Information pertaining to a Comprehensive Education Reform bill was delivered to the Senate Finance Committee, 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24.
Committee Chair, Sen. Patricia Rucker, R-Jefferson, called the meeting to order by assuring members that discussions of the bills would take place following the initial presentation of information.
“We’re going to give the committee plenty of time to look over it and digest it,” Rucker said.
Currently, the proposed bill is seeking to establish changes which include—
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A retirement conversion which would allow for teachers to convert 10 days of sick leave into 1 month of PEIA coverage.
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A tax credit which would award $250 to teachers for qualifying education equipment costs.
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An increase of the current teacher/pupil ratio from a cap of 25-28 students to 28-32 students.
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Withholding of pay if a teacher or service personnel is to participate in a strike. In cases where the employee still meets the 250 day requirement of their contract, pay would still be granted.
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Broadening the definition of personal service personnel to include social workers and psychologists.
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Establishing a flat 1,400 student enrollment for funding.
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Awarding an additional $24-$25 million for school districts to hire new teachers.
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Providing a 5 percent pay increase for teacher in addition to a one time bonus for teachers who meet 60 percent of the state’s current math requirements.
A large portion of the bill also pertains to the state’s public charter schools. Many of these changes would establish—
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Requirements for an application of an authorizer to become a charter school, including duty and responsibilities.
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Requirements to establish a public charter school contract.
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A renewal of public charter schools contracts.
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An appeals process intended to decide whether or not to establish a public charter school.
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Potential funding for public charter schools.
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The ability for a public charter school to participate in the state’s teacher retirement system.
Prior to the reading of the bill, Rucker explained that the bill was intended to create a stronger education system for West Virginia students.
“This is a vision that has been worked on with input from many people. I appreciate the cooperation,” Rucker said. “I hope we make this bill the best it can be.”
