HB5412 S FIN AM #1 3-12
Hager 7871
The Committee on Finance moved to amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and inserting in lieu thereof the following:
(a) Except as provided in §11-8-14b, §11-8-25a, and §11-8-26a, and §11-8-26(b) of this code, a local fiscal body shall not expend money or incur obligations:
(1) In an unauthorized manner;
(2) For an unauthorized purpose;
(3) In excess of the amount allocated to the fund in the levy order; or
(4) In excess of the funds available for current expenses.
(b) (c) Notwithstanding the foregoing and any other provision of law to the contrary, a local fiscal body or its duly authorized officials may not be penalized for a casual deficit which does not exceed its approved levy estimate by more than three percent: Provided, That such casual deficit is satisfied in the levy estimate for the succeeding fiscal year: Provided, however, That in calculating a deficit for purposes of this section, account shall not be taken of any amount for which the local fiscal body may be liable for the unfunded actuarial accrued liability of the West Virginia Retiree Health Benefit Trust Fund or any amount allocated to the local fiscal body as an employer annual required contribution that exceeds the minimum annual employer payment component of the contribution, all as provided under §5-16D-1 et seq., article sixteen-d, chapter five of this code.
(a) Beginning for the school year 2020-2021, the state board shall implement a pilot project, hereby designated the Mountain State Digital Literacy Project. The state board shall determine the number of schools eligible to participate in the pilot project and may adjust that number on a yearly basis. The state board shall select the schools to participate in the project, but selected schools shall possess varying geographic and demographic characteristics and serve students in grades K-8 K-12.
(b) Subject to legislative appropriation for this purpose, schools participating in the project shall be provided with instructional, educational support, and tutoring resources for students and teachers that feature an extensive curriculum related to digital literacy, online assessment preparation, reading, mathematics, science, career-technical education, and internet safety. Administrators and teachers at the participating schools shall be provided access to online digital literacy related professional development and support.
(c) The project shall be designed and implemented to compliment and build upon the digital literacy standards and assessments established pursuant to §18-2-12, §18-2E-5(c)(16), and §18-2E-5(d)(5) of this code.
(d) The state board may contract with a third-party to facilitate the project. Any such third-party shall satisfy the following qualifications:
(1) Possesses demonstratable experience facilitating similar digital literacy initiatives with public school systems;
(2) Provides extensive digital literacy content over the internet that may be adapted to age or grade specific users and assessment tools, and integrates with widely used platforms; and
(3) Provides digital literacy-related professional development and support resources for administrators and teachers.
(e) On or before January 1, 2020 2027, the state board shall submit to the Governor and the Legislative Oversight Committee on Education Accountability a report that provides information on the development, structure, and fiscal estimate of the Mountain State Digital Literacy Project.
(f) On or before January 1, 2025 2028, the state board shall submit to the Governor and the Legislative Oversight Committee on Education Accountability an evaluation of the pilot project’s impact on the performance and progress of students at the participating schools. The evaluation shall include a recommendation for pilot project continuation, expansion or termination and, if recommended for continuation or expansion, any recommendations for program modifications and utilization of the successful participating schools as demonstration sites to facilitate program expansion.
(a) Not later than the 2028-2029 school year, each kindergarten through fifth grade classroom teacher providing literacy instruction shall have received training using high quality professional learning that incorporates ongoing, intensive training in the science of reading that includes classroom application activities and live sessions spanning multiple school years as approved and provided through the West Virginia Department of Education.
(b) The instruction set forth in subsection (a) of this section shall be implemented as follows:
(1) Currently employed classroom teachers shall enroll in the approved professional learning no later than 2027-2028 school year.
(2) Newly employed classroom teachers shall enroll in their first year of employment.
(3) Classroom teachers who have successfully completed the approved training shall receive a certificate of completion of science of reading free of charge.
(c) The Department of Education may provide accommodations for those counties whose classroom teachers are in the process of obtaining this training.
(d) Public charter school teachers shall participate in the requirements set forth in this section.
Adopted
Rejected