HB206 HFAT Espinosa 6-19

White 3336

Delegate Espinosa moved to amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting therefor a new title, to read as follows:

Eng. House Bill No. 206 – A BILL to amend and reenact §5-16-2 and §5-16-22 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; to amend said code by adding thereto a new section, designated §11-15-9s; to amend and reenact §15-1B-24 of said code; to amend said code by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-2E-12; to amend and reenact §18-5-14, §18-5-16, §18-5-16a, §18-5-18a, §18-5-18b, and §18-5-46 of said code; to amend said code by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-5-48; to amend and reenact §18-5A-2, §18-5A-3 and §18-5A-5 of said code; to amend said code by adding thereto a new article, designated §18-5G-1, §18-5G-2, §18-5G-3, §18-5G-4, §18-5G-5, §18-5G-6, §18-5G-7, §18-5G-8, §18-5G-9, §18-5G-10, §18-5G-11 and §18-5G-12; to amend and reenact §18-7A-3 of said code; to amend and reenact §18-7B-2 of said code; to amend and reenact §18-8-4 of said code; to amend and reenact §18-9A-2, §18-9A-8 and §18-9A-9 of said code; to amend said code by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-9A-19; to amend said code by adding thereto a new section, designated §18-9B-22; to amend and reenact §18-20-5 of said code; to amend and reenact §18A-4-2, §18A-4-5, §18A-4-5a, §18A-4-7a, §18A-4-8a, and §18A-4-10 of said code; to amend and reenact §18C-4-1, §18C-4-2, §18C-4-3, §18C-4-4, and §18C-4-5 of said code; to amend and reenact §18C-4A-1, §18C-4A-2, and §18C-4A-3 of said code; and to amend and reenact §29-12-5a of said code, all relating to public education; allowing public charter schools to participate in the Public Employees Insurance Agency insurance program; exempting the purchase of certain goods from sales tax for a period of time; requiring the Governor to expand Mountaineer Challenge Academy at its existing location; permitting creation of a new Mountaineer Challenge Academy location subject to agreement required under federal law; requiring the State Board of Education to implement the Mountain State Digital Literacy Project as a pilot project; modifying requirements for policies to promote school board effectiveness and eliminating requirement for filing and refiling policies with state board; limiting meetings with improvement councils to those at low performing schools; modifying agenda for meeting with school improvement council; eliminating reporting requirement; permitting county boards to establish attendance zones; replacing existing provisions pertaining to student transfers with requirement for county boards to establish an open enrollment policy; requiring appeal process whereby a parent or guardian can appeal the refusal of a county board to accept the transfer of the student; requiring the county to which a student is transferred include the student in its net enrollment in certain instances; providing that certain transfer provisions do not supersede eligibility requirements for participation in extracurricular activities established by the Secondary School Activities Commission; modifying student-teacher ratios; requiring the West Virginia Department of Education to survey districts to determine where overcrowding is impeding student achievement and requiring considerations therefore; increasing percentage of work time school counselors are required to spend in a direct counseling relationship with pupils; providing that the teacher’s recommendation is a primary consideration in determining student promotion; authorizing county board to establish by policy an exceptional needs fund from certain surpluses and listing provisions that may be included; modifying membership of improvement councils; increasing prior notice of local school improvement council meetings; removing term limits for chair of council; removing council duty for meeting on student discipline issues and reporting to countywide council on productive and safe schools; requiring at least one council meeting annually for dialogue with parents and others on school’s academic performance and standing; requiring meeting of certain council members of low performing school with county board and providing minimum issues to be addressed; referencing council authority to propose alternatives and request waivers of rules, policies, interpretations and state statutes; expanding issues on which school required to cooperate with council to promote innovations and improvements; removing reporting requirements; authorizing county boards to designate innovation schools and provide funding; reorganizing and clarifying authority and procedures for local school improvement councils to propose alternatives to the operation of school including request of waiver to rules, policies, interpretations and state statutes; preserving primary authority of county board to approve alternatives subject to grant of necessary waivers by other bodies; authorizing off-site classrooms; increasing faculty senate allotment to classroom teachers and librarians; stating legislative intent and purpose of public charter school provisions; providing for liberal interpretation; prohibiting interpretation to allow conversion of private schools to public charter school; prohibiting elected official from profit or compensation except continued employment at school converted; limiting total number of public charter school authorized and in operation under an approved contract with periodic increases following reports by the State Board to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability; providing that the Mountain Challenge Academy does not count toward total public charter schools: defining terms; specifying required general criteria that public charter schools must meet; establishing general provisions for public charter school governing boards; enumerating laws, policies, and codes that charter schools must comply with; providing powers and duties of state board for implementation, general supervision and support for public charter schools; requiring best practices catalogue, provision of forms, and training programs; authorizing receipt and expenditure of gifts, grants and donations and application for federal funds; reporting requirements and reports to Governor and Legislature; requiring state board as authorizer in certain instances; requiring state board rules related to funding, authorizer oversight funding, and other necessary issues; authorizing state board rule for ensuring accountability; specifying local education agency status; providing for authorizer powers and duties with respect applications, contracts to oversight and authorization; requiring appropriate corrective action or sanctions in response to deficiencies; providing authorization to require reports; requiring payment of oversight fee; prohibiting attachment of civil liability to authorizer, members or employees for acts or omissions of public charter school; limiting regulation of public charter schools by state and county boards to powers and duties as authorizers; establishing public charter school governing board membership, qualifications, status as public corporate body and authorized powers; listing governing board responsibilities for operation of public charter school; authorizing participation in cocurricular and extracurricular activities; mandating compliance with freedom of information and open governmental proceedings; providing for contents of application to form public charter school; specifying items to be addressed in charter contracts, contract term and execution; providing process for contract renewal, performance report and time frame for final determination; providing that failure of authorizer to act to be deemed approval; providing for revocation of charter contracts and specifying grounds; declaring authorizer responsibilities for closure when contract not renewed or revoked; providing for closure protocol and removal of governing board members; providing for processes for student enrollment in public charter schools; requiring publication of enrollment option by school and county board; prohibiting mandated enrollment or departures of students at a public charter school; requiring designation of primary recruitment area, its effect and basis; prohibiting discrimination in enrollment with allowance for program focus on students with special needs; authorizing establishment of enrollment preferences; establishing effect of enrollment preference on enrollment, excess capacity and random lottery when capacity exceeded; providing for student transfers to noncharter schools; requiring access to electronic information system for reporting student and school performance, certification of enrollment, attendance and other student information to Department of Education; providing process for public charter school use or lease of public facilities; allowing public charter schools to elect to participate in certain state retirement systems; modifying requirements applicable after certain numbers of unexcused student absences; including professional personnel providing direct social and emotional support services to students and professional personnel addressing chronic absenteeism within the definition of “professional student support personnel”; modifying definition of net enrollment; increasing calculated net enrollment for the purposes of determining a county’s basic foundation program of certain counties with an actual net enrollment of less than 1,400; decreasing the percent of the levy rate used to calculate local share; basing the basic foundation allowance for professional student support personnel on a ratio of positions per students and providing that nothing in section precludes public-private partnerships or contracts to provide services; providing one year hold-harmless on number of positions funded;  increasing the percentage used to calculate each county’s allowance for current expense; increasing allotment for academic materials, supplies and equipment; requiring that each county board receive its allocated state aid share of the county’s basic foundation program in the form of block grants; requiring the State Superintendent to provide the State Auditor with the required data for use by the searchable budget data website; including public charter schools in the provisions pertaining to an appropriation to serve certain exceptional children; increasing teacher salaries; providing that certain math and special education teachers be considered to have three additional years of experience for the purposes of the salary schedule; providing equivalent amount in teacher’s experience exceeds salary schedule maximum years; removing definition of salary equity among the counties; removing requirement that Department of Education include in its budget request a request for funding sufficient to meet the objective of salary equity; adding to exceptions to requirement that county salary schedules be uniform; providing for determination of seniority by random lottery within thirty days of employment for teachers employed on same date; requiring county board to base all decisions on reductions in force and reemployment on seniority, certification, licensure and performance evaluations; listing criteria county board must consider; requiring consideration of performance evaluations; modifying provisions pertaining to the preferred recall list and posting of position openings; removing requirement for county board to annually make available a list of all professional personnel employed, their areas of certification, and their seniority; providing that all personnel in a public charter school accrue seniority for the purpose of employment in noncharter public schools; increasing monthly pay for service personnel; increasing leave without cause days from three to four; requiring a bonus for classroom teachers who have not used more than four days of personal leave during the employment term; renaming the Underwood-Smith Teacher Scholarship and Loan Assistance programs the Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars Program and the Teacher Education Loan Repayment Program; modifying requirements for Higher Education Policy Commission rules providing for administration of the programs; requiring that Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars award recipients receive additional academic support and training from mentors in their academic field; continuing the Underwood-Smith Teacher Scholarship and Loan Assistance Fund as the Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars Program Fund; requiring each award recipient to be distinguished as an Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholar; establishing uses for moneys in the Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars Program Fund; providing for continuation of certain terms, conditions, requirements, and agreements; requiring the Vice Chancellor for Administration to appoint a selection panel to select Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars; modifying eligibility criteria for Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars; modifying Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars award agreement requirements; modifying renewal requirements for an Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars award; modifying conditions under which a recipient is not in violation of the agreement; requiring Underwood-Smith Teaching Scholars award to be used in preparation for becoming a teacher in a critical shortage field in the public schools of this state; increasing the amount of the annual award; requiring as a condition of loan repayment award eligibility an applicant to be currently employed in a public school in this state in a critical teacher shortage field or as a school counselor in a school or geographic area of the state identified as an area of critical need for such field; requiring as a condition of eligibility an applicant to agree to be employed full time for two school years in a critical teacher shortage field or as a school counselor in a school or geographic area of critical need for such field for each year for which a loan repayment assistance award is received; modifying provisions pertaining to the amount of loan assistance and the requirements for eligibility; modifying eligibility requirements for renewal of scholarship award and loan repayment assistance award; removing accumulated limit on loan repayment awards; increasing minimum Board of Risk and Insurance Management coverage; requiring at least annual written notice of Board of Risk and Insurance Management insurance coverages by county boards to employee insureds; allowing public charter schools to obtain insurance coverage from the Board of Risk and Insurance Management; providing effective dates and making technical changes.

Adopted

Rejected