HB2589 S ED AMT

Hager 7871

The Committee on Education moved to amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting therefor a new title, to read as follows:

Eng. Com. Sub. for House Bill 2589--A Bill to amend and Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-5-15g; and to amend said Code by adding thereto a new article, designated §18-21A-1, §18-21A-2, §18-21A-3, §18-21A-4, §18-21A-5, §18-21A-6; and §18-21A-7, all relating to vocational education; requiring county boards to permit students who are homeschooled or attend private schools to enroll and take classes at the county’s vocational schools; creating the Middle School Technical Education Program Act; setting forth findings and purpose; requiring participating middle schools to use existing resources to implement the pilot program; providing for instructor qualifications; allowing principals or vice-principals, on a voluntary basis, to participate as a guest instructor or speaker; requiring pilot program to be a one semester elective course except middle schools with alternative scheduling systems can adapt the program to meeting scheduling needs; requiring certain entities within fifty miles that receive state funding to provide speakers upon request; requiring guest speakers to be scheduled weekly to introduce students to a particular career and to prepare students to pursue the featured career by providing information on certain specified topics; allowing organization of field trips to introduce students to potential career paths; requiring course to include instruction on certain minimum skill sets required to discover and take advantage of employment opportunities; requiring course to include instruction on certain minimum skill sets required to discover and take advantage of educational opportunities; requiring as condition of successful course completion, students to outline his or her plan to become employable following high school or post-secondary school; requiring State Board of Education to establish guidelines for middle schools to submit a request for the schools admission; allowing state board to admit middle schools into the program; requiring admission on first come, first serve basis; declaring goal that a minimum of ten middle schools participate each year; allowing state board to solicit additional middle schools to participate under certain condition; prohibiting the state board from requiring participation; requiring students to receive a West Virginia STEP Certificate upon successful completion; and requiring annual report to the legislative oversight commission on education accountability.