SB451 SFAT #1 RUCKER 2-18

Hager  7871

Senator Rucker moved to amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting therefor a new title, to read as follows:

Eng. Com. Sub. for Senate Bill 451--A Bill to amend and reenact §5-16-2 and §5-16-22 of the Code of the West Virginia, 1931, as amended; to amend and reenact §11-8-6f of said code; to amend said code by adding thereto a new section, designated §11-21-25; to amend and reenact §18-5-16, §18-5-16a, §18-5-18b, and §18-5-46 of said code; to amend said code by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-5-45a; to amend said code by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-5-48; to amend said code by adding thereto a new article, designated §18-5G-1, §18-5G-2, §18-5G-3, §18-5G-4, §18-5G-5, §18-5G-6, §18-5G-7, §18-5G-8, §18-5G-9, §18-5G-10, §18-5G-11, §18-5G-12, and §18-5G-13; to amend and reenact §18-7A-3 of said code; to amend and reenact §18-7B-2 of said code; to amend and reenact §18-8-4 of said code; to amend and reenact §18-9A-2, §18-9A-8, §18-9A-9, and §18-9A-12 of said code; to amend said code by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-9A-10a; to amend and reenact §18-20-5 of said code; to amend said code by adding thereto a new article, designated §18-31-1, §18-31-2, §18-31-3, §18-31-4, §18-31-5, §18-31-6, §18-31-7, §18-31-8, and §18-31-9; to amend and reenact §18A-2-8 of said code; to amend and reenact §18A-3-6 of said code; to amend and reenact §18A-4-2, §18A-4-5, §18A-4-5a, §18A-4-7a, §18A-4-8a, and §18A-4-10 of said code; to amend said code by adding thereto a new section, designated §18A-4-2d; to amend and reenact §18A-5-2 of said code; to amend and reenact §18C-4-1, §18C-4-2, §18C-4-3, §18C-4-4, and §18C-4-5 of said code; to amend and reenact §18C-4A-1, §18C-4A-2, and §18C-4A-3 of said code; and to amend and reenact §29-12-5a of said code, all relating generally to comprehensive education reform; allowing public charter schools to participate in the Public Employees Insurance program; allowing county boards of education to increase their regular levy rates subject to voter approval; creating personal income tax credits for educational expenses incurred by certain school employees for the purchase of supplementary educational materials or professional development costs; requiring county boards to establish attendance zones; addressing the transfer and enrollment policies for students in public schools; modifying minimum percentage of work time school counselors are required to spend in a direct counseling relationship with pupils; prohibiting accrued or equivalent instructional time to cancel days lost and the delivery of instruction through alternative methods from being used to cancel days lost due to concerted work stoppage or strike; prohibiting participation in any extracurricular activity during any instructional day canceled; requiring teacher recommendation be primary consideration when considering student promotion; requiring safety and security measures of each school facility be upgraded when necessary to ensure the safety of students; creating a “Safe Schools Fund”; authorizing the establishment of charter schools; providing legislative purpose and intent; defining terms; establishing requirements and powers for public charter schools; providing for the creation of governing boards; setting requirements for enrollment in public charter schools; creating process and requirements for application to establish public charter schools; providing duties and responsibilities for authorizers; limiting liability of authorizer, county boards of education, and the State; requiring an oversight fee be paid to authorizer; establishing requirements for charter school contracts and the process for renewal, nonrenewal, and revocation of contracts, including required rules by the State Board of Education; creating the West Virginia Charter Public School Commission; establishing membership of the commission; providing for appointment of members; setting meeting requirements; setting forth prohibitions for public charter schools; requiring or authorizing State Board of Education rules relating to public charter school funding, to clarify certain requirements, to address certain unforeseen issues, for ensuring accountability for meeting certain standards of student performance, and to allow the schools for the deaf and blind to apply for authorization to become a public charter school; allowing charter schools access to public facilities; establishing reporting requirements; allowing charter schools to elect to participate in the State Teachers Retirement System and the Teachers’ Defined Contribution Retirement System; modifying the contact requirements for a student’s guardians upon accrual of unexcused absences; including professional personnel providing direct social and emotional support services to students within the definition of “professional student support personnel”; modifying definition of “net enrollment” to promote establishment of Advanced Career Education programs and establish a minimum net enrollment level of 1,400 for purpose of determining basic foundation program; clarifying definition of “levies for general current expense purposes”; modifying allowance for professional student support personnel; increasing the county allowance for current expense to 71.25 percent of the county’s state average costs per square footage per student for operations and maintenance amount; creating an allowance for education savings accounts; setting local share maximum at 2015-2016 level; including public charter schools in provisions pertaining to an appropriation to serve certain exceptional children; enacting an Educational Savings Account Program for certain eligible students; providing a short title and definitions; providing basic elements of an Educational Savings Account (ESA) which includes depositing funds into an ESA to pay qualifying education expenses; establishing ESA application requirements; setting forth responsibilities of the Treasurer; establishing a Parent Review Committee; providing eligibility requirements applicable to education service providers; providing for the responsibilities of resident school districts; addressing legal proceedings; adding to reasons for which a county board of education may suspend or dismiss an employee; requiring the state superintendent to maintain a database of all individuals suspended or dismissed for certain causes; adding to grounds for revocation of a teaching certificate and automatic revocation; increasing salaries for teachers; increasing salaries for certain classroom teachers providing math instruction; requiring that certain classroom teachers providing math instruction and who complete a specialized mathematics course be paid a one-time salary supplement; removing definition of salary equity among the counties; removing requirement that Department of Education include in its budget request a request for funding sufficient to meet the objective of salary equity; allowing counties to provide additional compensation to certain teachers; permitting a county board of education to base its reductions in force determinations on an individual’s qualifications as defined in county board policy; modifying provisions pertaining to the preferred recall list and posting of position openings; increasing salaries for service personnel; providing for accrual of personal leave at the end of each pay period; increasing leave without cause days from three to four; requiring a bonus for classroom teachers who have not been absent for more than four days during the employment term; renaming the Underwood-Smith Teacher Scholarship and Loan Assistance programs as the Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars Program; modifying program purpose to target certain academic disciplines in a geographic area of critical need; preserving eligibility under prior enactment for individual pursuing a teaching career in music education; requiring recipients receive additional academic support and training from certain mentors; requiring each recipient to be distinguished as an “Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholar”; modifying award eligibility, service agreement, and renewal criteria to reflect modified program purpose; preserving eligibility and service agreement criteria for current award recipients; modifying the amount of an award and limiting tuition and fee charges for program recipients; abolishing the Underwood-Smith Teacher Loan Assistance Program; requiring at least annual written notice of Board of Risk and Insurance Management insurance coverages by county boards to employee insureds; and allowing public charter schools to obtain insurance coverage from the Board of Risk and Insurance Management.