Read about Delaware's pursuit of the salary supplement in the ASHA Leader Article, "Delaware Adds Salary Supplement for School-based Clinicians" (Vol. 9, No.17)
HOW TO APPLY FOR THE 6% SCHOOL-BASED STIPEND
PLEASE READ AND CAREFULLY FOLLOW THESE DIRECTIONS
Two documents should be taken to your school district’s Personnel/.Payroll/Human Resources Office. Last week, all school districts were informed by DOE that SLPs and AUDs with their CCC are eligible for this stipend. Bring the following:
1. ORIGINAL Certificate of Clinical Competence issued by ASHA. If you do not have the original, you will have to contact ASHA and request a copy of this document. A letter from ASHA verifying you have earned the CCC is NOT sufficient. DOE requires the original ASHA certificate. Stay positive! Please do not complain about this—you will receive 6% retroactively.
2. CURRENT ASHA membership card with CERTIFIED MEMBER status clearly marked.
Your school district will copy these documents and forward them to DOE. The contact person at DOE assures me it is reasonable to request that these forms be sent within 5 working days.
The documents are being processed at DOE as soon as they come in.
If you want verification that your documents have been received and processed by DOE, contact Maria Degnats mdagnats@doe.k12.de.us and she will respond to you VIA EMAIL. DO NOT CALL HER. Maria says all of your calls keep her from processing the documents.
ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS
1. The stipend went into effect as of 7/1/04. If you worked for your district during the summer, YES, you are eligible for the additional 6% on the state-based portion of your salary earned since that time. Ask your district to process this information.
2. If you turn in your documents this week, the earliest the 6% will appear in your pay is the end of September pay.
3. If you want to know the amount of your 6% stipend, check with your district office for your specific pay step. DOE does not have this information.
4. CAUTION—Your ASHA membership card only verifies your CCC through 12/31/04. You are advised to pay your dues early to get your 2005 membership card ASAP. You are responsible for bringing your new membership card with the 12/31/05 expiration date into your district office so a verified copy can be sent on to DOE. There may be a lag in the 6% pay from the time you show your new membership card with certification status and the final December pay of 2004. The stipend will be fully paid as long as you bring in your new membership card.
If you have additional questions, feel free to contact Illene Courtright icourtright@comcast.net or call 738-9188.