WEST virginia legislature
2016 regular session
Introduced
House Bill 4706
By Delegates Cooper, Duke, Ellington, Evans, Rohrbach, Espinosa, Statler, Blackwell, Hicks, Hornbuckle and Perdue
[Originating in the Committee on Education.]
February 23, 2016
A BILL to amend and reenact '18-2-26a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to regional county board meetings on empowering and equipping boards to attain goals for public education; removing requirements for biennial meetings on shared services; requiring notice to legislative oversight commission; removing requirement for state board approval of meeting format in advance; requiring report of meetings and specifying content; and providing for recommendations by legislative oversight commission to legislature.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That '18-2-26a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
'18-2-26a.
Regional meetings on shared services and functions Regional
county board meetings on better empowering and equipping county boards to
attain the goals for public education; notice, solicitation of input and
approval; reports.
(a) During the months of July and August,
2013, and thereafter biennially within two months following the organizational
meetings of county boards required by section one-c, article five of this
chapter
(a) Between
August 1 and December 1, 2016, all county superintendents of schools
and members of county boards belonging to the same regional educational service
agency shall meet together to identify administrative, coordinating and
other county level services and functions that may be shared between or among
the county boards, especially when resignations, retirements, staffing
realignments or similar events may occur. consider whether the laws of
this state might better empower and equip the county boards to attain the goals
established for public education by the Legislature and the state board. The
meeting shall be a special meeting of each participating county board, to be
These meetings shall be special meetings of the county boards called
pursuant to section four, article five of this chapter solely for the purposes
set forth in this section.
(b) As soon as each meeting is scheduled, the West
Virginia School Board Association shall notify the Legislative Oversight
Commission on Education Accountability and the State Superintendent in
writing of the time, place and date of the meeting. The association shall
conduct the meetings and for that purpose may consult with the regional
educational service agencies. The format of the meetings shall be approved
by the state board in advance.
(c) Prior to seeking the approval of the state board
for the format of the meetings, In planning the meetings, the
association shall solicit input from statewide organizations that have an
interest in public education, including organizations representing the
interests of parents, business and industry, public school administrators,
teachers and service personnel.
(d) By October January 1, following the
meetings required by this section, the West Virginia School Board Association
shall provide a report of the meetings to the state board and the Legislative
Oversight Commission on Education Accountability and the state board.
The report shall identify ways in which the laws of this state might better
empower and equip the county boards to attain the goals established for public
education by the Legislature and state board, whether by the enactment of new
laws or the amendment or repeal of existing laws. include, but is not
limited to, the following items:
(1) Identification of the administrative, coordinating
and other county level services and functions that may be shared between or
among the county boards;
(2) An analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of
sharing services in each instance; and
(3) A process for implementing recommended changes.
(e) Subject to state board approval, the county board
member training standards review committee established by section one-a,
article five of this chapter may determine that the attendance of a county
board member at the a meeting required by subsection (a) of this
section shall be approved as training related to boardsmanship and governance
effectiveness.
(f) Based upon the report submitted to it under this section, the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability shall make such recommendations to the Legislature as it deems necessary for consideration at the 2017 and 2018 regular legislative sessions with respect to the enactment of new laws, or the amendment or repeal existing laws, to better empower and equip county boards to attain the goals established for public education, including, but not limited to, laws:
(1) Granting more discretion to county boards;
(2) Increasing the responsibility and accountability of county boards;
(3) Building the leadership capacity of county boards;
(4) Encouraging or requiring innovation;
(5) Funding county board operations;
(6) Encouraging or requiring more collaboration between or among county boards, regional educational service agencies and other entities; and
(7) Directing
the state board to establish rules, processes or programs to better empower and
equip county boards to attain the goals established for public education. Nothing in this section
requires the elimination or consolidation of county school districts.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is require regional county board meetings on empowering and equipping boards to attain goals for public education. The meeting would take place between August 1 and December 1, 2016 and replace the currently required biennial meetings on shared services. Based on the report on these meetings, the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability will make recommendations it deems necessary to the Legislature for consideration during the 2017 and 2018 regular sessions.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.