WEST virginia legislature
2023 regular session
Introduced
House Bill 3046
By Delegate Dillon
[Introduced January 25, 2023; Referred to the Committee on Education]
A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-2-43, relating to the creation of the Fast Track for Agriculture Education Endorsement Program.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
(a) The Department of Education shall consult with accredited higher education institutions in this state to create a fast-track endorsement/certification process for professionally certified teachers of other subjects wishing to obtain an endorsement/certification in agriculture.
(b) This program shall apply existing degree credits, to the extent that such credits are applicable. The program shall consist of a core of 18 graduate credit hours for those seeking to teach agriculture in grades 5-8 and shall consist of a core of 36 graduate credit hours for those who are seeking to teach agriculture in grades 9-12.
(c) County boards of education shall implement the program outlined in subsections (a) and (b) of this section with the ultimate goal of creating more interest in teaching agriculture and providing for a ready-made student population for those who have this interest.
(d) The Department of Education shall prepare a report on the summary of the progress of the statewide program and individual county programs, evaluating the extent to which the programs have successfully led to more educators in the agricultural field. The Department of Education shall present these findings to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability every two years starting in the year 2024.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to create the Fast Track for Agriculture Education Endorsement Program.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.