SB409 H ED AMT 3-8

    Your committee on education moves to amend the title of the bill, by striking the title and inserting in lieu thereof a new title to read as follows:

“A BILL to amend and reenact §18-2-5 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; to amend and reenact §18-2E-5 of said code; to amend and reenact §18-3-9c of said code; to amend and reenact §18-9A-7 of said code; to amend and reenact §18A-2-3 and §18A-2-7a of said code; to amend and reenact §18A-3-1, §18A-3-1a, §18A-3-1b and §18A-3-2a of said code; to amend and reenact §18A-4-7a of said code; to amend and reenact §18B-1D-4 of said code; and to amend and reenact §18B-3C-4 of said code, all relating to education reform; authorizing state board to approve alternative measures to optimize student learning that meet spirit and intent of affected statutes; limitations; making findings on optimizing student learning; providing for approval of certain alternatives when county submits comprehensive plan for optimizing learning meets certain conditions; providing for state board rule for implementation; requiring state board establish method for applying student’s summative assessment score to final grade; requiring progress reports for implementation by certain date; limitation on use of statewide summative assessment scores in certain years; modifying time frame for county and school strategic plans; modifying provisions pertaining to school system accreditation to more align with provisions pertaining to school accreditation; providing for termination of certain will and pleasure employees, subject to re-employment, when intervention occurs; adding provisions for increasing capacity of county board during intervention; providing minimum capacity building activities with certain conditions; providing for public hearing for continuation of intervention after certain time period, or re-assumption of intervention; providing for post-intervention support; making findings and establishing employee to student ratio for department employees; providing definition and excluding certain employees or employee positions; requiring plan and policy to meet ratio by certain date and listing possible strategies; adding propane as an alternative fuel for foundation allowance for transportation cost; clarifying definition of critical need and shortage for substitute teachers; creating deadline for retirement before employment as substitute; providing for submission of affidavit to state board for verification of compliance and eligibility before submission to retirement board; requiring posting on statewide job bank and requiring monitoring, enforcement and reporting on job bank position postings; extending expiration date; expanding purposes and use of statewide job bank; requiring application information for positions posted on job bank; requiring information on loan forgiveness on job bank; defining critical need; requiring continuous posting on job bank of positions in areas of critical need and priority recruitment; requiring certain other positions to be posted as critical need or priority recruitment and defining terms; correcting references to outdated provisions; requiring issuance of additional content area certifications upon submission of certain test scores; specifying certain provisions in teacher-in-residence program agreement; revising alternative programs for education of teachers; defining priority recruitment area and conditions for determining; requiring separate standards and procedures for approval of alternative programs; stating primary purpose of alternative programs; authorizing other charges for restricted purpose; modifying minimum requirements for instruction, program phases and supervision for alternative programs; requiring passage of tests by alternative program licensure candidates; modifying degree requirements for professional certificate candidates; requiring principals and teachers to consider certain qualifications in making recommendation for employment of classroom teacher and document consideration; allowing transfers prior to posting in limited circumstance; limiting resignation and employment in another county in professional positions after twentieth prior to instructional term subject to certain exception; requiring posting of critical need and priority recruitment vacancies on statewide job bank with information on loan forgiveness programs applicable to position; making technical improvements; requiring state-wide course credit transfer agreement; assigning responsibilities to certain state agencies and entities; providing for agreement requirements, content, criteria, collaboration and implementation; requiring seamless course transfer, and program alignment, pathways and articulation; establishing implementation strategy, schedule, deadline and compliance mandate; requiring data collection and certain reports; and requiring legislative rules.