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.