Many more Alabama teachers may be eligible for a $10,000 stipend this year, thanks to an expansion of schools offering free meals.

What’s the connection between free- and reduced-price lunch and teacher pay? Alabama gives National Board Certified teachers $5,000 each year. And teachers in some subject areas who work in certain schools – including those with high rates of students eligible for free lunch – can get an additional $5,000.

Last year, 511 Alabama schools were on the “targeted supplement” list for that extra stipend. This year, 999 schools are on the list. The list grew due in large part to many more schools choosing to participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which automatically adds a school to the targeted supplement list.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards lists just under 3,500 teachers as having obtained NBCT status. The certification is considered the gold standard of teaching. Through the process, which can take as little as one year from start to finish, teachers get better at the art and craft of teaching.

To be eligible for the additional $5,000 targeted supplement, teachers must have the National Board certification in one of these subject areas:

• Literacy-Reading language arts in elementary grades,
• English as a new language in all grades,
• Math in sixth through 12th grades,
• Science in sixth through 12th grades,
• Career and technical education in sixth through 12th grades,
• Special education in all grades

During the 2021-22 school year, 156 NBCTs across 104 qualifying schools earned the additional $5,000 stipend. About half of those teachers earned National Board Certification in Literacy-Reading language arts for elementary grades.

When the percentage of students whose families receive government assistance is 40% or higher, schools can participate in the federal CEP program, meaning all students can get free meals at school.

The targeted supplement is intended to attract NBCTs to teach in challenging schools, but according to information from the Alabama Department of Education, while some NBCTs earn the additional $5,000, the incentive so far hasn’t caused much movement.

See the list of eligible schools below.