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SB427 SUB1 Senate Bill 427 History

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COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE

FOR

Senate Bill No. 427

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(By Senators Tomblin (Mr. President) and Buckalew

By Request of the Executive)

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[Originating in the Committee on Education;
reported April 2, 1997]

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A BILL to repeal section six, article three-a, chapter eighteen-a of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended; and to amend and reenact sections one and two of said article, all relating to public school professional development; repealing obsolete provisions relating to a task force on teacher preparation; recognizing importance of principals and administrators skilled in modern management principles; changing the membership of the center for professional development board and advisory council; providing qualification for center executive director; requiring the center to assist in the delivery of programs and activities to meet local needs; clarifying that middle schools may be represented on advisory council on professional development; focusing mission of professional development project of center on identifying, coordinating, arranging and otherwise assisting in the delivery of professional development for teachers, principals and administrators based on laws, policies and regulations adopted for public schools of West Virginia; authorizing center to permit classroom aides, other school personnel and higher education faculty to participate in appropriate professional development; requiring center to advise teacher education programs of changes in law and policy that affect professional educator job performance; and requiring center to assist in delivery of programs and activities to meet expressed needs of school districts.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That section six, article three-a, chapter eighteen-a of the code of West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be repealed; and that sections one and two of said article be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 3A. CENTER FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

§18A-3A-1. Center for professional development continued; intent; advisory council.

(a) Teaching is a profession that directly correlates to the social and economic well-being of a society and its citizens. Superior teaching is essential to a well educated and productive populace. Strong academic leadership provided by principals and administrators skilled in modern management principles is also essential. The intent of this article is to recognize the value of professional involvement by experienced educators, principals and administrators in building and maintaining a superior teaching force of professional educators and to establish avenues for applying such involvement.
In furtherance of this intent, the center for professional development is continued and reestablished. The general mission of the center is to study matters relating to the quality of teaching and management in the schools of West Virginia and to promote the implementation of programs and practices to assure the highest quality in teaching and management. The center shall also perform such duties as are assigned to it by law.
(b) The center board existing before the effective date of this section is abolished. The center board, after the effective date of this section, shall consist of nine a board of eleven persons as members: The secretary of education and the arts, ex officio, and the state superintendent of schools, ex officio, both of whom shall be entitled to vote; one member three members of the state board of education, elected by the state board; two three experienced educators, two of whom one shall be a working classroom teacher teachers and one of whom shall be a school or county administrator, appointed by the governor by and with the advice and consent of the Senate; and four three citizens of the state who are knowledgeable in matters relevant to the issues addressed by the center, including, but not limited to, professional development and management principles, appointed by the governor by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. No Not more than two appointees of the governor shall be residents within the same region congressional district. The state superintendent of schools shall serve as chair of the center board and shall convene the first meeting of the center board to elect a chair vice chair and secretary.
The election and appointment of members shall be made as soon as possible after the effective date of this section. Of the initial members from the state board, one shall be elected for a term of two years and two shall be elected for terms of four years. All successive elections shall be for four-year terms. The state board shall elect another member to fill the unexpired term of any person so elected who subsequently vacates state board membership. Additionally, the state board shall elect another member to fill the unexpired term of any state board member elected to the center board who subsequently vacates center board membership. Of the initial appointed members, three shall be appointed for two-year terms and four three shall be appointed for four-year terms. All successive appointments shall be for four-year terms. The governor shall appoint a new member to fill the unexpired term of any vacancy in the appointed membership of the center board.
The center for professional development board shall meet at least quarterly and the appointed members appointed by the governor shall be reimbursed for reasonable and necessary expenses actually incurred in the performance of their official duties from funds appropriated or otherwise made available for such purposes upon submission of an itemized statement therefor to the reasonable and necessary expenses.
The center board may employ and fix the compensation of an executive director with knowledge and experience in professional development and management principles and such the other persons as that may be necessary to carry out the mission and duties of the center. The director shall serve at the will and pleasure of the board. When practical, personnel employed by state higher education agencies and state, regional and county public education agencies shall be made available to the center to assist in the operation of projects of limited duration.
The center shall assist in the delivery of programs and activities pursuant to this article to meet the local professional development needs of teachers, principals and administrators and may contract with existing agencies or agencies created after the effective date of this section or others to provide training programs in the most efficient manner. Existing programs currently based in agencies of the state shall be continued in the agency of their origin unless the center establishes a compelling need to transfer or cancel the existing program. The center shall recommend to the governor the transfer of funds to the providing agency, if needed, to provide programs approved by the center.
(b) (c) To assist the center for professional development in the performance of its duties related to teacher education and professional development, there is continued an advisory council on professional development which shall consist of eleven thirteen persons as follows: An employee of the center who shall chair the advisory council; two persons who shall be professors or associate or assistant professors of teacher education, one from a public institution and one from a private institution of higher education in this state offering programs leading to certification to teach in the public schools of this state; two county school superintendents, one of whom shall be from a district with a student enrollment above the statewide average and one of whom shall be from a district with a student enrollment below such average; two school principals, one of whom shall be from a school including elementary grade levels five and below and one of whom shall be from a school including secondary grade levels above grade five; and four professional instructional personnel, two of whom shall be from a school including elementary grade levels five and below and two of whom shall be from a school including secondary grade levels above grade five; and two citizens. To the extent possible, the principals and instructional personnel shall be appointed from the members of county staff development councils established pursuant to section eight, article three of this chapter. Except for the employee of the center, the members shall be appointed jointly by the secretary of education and the arts and the state superintendent for two-year terms which overlap so that one member from each of the classes shall be appointed in each successive year, except that two members from the professional instructional personnel class shall be appointed in each successive year. No two members of the council shall be from the same college or university or school district. Members of the council shall be granted release time from their employment for attending meetings of the council.
Pursuant to the provisions of article ten, chapter four of this code, the center for professional development board and advisory council shall continue to exist until the first day of July, two thousand one.
(c) (d) On or before the first day of January, one thousand nine hundred ninety-seven, the center for professional development shall develop and communicate to the state board a curriculum for the principals academy. The curriculum shall be based upon the minimum qualities, proficiencies and skills necessary for principals and recommended by the state board, pursuant to the terms of section two-c, article three of this chapter.
(d) (e) In accordance with section two-c, article three of this chapter, the center shall be responsible for paying reasonable and necessary expenses and any stipends for persons attending the principals academy: Provided, That nothing in this section shall be construed to require any specific level of funding by the Legislature.
§18A-3A-2. Professional development project.

(a) Through this project the center shall:
(1) Identify, coordinate, arrange, and otherwise assist in the delivery of professional development programs and activities that help professional educators acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes, practices and other such pertinent complements deemed considered essential for an individual to demonstrate appropriate performance as a professional personnel in the public schools of West Virginia. The basis for the performance shall be the laws, policies and regulations adopted for the public schools of West Virginia, and amendments to the laws, policies and regulations. The center also may permit and encourage school personnel such as classroom aides, higher education teacher education faculty, and higher education faculty in programs such as articulated tech prep associate degree and other programs to participate in appropriate professional development programs and activities with public school professional educators; The center shall review the report of the governor's committee on the preparation of teachers established in section six of this article, shall participate in the work of, and may contract with, the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, Inc., to develop processes, procedures and assessment measures for the certification of teachers, and shall consult regularly with active members of the teaching profession in the public schools and higher education teacher preparation programs. The center may make recommendations to the state board of education and the higher education governing boards regarding the adoption of such work for application in the continuing professional development of public school professional educators;
(2) Identify, coordinate, arrange and otherwise assist in the delivery of professional development programs and activities that help principals and administrators acquire knowledge, skills, attitudes and practices in academic leadership and management principles for principals and administrators and such other pertinent complements considered essential for principals and administrators to demonstrate appropriate performance in the public schools of West Virginia. The basis for the performance shall be the laws, policies and regulations adopted for the public schools of West Virginia, and amendments to the laws, policies and regulations.
(2) (3) Serve in a coordinating capacity to assure that the knowledge, skills, attitude and other pertinent complements of appropriate professional performance which evolve over time in the public school environment are appropriately reflected in the programs approved for the education of professional personnel, including, but not limited to, advising the teacher education programs of major statutory and policy changes in the public schools which affect the job performance requirements of professional educators, including principals and administrators;
(3) (4) Provide for the routine updating of professional skills of professional educators, including principals and administrators, through in-service and other programs. The routine updating may be provided by the center through statewide or regional institutes which may require a registration fee; and
(4) (5) Provide consultation and assistance to county staff development councils established under the provisions of section eight, article three of this chapter in planning, designing, coordinating, arranging for and delivering staff professional development programs to meet the staff development needs of the professional educators of their county district. From legislative appropriations to the center for professional development, exclusive of the amounts required for the expenses of the principals academy, the center shall, unless otherwise directed by the Legislature, provide assistance in the delivery of programs and activities to meet the expressed needs of the school districts for professional development to help teachers, principals and administrators demonstrate appropriate performance based on the laws, policies and regulations adopted for the public schools of West Virginia.
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