Source: http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB2561%20SUB%20ENR.htm&yr=2017&sesstype=RS&i=2561
Timestamp: 2017-10-17 20:57:37
Document Index: 201859185

Matched Legal Cases: ['§18', '§18', '§18', '§18', '§18', '§18', '§18', '§18', '§18', '§18', '§18', '§18', '§18', '§18']

Enrolled Version - Final Version House Bill 2561 History
House Bill 2561
By Delegates Espinosa, Upson, Blair, Westfall, R. Romine, Rowan, Cooper, Statler, Kelly, Dean and Rohrbach
[Passed April 8, 2017; in effect ninety days from passage]
AN ACT to amend and reenact §18-9A-4, §18-9A-5, §18-9A-6a, §18-9A-7, §18-9A-9 and §18-9A-10 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; and to amend said Code by inserting a new section, designated §18-9D-4d, all relating to public school support generally; determining allowance for fundable professional educators at set ratio, rather than the number employed subject to a limit; providing for determination of allowance for fundable professional educator positions in excess of number employed; determining allowance for professional educator positions that exceed the number employed; basing minimum professional instructional personnel required on percent of employed fundable professional educators; providing for prorating professional instructional personnel among participating counties in joint school or program or service; removing penalty for not meeting applicable instructional personnel ratio for 2017-18 school year; determining allowance for fundable service personnel at set ratio, rather than number employed subject to a limit; providing for determination of allowance for fundable service personnel positions in excess of number employed; providing for proration of number and allowance of personnel employed in part by state and county funds; adding professional student support personnel allowance to calculation of teachers retirement fund allowance; establishing that the teachers retirement fund allowance is factored on average retirement contribution rate of each county and establishing basis for determining the average retirement contribution rate; allowing limited portion of funds for bus purchases to be used for school facility and equipment repair, maintenance and improvement or replacement or other current expense priorities if requested and approved by state superintendent following verification; changing calculation of allowance for current expense from percent allowances for professional and service personnel to county’s state average costs per square footage per student for operations and maintenance; providing for prorating allowance for current expense among participating counties in joint school or program or service; adding the improvement of instructional technology to the allowance to improve instructional programs; removing authorization for use of instructional improvement funds for implementation and maintenance of regional computer information system; removing requirement for fully utilizing applicable provisions of allowances for professional and service personnel before using instructional improvement funds for employment; changing percentage of allocation allowed for employment; removing restriction limiting use of new instructional improvement funds for employment except for technology system specialists until certain determination made by state superintendent; authorizing use of instructional technology improvement funds for employment of technology system specialists and requiring amount used to be included and justified in strategic technology plan; specifying when certain debt service payments are to be made into school building capital improvement fund; authorizing use of percentages of allocations for improving instructional programs, for improving instructional technology for facility and equipment repair, maintenance and improvement, or replacement and other current expense priorities and for emergency purposes; requiring amounts used to be included and justified in respective strategic plans; authorizing School Building Authority to maintain a reserve fund in the amount of not less than $600,000 for the purpose of making emergency grants to financially distressed county boards to assist them for certain purposes; directing grants to be made in accordance with guideline established by the authority and deleting expired provisions.
That §18-9A-4, §18-9A-5, §18-9A-6a, §18-9A-7, §18-9A-9 and §18-9A-10 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted; and that said Code be amended by inserting a new section, designated §18-9D-4d, all to read as follows:
(5) Where two or more counties join together in support of a vocational or comprehensive high school or any other program or service, the professional instructional personnel for the school or program may be prorated among the participating counties on the basis of each one=s enrollment therein and the personnel shall be considered within the above-stated limit.
(d) A county may not increase the number of administrative personnel employed as either professional educators or pay grade AH@ service personnel above the number which were employed, or for which positions were posted, on June 30, 1990, and, therefore, county boards shall whenever possible utilize classroom teachers for curriculum administrative positions through the use of modified or extended contracts.
(a) The basic foundation allowance to the county for service personnel shall be the amount of money required to pay the annual state minimum salaries in accordance with the provisions of article four, chapter eighteen a of this code, to such service personnel employed, subject to the following:
(3) Where two or more counties join together in support of a vocational or comprehensive high school or any other program or service, the service personnel for the school or program may be prorated among the participating counties on the basis of each one=s enrollment therein and that the personnel shall be considered within the above-stated limit.
(3) An amount equal to eight and one-third percent of the current replacement value of the bus fleet within each county as determined by the state board. The amount shall only be used for the replacement of buses except as provided in subdivision (4) of this subsection. Buses purchased after July 1, 1999 that are driven one hundred eighty thousand miles, regardless of year model, are subject to the replacement value of eight and one-third percent as determined by the state board. In addition, in any school year in which its net enrollment increases when compared to the net enrollment the year immediately preceding, a school district may apply to the state superintendent for funding for an additional bus or buses. The state superintendent shall make a decision regarding each application based upon an analysis of the individual school district=s net enrollment history and transportation needs: Provided, That the superintendent may not consider any application which fails to document that the county has applied for federal funding for additional buses. If the state superintendent finds that a need exists, a request for funding shall be included in the budget request submitted by the state board for the upcoming fiscal year;
(B) Allocation to the counties of the remainder of these funds shall be made proportional to the average of each county=s average daily attendance for the preceding year and the county=s second month net enrollment.
Up to fifty percent of this allocation for the improvement of instructional programs may be used to employ professional educators and service personnel in the county. Prior to the use of any funds from this subdivision for personnel costs, the county board must receive authorization from the state superintendent. The state superintendent shall require the county board to demonstrate: (1) The need for the allocation; (2) efficiency and fiscal responsibility in staffing; (3) sharing of services with adjoining counties and the regional educational service agency for that county in the use of the total local district board budget; and (4) employment of technology integration specialists to meet the needs for implementation of the West Virginia Strategic Technology Learning Plan. County boards shall make application for the use of funds for personnel for the next fiscal year by May 1 of each year. On or before June 1, the state superintendent shall review all applications and notify applying county boards of the approval or disapproval of the use of funds for personnel during the fiscal year appropriate. The state superintendent shall require the county board to demonstrate the need for an allocation for personnel based upon the county=s inability to meet the requirements of state law or state board policy.