The Senate Education Committee met Tuesday morning, advancing three bills to the full Senate that deal with student absences, financial reporting and school personnel.
Senate Bill 1048 would require the West Virginia Board of Education to identify school personnel positions for elimination based on county boards’ determinations of need.
The state board would determine if a county employs more staff than allowed under the foundation allowance formulas, and counties must justify how they pay for any excess staff.
When eliminating positions, the state board must consider class sizes, bus route length, input from the affected county, and other relevant factors.
The bill was reported to the full Senate with a recommendation of passage.
Senate Bill 929 would tie school financial reporting to state funding.
This bill requires the West Virginia State Auditor to issue a notice of noncompliance if a county board fails to submit its annual financial statement within 90 days after the end of the fiscal year.
If the board remains non-compliant for more than 60 additional days, it would be ineligible to receive discretionary state funding until compliance is achieved.
The bill was reported to the full Senate with a recommendation of passage.
Senate Bill 1020 would add educational leave days to excused absences.
The bill amends West Virginia’s compulsory school attendance law to allow up to five “educational leave days” to count as excused absences.
Students could use up to five days per school year for educational purposes, provided a parent submits a written note within three instructional days after the student returns to school explaining how the time was used.
The West Virginia Board of Education would be required to establish a legislative rule defining what qualifies as an educational leave day.
Senator Joey Garcia (D – Marion, 13) proposed a successful amendment adding language that would require the county to ensure that a parent’s note meets certain requirements.
The bill, as amended, was reported to the full Senate with a recommendation of passage.
