Source: http://www.wvlegislature.gov/WVCODE/code.cfm?chap=18B&art=2B
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 02:12:45+00:00

Document:
§18B-2B-1. Legislative findings; intent; purpose.
§18B-2B-3. West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education; supervision of chancellor; chief executive officer.
§18B-2B-4. Appointment, composition and terms of council.
§18B-2B-6. Powers and duties of the council.
§18B-2B-7. Powers and duties of the chief executive officer.
§18B-2B-8. State advisory committee of community and technical college presidents.
§18B-2B-9. Permits required for correspondence, business, occupational and trade schools; surety bonds and fees; issuance, renewal and revocation of permit; reports; rules; penalty and enforcement.
(iv) The state needs to emphasize the role of lifelong learning as a critical piece of its overall education and training system if the state is to make the transition to the new economy.
(xv) The state needs to create a community college support capacity at the state level that will bring leadership, coordination, technical support, advocacy and critical mass to a statewide network of local community and technical college campuses.
(iii) Provides West Virginia businesses with the highly skilled workforce necessary to meet their evolving needs in the global knowledge economy.
(iii) To enhance education opportunities for the citizens of the area and assist in overcoming the barrier of accessibility in higher education.
(4) Certain acts to streamline accountability, to make maximum use of existing assets to meet new demands and target funding to initiatives designed to enhance and reorient existing capacity and to provide incentives for brokering and collaboration require that the role of the joint commission for vocational-technical- occupational education be reexamined.
(c) Legislative intent. -- The intent of the Legislature in enacting this article is to address the research findings cited above by reconstituting the joint commission for vocational- technical-occupational education as the West Virginia council for community and technical college education in order to reorient the mission, role and responsibilities consistent with and supportive of the mission, role and responsibilities of the commission, the goals for post-secondary education and accountability for assisting the public community and technical colleges, branches, centers, regional centers and other delivery sites with a community and technical college mission in achieving the state's public policy agenda.
(d) Purpose. -- The purpose of this article is to provide for the development of a leadership and support mechanism for the community and technical colleges, branches, centers, regional centers and other delivery sites with a community and technical college mission to assist them in meeting the essential conditions and in the step-by-step implementation process for achieving the goals for community and technical college education as provided for in article three-c of this chapter and to promote coordination and collaboration among secondary and post-secondary vocational- technical-occupational and adult basic education programs as provided for in this chapter and chapter eighteen of this code. The focus of this leadership and support mechanism is to encourage development of a statewide mission to raise education attainment, increase adult literacy, promote workforce and economic development and ensure access to secondary and post-secondary education for the citizens of the state while maintaining the local autonomy and flexibility necessary to the success of community and technical education.
(a) There is continued the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education. The council has all the powers and duties assigned by law to the joint commission for vocational--technical-occupational education prior to July 1, 2001, and all other powers and duties assigned by law.
(b) The council shall employ a chancellor for community and technical college education. The chancellor serves as chief executive officer of the council at the will and pleasure of the council. The chancellor shall be compensated at a level set by the council not to exceed eighty percent of the average annual salary of chief executive officers of the state systems of community and technical colleges in the states that comprise the membership of the Southern Regional Education Board.
(c) The council shall conduct written performance evaluations of the chancellor annually and may offer the chancellor a contract not to exceed three years. At the end of each contract period, the council shall review the evaluations and make a determination by vote of its members on continuing employment and level of compensation.
(d) When a vacancy occurs in the position of chancellor, the council shall enter into an initial employment contract for one year with the candidate selected to fill the vacancy. At the end of the initial period, and each contract period thereafter, the council shall review the evaluations and make a determination by vote of its members on continuing employment and compensation level for the chancellor.
(e) The individual who was serving as Vice Chancellor for Community and Technical College Education and Workforce Development and who became chancellor effective March 13, 2004, maintains all benefits of employment held, accrued and afforded as the Vice Chancellor for Community and Technical College Education and Workforce Development prior to March 13, 2004, These benefits include, but are not limited to, retirement benefits, continued membership in the same retirement system, insurance coverage and sick and annual leave. For the purposes of leave conversion established in section thirteen, article sixteen, chapter five of this code, the chancellor is not a new employee and the prohibition on conversion does not apply if the chancellor was eligible for leave conversion while serving as vice chancellor.
(A) One member shall be appointed from each community and technical college consortia district as established in this section.
(B) Prior to appointment, the Governor shall interview each candidate to assure that the person selected understands and is committed to achieving the goals and objectives as set forth in the institutional compacts and in section one-a, article one of this chapter. The Governor shall invite the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Delegates, the chairs of the Senate and House of Delegates committees on finance and education and such other legislative leaders as the Governor may determine to participate in interviewing potential candidates. Each member appointed to the council by the Governor shall represent the public interest and shall be committed to the legislative intent and goals set forth in section one-a, article one of this chapter.
(b) Any appointed member shall be a citizen of the state, shall represent the public interest and shall understand and be committed to achieving the goals and objectives set forth in section one-a, article one of this chapter, the essential conditions set forth in article three-c of this chapter, and the goals for secondary and post-secondary vocational-technical- occupational and adult basic education in the state. Any appointed member shall represent the interests of the business, labor and employer communities and demonstrate knowledge of the education needs of the various regions, attainment levels and age groups within the state.
(c) The Governor may not appoint any person to be a member of the council who is an officer, employee or member of an advisory board of any state college or university, the holder of any other public office or public employment under the government of this state or any of its political subdivisions, an appointee or employee of any governing board or an immediate family member of any employee under the jurisdiction of the commission or any governing board. An individual may not serve on the council who is engaged in providing, or employed by a person or company whose primary function is to provide, workforce development services and activities.
(d) Members of the council serve for staggered terms of four years. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (1), subsection (a) of this section, on the effective date of this section any current member of the council maintains his or her appointment to the council and continues to serve for the remainder of the term for which originally appointed. Any additional appointment required by the provisions of said subdivision shall represent a consortia district not otherwise represented on the council.
(a) The council shall meet as needed at the time and place specified at the call of the chairperson. One meeting each year shall be a public forum for the discussion of the goals and standards for workforce development, economic development and vocational education in the state.
(b) The council shall hold an annual meeting at its final, regularly scheduled meeting of each fiscal year for the purpose of electing officers. At the annual meeting, the council shall elect from its voting members a chairperson and other officers as it may consider necessary or desirable. The chairperson and other officers are elected for one-year terms commencing on July 1, following the annual meeting and ending on June 30 of the following year. The chairperson of the council may serve no more than four consecutive one-year terms as chair.
(c) Members of the council serve without compensation. Members shall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses actually incurred in the performance of official duties under this article upon presentation of an itemized sworn statement of their expenses. An ex officio member of the council who is an employee of the state is reimbursed by the employing agency.
(d) A majority of the voting members constitutes a quorum for conducting the business of the council. All action taken by the council shall be by majority vote of the voting members present.
(a) The council is the sole agency responsible for administration of vocational-technical-occupational education and community and technical college education in the state. The council has jurisdiction and authority over the community and technical colleges and the statewide network of independently accredited community and technical colleges as a whole, including community and technical college education programs as defined in section two, article one of this chapter.
(3) The Legislature finds that an emergency exists and, therefore, the council shall propose an emergency rule or rules to implement the provisions of this section relating to the financing policy and benchmarks and indicators in accordance with section six, article one of this chapter and article three-a, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code by October 1, 2008. The emergency rule or rules may not be implemented without prior approval of the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability.
(v) Providing high-quality community and technical college education services to residents of every region of the state.
(C) Considers the progress of each institution toward meeting the goals, objectives, and priorities established in article one-d of this chapter and its approved institutional compact.
(49) Distribute federal vocational education funding provided under the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act of 1998, PL 105-332, with an emphasis on distributing financial assistance among secondary and post-secondary vocational-technical-occupational and adult basic education programs to help meet the public policy agenda.
(63) Implement a policy jointly with the commission whereby any course credit earned at a community and technical college transfers for program credit at any other state institution of higher education and is not limited to fulfilling a general education requirement.
(10) Quality assurance that intersects with all other duties of the council particularly in the areas of planning, policy analysis, program review and approval, budgeting and information and accountability systems.
(3) Other circumstances which, in the view of the council, severely limit the capacity of the board of governors to carry out its duties and responsibilities.
The period of withdrawal of specific powers may not exceed two years during which time the council is authorized to take steps necessary to reestablish the conditions for restoration of sound, stable and responsible institutional governance.
(3) If the receiving body fails to take final action within sixty days, the original proposal stands and is binding on both the commission and the council.
(3) To supervise and direct staff of the council as necessary and appropriate to carry out the duties and responsibilities of this article.
(A) On the effective date of this section, all personnel employed by the commission and under the supervision of the vice chancellor for community and technical college education and workforce development on January 1, 2004, are transferred to the jurisdiction of the council and are under the direct supervision of the chancellor for community and technical college education.
(B) Prior to October 1, 2004, any such employee, including the chief executive officer of the council, may not be terminated or have his or her salary or benefit level reduced as the result of the governance reorganization set forth in this article.
(4) On behalf of the council, the chancellor may enter into agreements with any state agency or political subdivision of the state, any state higher education institution or any other person or entity to enlist staff assistance to implement the powers and duties assigned to the council by state law.
(E) To perform all other duties and responsibilities assigned by the council or by state law.
(6) The chancellor shall be reimbursed for all actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of all assigned duties and responsibilities.
(7) The council is the primary advocate for community and technical college education and, with the chancellor, advises the Legislature on matters of community and technical college education in West Virginia. The chancellor shall work closely with the Legislative Oversight commission on education accountability and with the elected leadership of the state to ensure that they are fully informed about community and technical college education issues and that the council fully understands the goals for higher education that the Legislature has established by law.
(8) The chancellor may design and develop for consideration by the council new statewide or regional initiatives directly related to community and technical college education and in accordance with the goals set forth in section one-a, article one of this chapter and the public policy agenda.
(B) Appropriate coordination of missions and programs. To further the goals of cooperation and coordination between the council and the state Board of Education, the chancellor serves as an ex officio, nonvoting member of the state Board of Education.
(a) There is continued the state advisory committee of community and technical college presidents. For the purposes of this section, the state advisory committee of community and technical college presidents is referred to as the "advisory committee".
(b) Each president of a public community and technical college, as defined in section one, article six of this chapter, is a member of the advisory committee. An administrative head of a component, branch, center, regional center or other delivery site with a community and technical college mission may be a member if considered appropriate.
(c) The chancellor serves as chair of the advisory committee. The advisory committee shall meet at least once each quarter and may meet at such other times as called by the chair or by a majority of the members.
(d) The advisory committee shall communicate to the council on matters of importance to the group. It shall meet annually between the months of October and December with the council to discuss those matters relating to community and technical college education in which advisory committee members or the council may have an interest.
(e) The chancellor shall prepare meeting minutes which shall be made available, upon request, to the public.
(2) "Specialized associate degrees" means degrees awarded by such institutions pursuant to a program of not fewer than two academic years.
(b) Nothing in this section qualifies proprietary schools for additional state moneys not otherwise qualified under other provisions of this code.
(c) It is unlawful for any person representing a correspondence, business, occupational or trade school inside or outside this state, as these are defined by the Council by rule promulgated in accordance with article three-a, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, to solicit, sell or offer to sell courses of instruction to any resident of this state for consideration or remuneration unless the school first applies for a permit, or obtains a permit, from the Council in the manner and on the terms herein prescribed, except this section does not apply to private organizations which offer only tax return preparation courses. The rule previously promulgated by the state College System Board of Directors and transferred to the Council by section six, article two-b, chapter eighteen-b of this code remains in effect until rescinded or amended by the Council.
(1) All private training or educational institutions, schools or academies or other organizations shall apply for a permit from the Council on forms provided by the Council.
(2) Each initial application shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee of $2,000. The Council also may assess an additional fee based on any additional expense required to evaluate the application.
(3) The Council shall make a determination on the initial permit application within ninety days after receipt of the application and fee.
(4) An applicant for an initial permit shall show proof at the time of filing an application that adequate facilities are available and ready for occupancy and that all instructional equipment, books and supplies and personnel are in place and ready for operation. A representative of the Council shall make an on-site visit to the facilities of all new applicants to confirm their readiness for operation prior to issuance of the initial permit if the facilities are located in West Virginia.(5) A school is considered to be established under the provisions of this article on the date it first begins to operate lawfully. An established school is not required to reapply for a permit as a result of changes in governance; administration; ownership; or form of operation.
(6) After the first permit year, an annual fee of $500 is imposed on each school for each campus it operates in this state.
(1) If the school has changed ownership within the last ten years by transfer of ownership control to a person who is a spouse, parent, sibling, child or grandchild of the previous owner, the surety bond shall continue in the penal sum of $35,000.
(2) Any school which has operated in West Virginia for fewer than ten years, excluding those schools which have changed ownership within the last ten years as provided in subdivision (1) of this section, and any school located in another state which applies for a permit hereunder, shall provide a surety bond of $50,000.
(B) The school's institutional eligibility under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, has been terminated for cause. Expiration, nonrenewal or voluntary relinquishment of accreditation or institutional eligibility under the Higher Education Act, or failure to meet the requirements of one or more programs under the Act, are not considered to be a termination for cause.
(4) Any school may be required to increase its bond to an amount not to exceed $400,000 if, in accordance with the standards of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the school's audited financial statements are qualified because the school's continued financial viability as an ongoing concern is in doubt and the Council determines an increased bond is reasonably necessary to protect the financial obligations legally due the students then enrolled at the institution.
(A) A school may be required to maintain the increased bonding requirements described above until all students attending classes at the date of termination either graduate or withdraw.
(B) The bond may be continuous and shall be conditioned to provide indemnification to any student suffering loss as a result of any fraud or misrepresentation used in procuring the student's enrollment, failure of the school to meet contractual obligations, or failure of the school to meet the requirements of this section.
(C) The bond shall be given by the school itself as a blanket bond covering all of its representatives.
(D) The surety on a bond may cancel the same upon giving thirty days' notice in writing to the principal on the bond and to the state Council and thereafter shall be relieved of liability for any breach of condition occurring after the effective date of the cancellation.
(e) A permit shall be valid for one year corresponding to the effective date of the bond and may be renewed upon application, accompanied by the required fee and the surety bond as herein required. All fees collected for the issuance or renewal of a permit shall be deposited in the state Treasury to the credit of the Council.
(f) The Council may refuse a permit to any school if the Council finds that the school engages in practices which are inconsistent with this section or with rules issued pursuant thereto.
(g) A permit issued hereunder may be suspended or revoked by the Council for fraud or misrepresentation in soliciting or enrolling students, for failure of the school to fulfill its contract with one or more students who are residents of West Virginia or for violation of or failure to comply with any provision of this section or with any regulation of the Council pertinent thereto.
(1) Before taking any action to suspend or revoke a school's permit, the Council shall give the school fifteen days' notice and convene a hearing, if a hearing is requested by the school.
(2) Prior to the Council taking any adverse action, including refusal, suspension or revocation of a permit, the Council shall give the school reasonable opportunity to take corrective measures.
(3) Any refusal, suspension or revocation of a permit, or any other adverse action against a school, shall comply with all Constitutional provisions, including due process, relating to the protection of property rights.
(h) All correspondence, business, occupational or trade schools which have been issued a permit shall make annual reports to the Council on forms furnished by the Council and shall provide such appropriate information as the Council reasonably may require. All correspondence, business, occupational or trade schools which have been issued a permit shall furnish to the Council a list of its official representatives. Each school shall be issued a certificate of identification by the Council for each of its official representatives.
(i) The issuance of a permit pursuant to this section does not constitute approval or accreditation of any course or school. No school, nor any representative of a school, may make any representation stating, asserting or implying that a permit issued pursuant to this section constitutes approval or accreditation by the State of West Virginia, Council or any other department or agency of the state.
(j) The Council is hereby authorized to adopt rules and conduct on-site reviews to evaluate academic standards maintained by schools for the awarding of certificates, diplomas, associate degrees and specialized associate degrees.
(1) These standards may include curriculum, personnel, facilities, materials and equipment.
(2) For accredited correspondence, business, occupational and trade schools under permit on July 1, 1979, which have their physical facilities located in this state and which are accredited by the appropriate nationally recognized accrediting agency or association approved by the United States Department of Education, the accrediting agency's standards, procedures and criteria are accepted as meeting applicable laws, standards and rules of the Council.
(3) Institutions which are institutionally accredited by accrediting agencies recognized by the United States Department of Education to establish academic standards for post-secondary education may offer post-secondary educational programs leading to certificates, diplomas and associate degrees and may award certificates, diplomas and associate degrees to graduates who successfully complete required programs in accordance with the academic standards required by such accrediting agency.
(4) If a review undertaken by the Council indicates there may be deficiencies in the academic standards the institution maintains in its educational programs and if such deficiencies are of such a material nature that they jeopardize continued accreditation, the Council shall notify the institution. If the Council and the institution are unable to agree on the deficiencies or the steps necessary to correct the deficiencies, the Council shall consult with the institution's accrediting agency regarding an academically appropriate resolution which may include a joint on-site review by the Council and the accrediting agency.
(5) The Council also may review the academic standards of unaccredited institutions and may require such institutions to maintain recognized academic standards that are reasonably appropriate to the nature of the institution and the training offered.
(k) The Council may authorize an investigation of written student complaints alleging a violation of this section, Council rules or accreditation standards and may take appropriate action based on the findings of such an investigation.
(l) All evaluations or investigations of correspondence, business, occupational and trade schools and actions resulting from such evaluations or investigations shall be made in accordance with rules promulgated by the Council pursuant to article three-a, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code.
(1) Any rule or standard which is authorized by this or any section of the code or other law and which is now in effect or promulgated hereafter by the Council (or other agency with jurisdiction) shall be clearly, specifically and expressly authorized by narrowly construed enabling law and shall be unenforceable and without legal effect unless authorized by an Act of the Legislature under the provisions of article three-a, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code.
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section or other law to the contrary, the institution's accrediting agency standards, procedures and criteria shall be accepted as the standards and rules of the Council (or other agency with jurisdiction) and as meeting other law or legal requirements relating to the operation of proprietary institutions which such Council or other agency has the legal authority to enforce under any section of the code or other law. Nothing in this section denies students the use of remedies that would otherwise be available under state or federal consumer laws or federal law relating to federal college financial assistance programs.
(3) Accredited institutions operating hereunder are hereby recognized as postsecondary. Academic progress is measured and reported in credit hours and all reports/documents are filed on a credit-hour basis unless the institution notifies the Council that it utilizes clock hours as its unit of measurement.
(n) A representative of any school who solicits, sells or offers to sell courses of instruction to any resident of this state for consideration or remuneration unless the school first applies for a permit, or obtains a permit, is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $200 per day per violation, or imprisoned in jail not more than sixty days, or both fined and imprisoned. No correspondence, business, occupational or trade school shall maintain an action in any court of this state to recover for services rendered pursuant to a contract solicited by the school if the school did not hold a valid permit at the time the contract was signed by any of the parties thereto. The Attorney General or any county prosecuting attorney, at the request of the Council or upon his or her own motion, may bring any appropriate action or proceeding in any court of competent jurisdiction for the enforcement of the provisions of this section relating to permits, bonds and sureties.
(o) In regard to institutions operating under this section, all substantive standards and procedural requirements established by the Council (or the West Virginia state program review entity or other agency with jurisdiction over institutions operating hereunder) shall meet all substantive and procedural standards of due process relating to the protection of an individual citizen's property rights as provided under the United States Constitution and shall follow the substantive standards and procedural requirements established by or under authority of this section.

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