WEST virginia legislature

2018 regular session

Introduced

Senate Bill 547

By Senators Jeffries, Romano, and Beach

[Introduced February 15, 2018; Referred
to the Committee on Education]

A BILL to amend and reenact §18-3-12 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to expanding the local school improvement council at participating schools to add representatives appointed by the principal of the school to support the Special Community Development School Pilot Program.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 3. STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS.

§18-3-12. Special Community Development School Pilot Program.

The state superintendent shall establish a Special Community Development School Pilot Program to be implemented in a neighborhood of at least five public schools, which shall include at least one elementary and middle school, for the duration of five years. The neighborhood of public schools designated by the state superintendent for the pilot shall have significant enrollments of disadvantaged, minority and underachieving students. The designated neighborhood of public schools under the direction of the county board and county superintendent shall work in collaboration with higher education, community organizations, Center for Professional Development, local community leaders, affected classroom teachers, affected parents and the state board to develop and implement strategies that could be replicated in other public schools with significant enrollments of disadvantaged, minority and underachieving students to improve academic achievement. To support the pilot program, the Local School Improvement Council at the participating schools shall be expanded to include a representative from the Center for Professional Development, higher education, an additional local community member, and an additional business partner, all to be appointed by the principal.  For purposes of this section “neighborhood” means an area of no more than seven square miles.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to add members to the local school improvement council.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.