Signed by Governor Jim Justice, Jr.

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that authorizes the creation of charter schools.

Highlights:

• Authorizes the establishment of 3 pilot public charter schools until July 1, 2023, after which an additional 3 public charter schools can be authorized, and every 3 years thereafter (Article 5G).

• Increases the state minimum salary for teachers with zero years of experience and an A.B. degree to at least $43,000 by fiscal year 2019, and for the purpose of the salary schedule, provides that certain math and special education teachers be considered to have three additional years of experience (Article 4).

• Authorizes full-time employees to use four days of leave annually without regard to the cause for the absence beginning July 1, 2019 (Article 4).

• Extends the Underwood-Smith Teacher Scholarship and Loan Assistance Fund in order to continue granting scholarships and loan repayment assistance to teachers, prospective teachers, and school counselors who have demonstrated outstanding academic abilities to pursue teaching careers in critical shortage fields at the elementary, middle or secondary levels in public schools (Article 4).

• Authorizes counties to provide additional compensation or other financial assistance to teachers in schools that are in remote geographical locations or have experienced high rates of turnover, and for teachers assigned and fully certified to teach in a subject area in which the county board finds it has a critical need (Article 20).

• Expands the Mountaineer Challenge Academy to a second location in Fayette County, and authorizes the Mountaineer Challenge Academy location in Preston County to accept cadets up to its maximum capacity (Article 1B).

• Authorizes each faculty senate to appropriate $300 to each classroom teacher and librarian for expenditure during the instructional year for academic materials, supplies, or equipment (Article 5A).

• Requires county boards to establish an open enrollment policy without charging tuition or obtaining approval from the board of the county in which the student lives (Article 5).

• Defines “open enrollment” as a policy adopted and implemented by a county board to allow non-resident students to enroll in any school within the district (Article 5).

• Requires school counselors to spend at least 80 percent of work time in a direct counseling relationship with pupils (Article 5).

• Authorizes each county to receive an allowance for 5 state aid eligible professional student support personnel positions to each 1,000 students in net enrollment (Article 9A).

• Establishes that each county board will receive its allocated state aid share of the county’s basic foundation program in the form of block grants, starting with the 2019-2020 school year (Article 9A).

• Increases the calculated net enrollment in order to determine a county’s basic foundation program for certain counties with an actual net enrollment of less than 1,400 (Article 9A).

• Establishes each county’s allowance for current expense for the 2019-2020 fiscal year as 71.25 percent of the county’s state average costs per square footage per student for operations and maintenance amount, plus for professional educator substitutes or current expense, 2.5 percent of the computed state allocation for professional educators and professional student support personnel (Article 9A).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that authorizes the creation of charter schools.

Highlights:

• Authorizes the establishment of 3 pilot public charter schools until July 1, 2023, after which an additional 3 public charter schools can be authorized, and every 3 years thereafter (Article 5G).

• Increases the state minimum salary for teachers with zero years of experience and an A.B. degree to at least $43,000 by fiscal year 2019, and for the purpose of the salary schedule, provides that certain math and special education teachers be considered to have three additional years of experience (Article 4).

• Authorizes full-time employees to use four days of leave annually without regard to the cause for the absence beginning July 1, 2019 (Article 4).

• Extends the Underwood-Smith Teacher Scholarship and Loan Assistance Fund in order to continue granting scholarships and loan repayment assistance to teachers, prospective teachers, and school counselors who have demonstrated outstanding academic abilities to pursue teaching careers in critical shortage fields at the elementary, middle or secondary levels in public schools (Article 4).

• Authorizes counties to provide additional compensation or other financial assistance to teachers in schools that are in remote geographical locations or have experienced high rates of turnover, and for teachers assigned and fully certified to teach in a subject area in which the county board finds it has a critical need (Article 20).

• Expands the Mountaineer Challenge Academy to a second location in Fayette County, and authorizes the Mountaineer Challenge Academy location in Preston County to accept cadets up to its maximum capacity (Article 1B).

• Authorizes each faculty senate to appropriate $300 to each classroom teacher and librarian for expenditure during the instructional year for academic materials, supplies, or equipment (Article 5A).

• Requires county boards to establish an open enrollment policy without charging tuition or obtaining approval from the board of the county in which the student lives (Article 5).

• Defines “open enrollment” as a policy adopted and implemented by a county board to allow non-resident students to enroll in any school within the district (Article 5).

• Requires school counselors to spend at least 80 percent of work time in a direct counseling relationship with pupils (Article 5).

• Authorizes each county to receive an allowance for 5 state aid eligible professional student support personnel positions to each 1,000 students in net enrollment (Article 9A).

• Establishes that each county board will receive its allocated state aid share of the county’s basic foundation program in the form of block grants, starting with the 2019-2020 school year (Article 9A).

• Increases the calculated net enrollment in order to determine a county’s basic foundation program for certain counties with an actual net enrollment of less than 1,400 (Article 9A).

• Establishes each county’s allowance for current expense for the 2019-2020 fiscal year as 71.25 percent of the county’s state average costs per square footage per student for operations and maintenance amount, plus for professional educator substitutes or current expense, 2.5 percent of the computed state allocation for professional educators and professional student support personnel (Article 9A).

Full Bill Text