The San Juan Island School District is proud to announce that Beth Spaulding has met the rigorous National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. She is the first to earn such certification in the district.

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards is an independent, non-profit and non-partisan organization founded in 1987 to create a system of advanced certification for teachers based on high and rigorous standards. National Board Certification is a voluntary assessment program designed to identify, recognize and reward accomplished teachers who meet high and rigorous national standards.

Spaulding began her teaching career in 1972 in Ferguson, Miss. After several years of teaching, she took time out to raise a family and then began substitute teaching in the San Juan Island School District in 1994. She has taught full time in the high school math department since 1999. She is highly regarded for her teaching expertise and leadership in the district.

She will receive a $5,000 annual bonus, funded by the state Legislature to reward and encourage teachers to obtain National Board Certification.

Superintendent Michael Soltman said, “We are so proud of Beth’s achievement. She joins a (National Board for Professional Teaching Standards) cohort of wonderful teachers across our state. We look forward to her serving as a mentor and model for other teachers in our district wishing to seek certification.”

Washington State National Board History
In 2000, with funding support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Stuart Foundation and Washington Mutual, the State of Washington launched the Washington Initiative for National Board Certification. This statewide initiative sought to increase the number of teachers and school counselors pursuing National Board Certification as a way to positively impact student learning.

After certification, the initiative was charged to use the expertise of these accomplished teachers to assist with statewide education reform.