H. B. 3286
(By Delegates Shott, Boggs, Porter, Frazier,
Campbell, Border, Armstead and Rowan)
[Introduced March 23, 2009; referred to the
Committee on Education.]
A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by
adding thereto a new article, designated §18C-8-1, §18C-8-2,
§18C-8-3, §18C-8-4, §18C-8-5 and §18C-8-6, all relating to the
creation of a preengineering summer academy and scholarship
opportunities for preengineering students and teachers and the
creation of a special revenue fund for said purpose.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended
by adding thereto a new article, designated §18C-8-1, §18C-8-2,
§18C-8-3, §18C-8-4, §18C-8-5 and §18C-8-6, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 8. THE EUSTACE FREDERICK PREENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
EDUCATION PROGRAMS.
§18C-8-1. Purpose; legislative intent.
A vibrant engineering community is essential to West
Virginia's productivity and economic growth. The State of West
Virginia needs engineers who can apply technology through innovation to benefit the state economy. The state needs to
produce engineers in larger numbers to develop a competitive edge
and to strengthen its ability to build and maintain its
infrastructure. The state's prosperity depends on attracting more
of its brightest young people into engineering. While the State of
West Virginia maintains university-level schools of engineering,
the emergence of engineering as a critical need in the state and
nation dictates that additional effort is made to introduce the
study of engineering to the middle schools, high schools and
technical education centers of this state. The connection of
science and math principles as to real-world application in the
study of engineering produces students ready to pursue careers in
the critical need area of engineering or in other scientific areas.
§18C-8-2. Preengineering program development.
The West Virginia Board of Education shall maintain and expand
preengineering and technology education programs in the middle
schools, secondary schools and technical education centers of West
Virginia. The purpose of these programs is to stimulate in young
people an interest in engineering as a career field and to provide
the foundational knowledge and skills that will lead to successful
completion of higher level engineering studies.
§18C-8-3. Preengineering summer academy.
(a) The West Virginia Board of Education shall, in cooperation
with post-secondary engineering programs and industry representatives, maintain and expand an annual summer academy
experience for aspiring engineers enrolled in preengineering
programs. The purposes of this academy experience are to provide
advance engineering experiences featuring technology application,
problem solving, team experiences and opportunities to learn from
industry professionals and university faculty; to bridge the gap
between educational practice and the engineering workforce; and to
help talented preengineering students achieve their greatest
potential.
(b) The board may partner with college or university schools
of engineering to offer this academy experience.
(c) The board may also support other out-of-school activities
for middle and high school students that are designed to connect
preengineering students to real world engineering projects and
practicing engineering professionals.
§18C-8-4. Scholarship fund for preengineering students and
educators.
(a) Beginning with the 2009-2010 school year, the State Board
of Education shall establish a scholarship program for outstanding
high school graduates who have completed a preengineering program
to pursue post-secondary college work in the study of engineering.
Preference may be given to those students identifying mining
engineering as a chose career path. The board may award ten
scholarships, not to exceed $5,000 each based on criteria established by the board.
(b) Additionally, the board may award twenty annual
scholarships not to exceed $3,500 each to outstanding
preengineering teachers for the purpose of taking additional course
work required to gain or maintain the necessary certification to
teach preengineering programs. The criteria for awarding these
scholarships shall be promulgated by the board.
§18C-8-5. Programs to be named in honor of Eustace Frederick.
The Summer Academy and the Scholarship Fund created hereunder
shall be designated as the Eustace Frederick Preengineering Summer
Academy and the Eustace Frederick Engineering Scholarship
respectively.
§18C-8-6. Special Revenue Fund.
(a) There is hereby established in the State Treasury a
special revenue account to be known as the "The Eustace Frederick
Preengineering and Technology Education Programs Fund", which shall
be governed, expensed, administered and accounted for by the State
Board of Education.
(b) Funds from the following resources may be deposited to the
fund:
(1) Funds appropriated to the fund by the Legislature or the
State Board of Education;
(2) Federal funds that may otherwise be made available to the
state for the fund;
(4) Contributions and donations from public authorities,
government units and private entities;
(5) All moneys paid or credited to the fund, by contract or
otherwise, including interest earnings which may accrue from the
investment or reinvestment of the fund moneys; and
(6) Other lawful sources as determined appropriate by the
State Board of Education.
(c) The State Board of Education may establish accounts and
subaccounts within the fund as considered desirable to effectuate
the purposes of this article, or to meet the requirements of any
other state or federal programs.
(d) For the necessary and convenient administration of the
fund, the State Board of Education shall also direct the State
Treasurer to establish accounts and subaccounts within the fund
account necessary to meet any applicable federal law requirements
or as the fund shall determine necessary or desirable in order to
implement the provisions of this article.
(e) The fund shall comply with all federal and state laws and
regulations prohibiting the commingling of funds deposited in the
fund. Amounts in the fund that are prohibited from being
commingled with other amounts in the fund shall be segregated and
administered separate and apart from other amounts in the fund and
may not be transferred to any other account.
NOTE: This bill shall create a preengineering summer academy
and scholarship opportunities for preengineering students and
teachers through the West Virginia Board of Education.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from
the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would
be added.