued growth of National Board Certified Teachers in the United States.

Thank you for your consideration of this request. I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

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