As of 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 13, the House of Delegates continues their work on the second reading of Senate Bill 451.
The House of Delegates has considered and passed a number of secondary amendments to the strike-and-insert amendment to Senate Bill 451, which was passed out of the House Education Committee last week.
One of these amendments was an amendment proposed by Delegate Paul Espinosa, R-Jefferson; Tom Bibby, R-Berkley; Delegate Daryl Cowles, R- Morgan; and Delegate S. Marshall Wilson, R-Berkley, notated as HFA Espinosa et al 2-13 #2.
This amendment, which was overwhelmingly passed by the House, would allow school personnel to be suspended or dismissed if they are found by the Department of Health and Human Services to be abusive to students within public schools.
Delegate Mick Bates, D-Raleigh and a large number of Democratic delegates also drafted an amendment for consideration that would strike all of Senate Bill 451’s references to charter schools. HFA Bates et al 2-13 was tabled indefinitely until all other amendments addressing charter schools were considered.
Five amendments proposed by Delegate S. Marshall Wilson, R-Berkley, called for increasing the number of charter schools permitted in the state by significant amounts.
The strike-and-insert primary amendment passed out of the House Education Committee currently allows for 2 charter schools.
Wilson proposed multiple highly-contested amendments to increase the number of charter schools allowed to unlimited, one per county, 25 maximum charter schools allowed in the state, and 20 maximum charter schools allowed in the state.
Delegate Terry Waxman, R-Harrison, addressed the Delegates in voting for the Wilson secondary amendments.
“The allowance of charter schools in the state is permissive,” Waxman said. “It gives our parents the right to choose. This is for freedom. Think long and hard before pressing that red button, because you’re voting against freedom.”
All five of the proposed amendments to increase the number of charter schools permitted failed overwhelmingly.
Delegate Doug Skaff, D- Kanawha, defended the body’s opposition to charter schools.
“This body continues to speak loudly against charter schools,” Skaff said. “We have to put faith in our current system and fund it.”
Upon HFA Bates et al 2-13 being reconsidered after the consideration of other charter school amendments, the vote came incredibly close.
As a result of the roll call vote, charter school references remain in the bill indefinitely, in a close 49-45 vote.
The House of Delegates continues to have consideration of the proposed amendments to Senate Bill 451 as of 9:54 p.m., Wednesday, February 13. More updates to this bill are pending as the floor session continues.
