Source: http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=hb4597%20intr.htm&yr=2014&sesstype=RS&i=4597
Timestamp: 2018-01-22 11:01:04
Document Index: 571938111

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

(By Delegate Marcum)
A BILL to amend and reenact §18-2-26 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; and to amend and reenact §18-5-1a and §18-5-4 of said code, all relating to the State Board of Education; multicounty regional educational service agencies; county boards of education and training requirements; compensation for attendance of various meetings and training sessions; and reporting requirements to the Legislative Commission on Education Accountability.
That §18-2-26 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted; and that §18-5-1a and §18-5-4 of said code be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
(j) Meetings. and compensation. --
(ii) The term “public office” as used in this section does not include service on any other board, elected or appointed, profit or nonprofit, under the following conditions:
(2) A county board member who relies in good faith upon an advisory opinion issued by the West Virginia Ethics Commission to the effect that holding a particular office or public office is not a bar from membership on a county board and against whom proceedings are subsequently brought for removal from the county board on the basis of holding that office or offices is entitled to reimbursement by the county board for reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs incurred by the member in defending against these proceedings, regardless of the outcome of the proceedings.
(e) Annually, each member of a county board shall receive seven clock hours of training in areas relating to boardsmanship, governance effectiveness, and school performance issues including, but not limited to, pertinent state and federal statutes such as the “Process for Improving Education” set forth in section five, article two-e of this chapter and the “No Child Left Behind Act” and their respective administrative rules. A member must satisfy the annual training requirement regardless of whether he or she is compensated for the training as provided in section four, article five of this chapter.
(g) The state board shall appoint a committee named the “county board member training standards review committee” whose members shall meet at least annually. Subject to state board approval, the committee shall determine which particular trainings and training organizations shall be approved and whether county board members have satisfied the annual training requirement. Members of the committee serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed by their agencies or employers for all reasonable and necessary expenses actually incurred in the performance of their duties under this subsection.
(e) Board members may receive compensation at a rate not to exceed $160 per meeting or training session attended but they or, pursuant to subsection (g) of this section, not to exceed $200 per meeting or training session attended: Provided, That in any one fiscal year members, may not receive pay for more than fifty meetings in any one fiscal year. Board members who serve on an administrative council of a multicounty vocational center also may receive compensation for attending up to twelve meetings of the council at the same rate as for meetings of the county board. Meetings of the council are not counted as board meetings for purposes of determining the limit on compensable board meetings and such number of training sessions as the state board shall determine; Provided, however, That board members may receive pay for as many as sixty-five meetings in any fiscal year in which the foundation allowance to their county under the West Virginia Public School Support Plan is based upon net student enrollment in excess of twenty thousand students.
(f) Before July 1, 2014, the state board in consultation with the county board member training standards review committee established pursuant to section one-a, article five of this chapter, shall adopt a legislative rule in accordance with article three-b, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, defining "training session," establishing the number of training sessions for which board members may annually be compensated, and making compensation for training sessions conditional upon verification by the West Virginia School Board Association of board members' attendance at training sessions.
(g) Board members may receive compensation at a rate greater than $160 per meeting or training session attended, not to exceed $200, subject to the following:
(1) Before July 1 of the fiscal year in which the compensation rate is increased, the board must determine from fiscal information provided by its superintendent that compensation at the greater rate is fiscally responsible.
(2) Each board member in office on the effective date of the compensation increase who desires to receive compensation at the greater rate must file with the superintendent the member's agreement to accept the compensation increase: Provided, That the compensation rate of a member who fails to file the written agreement shall, until the member vacates the office or the member's term of office expires, whichever first occurs, be the compensation rate in effect for members of the board immediately prior to the effective date of the increase.
(3) If in the board's judgment there are insufficient revenues to pay compensation at the greater rate and any related employment taxes, then the compensation rate for the board's members shall remain the same as when the fiscal analysis was undertaken in accordance with the provisions of this subsection: Provided, That a board having made this determination may review the same on or before July 1 of the ensuing fiscal year. If after subsequent review the board determines there are sufficient revenues to provide the increase in compensation, the board, subject to the procedures of this subsection, may agree to do so: Provided, however, That no such increase in compensation may be retroactive to the effective date of this statute.
(e) (h) Board members who serve on an administrative council of a multicounty vocational center may receive compensation at a rate not to exceed $160 per meeting attended, but they may not receive pay for more than fifty meetings in any one fiscal year for attending up to twelve meetings of the council at the same rate as for meetings of the county board. Board members who serve on an administrative regional council of a multicounty vocational center also regional educational service agency may receive compensation for attending up to twelve fifteen meetings of the council at the same rate as for meetings of the county board. Meetings of the administrative council and regional council are not counted as board meetings for purposes of determining the limit on compensable board meetings.
(f) (i) Members also shall be paid, upon the presentation of an itemized sworn statement, for all necessary traveling expenses, including all authorized meetings, incurred on official business, at the order of the county board.
(g) (j) When, by a majority vote of its members, a county board considers it a matter of public interest, the county board may join the West Virginia School Board Association and the National School Board Association and may pay the dues prescribed by the associations and approved by action of the respective county boards. Membership dues and actual traveling expenses incurred by board members for attending meetings of the West Virginia School Board Association may be paid by their respective county boards out of funds available to meet actual expenses of the members, but no allowance may be made except upon sworn itemized statements.
(k) Prior to December 1 of each year, the West Virginia School Board Association shall provide to the Legislative Commission on Education Accountability a report on board member compensation for the preceding fiscal year, to include for each board at least the following:
(1) The number of meetings held, broken down into regular meetings and special meetings;
(2) The number of special meetings that were statutory meetings;
(3) The number of special meetings that were called as emergency meetings under article nine-a, chapter six of this code;
(4) The rate or rates of compensation paid to members for attending meetings and training sessions, and whether this was greater than the rate paid during the preceding fiscal year;
(5) The total compensation paid to members and each of them for attending each of the following:
(B) Training sessions;
(C) Meetings of the administrative council of any multicounty vocational center; and
(D) Meetings of the regional council of a multicounty regional educational service agency.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide requirements for training sessions and various meetings of multicounty regional educational service agencies and county boards of education training requirements. It changes the compensation for attendance of various meetings and training sessions. And, provides annual reporting requirements to the Legislative Commission on Education Accountability.