Listed below are
outlines of some of the education-related bills that passed during the
2008 legislative session. Click here for a
printable PDF of the
legislation
Senate Bill 9 –
Requires the state Board of Education to develop a rule for instruction
of Hunter Safety Education programs in secondary schools. The
program is voluntary for educators and students. Instructors must
be certified by the DNR. The class will be taught during physical
education classes in grades 6 through 12.
Senate Bill 239 - Creates the Senior Citizen Property Tax Deferment
Act, enabling seniors age 65 and older who occupy their home to
apply for deferment of or a credit against increases in property
taxes. Senior households earning $25,000 or less are eligible to
apply for a refund of any future increase in property taxes.
Senior households earning more than $25,000 are eligible for tax
deferment for the remainder of their life or until the house is
sold. Interest is charged on the deferred amount. The
deferment or credit is only available when the tax increment is at
least $300 or an increase of 10% or more.
Senate Bill 287 – Creates the WV Research Trust Fund
establishes funding for Marshall University and West Virginia
University. To access funding, donations must first be procured
by the institution. Private donations are earmarked for research
projects and matched dollar for dollar with funding from the
Trust. The budget bill is expected to place $50,000,000 into the
trust fund as a one time appropriation. A portion of the money
derived from investment earnings and any funds not distributed under
this provision may be made available to state colleges.
Senate Bill 476 –- Allows the state to purchase
employee’s unused sick days at a rate of 25% of his or
her daily salary for each day purchased. A person wishing to sell
days must have at least 65 accumulated days and retain at least 50
days. The employee must remain in employment for at least 5 years
after selling days to avoid the payback requirements set forth in the
legislation.
Senate Bill 573 - Provides pay increases for public education
workers. Under this legislation, educators receive an across
the board pay increase of $1,600. Support professionals receive
an increase of $70 per month and administrators receive an additional
1% in increment pay. Higher education faculty and staff fall
under the state budget bill and are slated to receive 3%. State
employee incremental pay was also increased from $50.00 to $60.00 and
will apply to higher education workers.
Senate Bill 595 – Establishes goals, objectives, and
strategies for public and higher education to be achieved by the year
2020. The legislation pertains to public education and higher
education. Public education language supports the 21st Century
initiatives of the State Department of Education. It also
includes the promotion of healthy, safe and responsible behavior in
addition to encouraging a universal pre-kindergarten system. The
changes to higher-education include a study of capital projects and
maintenance.
Senate Bill 606 –
Establishes new language in the State Code that ensures regular,
full-time employees get priority for summer school positions.
The bill did not change seniority guidelines for the hiring of summer
school teachers.
Senate Bill 780 – Cleans-up some of the language in last
year’s grievance bill. The definition of discrimination
was updated to mirror WV Supreme Court decisions. The most
substantial change includes removing the provision allowing
mediation/arbitration and replacing it with private arbitration.
House Bill 2967 – Creates the optional WV Remembers Program
which provides a forum for students to learn about military service,
patriotism and courage from volunteer veterans.
House Bill 3215 –After much debate and discussion, house bill severed
ties between community and technical colleges and four-year institutions.
The final version of the bill also makes salary increases mandatory
when faculty is promoted.
House Bill 4023 – Originated as the Governor’s proposal for
student driver’s license restrictions.
The bill, as passed, ties the privilege of driving to the following
requirements for students: must be properly enrolled and making
progress towards graduation; may have no more than 10 consecutive or 15
total absences in the current and previous semester; has not been
suspended or expelled under West Virginia safe schools provisions in
the current and previous semester, and has not been suspended for more
than 10 total days during the current and previous school semesters.
House Bill 4059 – Provides a provision for insulin dependent
bus operators to obtain an intrastate wavier for a restricted CDL,
allowing continued employment as a bus operator.
House Bill 4117 – Broadens
the eligibility for salary supplements to school psychologists and
school nurses who have obtained a National Board Certification.
The bonus is in the amount of $2500. The bill adds 15 positions
to the number of recipients eligible for the salary supplements.
House Bill 4124 – Adds CPR
and first aid instruction to the curriculum for secondary school
health classes taught in grades 6 through 12.
House Bill 4368 - Creates the Bill of Rights and Responsibilities
for students and school personnel. The legislation also adds a
bus operator to the Local School Improvement Council (LSIC) in addition
to charging the council with examining school discipline measures,
fairness and consistency of discipline and reporting such to the
superintendent. The bill also adds a student’s removal from
a school bus twice in one semester as an initial trigger for potential
placement of students in alternative education settings.
House Bill 4406 – Mandates the duration of newly created
school bus routes to 30 minutes for elementary school students, 45
minutes for middle school students, and 60 minutes for high school
students. However, a thirty minute overage is allowed and waivers
are available for extraneous circumstances from the State Board.
House Bill 4407 – Requires that all newly purchased buses are
equipped with automatic tire chains.
House Bill 4472 – Requires a County Board of Education to wait at
least 10 days before posting a vacancy that was created as a result
of a death.
House Bill 4478 – Limits mid-year transfers of aides working
one-on-one with students as a result of an IEP
recommendation. Transfers may not occur after the 5th day of the
school term unless the aide does not possess valid certification or if
the County Board deems it in the best interest of the student. A
one-on-one aide may apply for any posted position, and assume the
position at the beginning of the next instructional term.
House Bill 4554 – Removes the yearly requirement for
competency testing of bus operators and replaces it with a biennial
test. Substitute bus operators or those on probationary contracts
must be tested annually.
House Bill 4588 – Increases funding to county boards of education
over the next 5 years by $34.5 million. The legislation adds a
total of 668 statewide personnel positions to the school aid
formula. The bill changes computations from adjusted
enrollment to a net enrollment calculation. The language also
establishes four categories of density based on students per square
mile. These categories are used for calculating net enrollments
and transportation allotments. Alternative education is funded at
$12 per student and the allowance for low student enrollment is
eliminated. State aid calculations will be performed under the
new and old scheme and phase in the increases by 1/5 the 1st year, 2/5
the 2nd year, 3/5 the 3rd year, 4/5 the 4th year and the full increase
in the 5th year. A hold harmless clause protects any county which
is projected to receive less funding during the 5 year phase-in by
providing the same level of funding provided in the current, 2007-2008
formula.
Tax cuts for business - In addition to educational legislation,
numerous corporate tax giveaway bills were passed this session.
Currently the estimated loss in revenue will total more than $140
million.