By Matthew Young
For HDMedia
It’s been just over a month since Senate Education Committee Chair Amy Grady, R-Mason, while speaking as part of the West Virginia Press Association’s Legislative Lookahead panel in Charleston, told a room filled with reporters, “The graduation requirements that we have for our high school students are assuming every one of those students is going to a four-year institution.”
At that time, Grady said she wanted to revisit the state’s high school graduation requirements. Now with the legislative session crossing the halfway mark on Thursday, a total of 22 bills have been reported from the Senate and House of Delegates’ Education committees, with only half of that number passing out of the House thus far.
Here’s a look at several education bills and what their status is in the legislative process:
HB 4002: Creating the ‘West Virginia Collaboratory’
Introduced on Jan. 14 by Delegate Lori Dittman, R-Braxton, House Bill 4002 was put to a vote in the House of Delegates in under two weeks. However, while it ultimately passed with bipartisan support, House Republicans were split on the plan, which calls for the creation of a “Collaboratory” at Marshall University to facilitate and disseminate research completed by West Virginia’s post-secondary institutions, for use by state and local government.
Touted by House of Delegates Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, in December as part of his “jobs first, opportunity everywhere” agenda, HB 4002 passed the House on Jan. 27, by a vote of 76-12. And while there was no floor debate at the time of its passage, all 12 nay-votes were cast by Republican members. The bill remains pending before the Senate Education Committee.
SB 155: Deepening the pool of teacher candidates
Senate Bill 155 — which seeks to allow those with an adjunct teaching permit to be hired to fill vacant, full-time teaching positions — passed unanimously by the Senate on Feb. 4. Introduced by Grady, if enacted, the bill would allow schools to offer a more complete assortment of curriculum and programs, including through the creation of new classes which meet the skill set of adjunct teachers.
SB 155 was introduced to the House of Delegates on Feb. 5, and has been referred to that body’s Education Committee. It has not yet appeared on an agenda, but is expected to come before the Education Committee’s Public Education Subcommittee in the coming weeks.
HB 4081: Helping students eat and stay healthy
One of the more direct approaches the Legislature is attempting to combat the state’s education shortcomings is to address food insecurity and health and hygiene inadequacies.
Introduced by House Higher Education Vice-chair Jimmy Willis, R-Brooke, House Bill 4081 calls for the creation of the Higher Education Health and Aid Grant program. Under the provisions of the bill, West Virginia’s colleges, universities, trade schools and all other institutions of higher learning may request additional appropriations of state funds to be spent on students’ medical health and hygiene, and mechanisms to assist with regularly feeding students.
Although HB 4081 passed the House on Jan. 23 with bipartisan support, it again left the Republican caucus split, with all 22 no-votes being cast by Republican House members.
According to Delegate Margitta Mazzocchi, R-Logan, it was the leadership from the various institutions themselves that motivated her to vote against the bill, telling HD Media, “We had [WVU President Michael] Benson, and [Marshall University President Brad] Smith there in the Finance Committee.”
Mazzocchi shared her own experiences with buying food plans as the parent of a college student, saying leftover food would go to waste. She then added that Smith advised the Finance Committee that Marshall has “a long list of what’s already available” to needy students.
“It’s not necessary for us [legislators] to get involved, and make more rules and regulations,” Mazzocchi said. “They [institutions of higher learning] get enough money that they can take care of these matters themselves.”
The bill now remains pending before Grady’s Senate Education Committee.
SB 445: Potomac State College to participate in ‘Learn and Earn’ program
West Virginia’s state-funded Learn and Earn program supports paid internships for students attending one of nine community and technical colleges. For the past two years, Potomac State College of West Virginia University has been included in the program, considered a “pilot” school. Senate Bill 445, introduced by Senate Select Committee on School Choice Vice-chair Jay Taylor, R-Taylor, looks to remove the “pilot” designation.
Reported by the Senate Education Committee on Jan. 23, SB 455 unanimously passed the full Senate on Jan. 26. If enacted, the bill would necessitate a dollar-for-dollar cash match from participating employers utilizing interns from Potomac State College. SB 455 now awaits review by the House Education Committee.
HB 4422: Summer school for eighth- and ninth-graders
Introduced by Majority Whip Marty Gearheart, R-Mercer, HB 4422 has experienced unanimous, bipartisan support in the House of Delegates. The bill allows eighth- and ninth-grade students to attend summer school in order to raise their grades for the purpose of participation in fall extracurricular activities. However, as the bill states, “county school facilities for the most part lie dormant and unused during the summer months,” HB 4422 requires county school systems that don’t already have a summer school program in place to establish one.
The bill was sent to the Senate on Jan. 28, and is expected to appear on a Senate Education Committee agenda in the coming weeks. The lack of an attached fiscal note, however, could stall the bill’s progress.
SB 30/SB 388: Guns and Bibles
Having passed the Senate — and currently awaiting review by the House of Delegates Education Committee — is the Grady-sponsored Senate Bill 388, which calls for the Aitken Bible to be made available in all public fourth-, eighth- and 10th-grade classrooms. Senate Bill 30, which was introduced by Sen. Chris Rose, R-Monongalia, seeks to allow 18-20-year-old gun owners to carry concealed without a permit, has also passed the Senate and is awaiting House of Delegates review.
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