ENGROSSED
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
Senate Bill No. 127
(By Senators Tomblin, Mr. President, and Sprouse,
By Request of the Executive)
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[Originating in the Committee on Education;
reported February 15, 2006.]
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A BILL to amend and reenact §18-2-15a of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended; and to amend and reenact §18-9A-8a of said
code, all relating to regional education service agencies;
study by the State Superintendent of Schools; and foundation
allowance for regional education service agencies.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §18-2-15a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted; and that §18-9A-8a of said code be
amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 2. STATE BOARD OF
EDUCATION
.
§18-2-15a. Comprehensive study of regional education service
agencies.
(a) The state superintendent shall conduct a comprehensive
study of the programs, governance and administration of the regional education service agencies established pursuant to section
twenty-six of this article.
(b) The study includes, but is not limited to, the following:
(1) Powers and duties of state board and state superintendent
relating to regional education service agencies;
(2) Qualifications and procedures for selection of agency
executive directors;
(3) Selection and supervision of agency staff;
(4) Development of agency budget;
(5) Oversight of agency purchasing and auditing procedures;
(6) Development of programs and delivery of services; and
(7) Procedures to ensure fiscal and programmatic
accountability.
(c) The state superintendent shall
report findings generated
by the study
, together with recommendations and any legislation
necessary to effectuate the recommendations
, to the Legislative
Oversight Commission on Education Accountability by the first day
of December, two thousand six.
If a recommendation to terminate
the regional education service agencies is made, the superintendent
is directed to make recommendations on which services currently
being delivered by the regional education service agencies should
be performed by the West Virginia Department of Education and which
services should be performed by the county boards of education.
ARTICLE 9A. PUBLIC SCHOOL SUPPORT.
§18-9A-8a. Foundation allowance for regional education service
agencies.
For the fiscal year beginning on the first day of July, one
thousand nine hundred ninety-one two thousand seven, and for each
fiscal year thereafter, the foundation allowance for regional
education service agencies shall be equal to sixty-three
one-hundredths percent of the allocation for professional educators
as determined in section four of this article in an amount
appropriated by the Legislature. Provided, That for the fiscal
year beginning on the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred
ninety-four only, the foundation allowance for regional educational
service agencies shall be at least equal to fifty-five
one-hundredths percent of the allocation for professional educators
as determined in section four of this article The allowance shall
be distributed to the regional education service agencies in
accordance with rules adopted by the state board. The allowance
for regional education service agencies shall be excluded from the
computation of total basic state aid as provided for in section
twelve of this article.