The 2007 General Assembly is now in session
Week 1 Update—January 12, 2007
The 2007 General Assembly session began Wednesday, January 10. The session runs 46 days and is scheduled to end on February 24. “Cross-over day,” the last day for each house to act on its own bills, is February 6. House and Senate amendments to the current two-year budget will be released on February 4.
The House Education Committee is scheduled to meet on Mondays at 9:00 a.m. in House Room C and Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m. in the Appropriations Room. The Senate Education and Health Committee will meet on Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. in Senate Room B. Sub-committees will meet periodically throughout the session. Click here for a schedule of weekly meetings (Meetings).
Budget Issues
Amendments to the current two-year budget proposed by Governor Kaine last month reduce public education funding for the remainder of the biennium by just over $16 million, primarily due to reductions in student enrollment (the proposal projects about 14,000 fewer students than envisioned in the current plan). State dollars drop by $43.4 million in FY 2007 (the current year) and increase by $26.9 million in FY 2008, largely due to more funding for teacher salaries. The current budget included about $22 million in reserve for a 1½ percent pay raise for SOQ positions; the governor proposes additional money to fund the state share of a 3% salary increase for state-supported positions, effective Dec. 1, 2007. The budget also adds $4.3 million to increase the retiree health care credit and group life rates. Other amendments propose the following:
- Expand the Early Reading Intervention program ($4.1 million) to include funding for all eligible first and second graders that require reading intervention services.
- Increase funding for the SOL Algebra Readiness program by $3.9 million to
provide additional math instruction for 6th graders, in addition to 7th and 8th graders, that are at-risk of failing the Algebra I end-of-course test.
- Provide more than $4.6 million for the Virginia Preschool Initiative to establish pre-kindergarten pilot programs through public and private settings. The cost estimate is based on about six pilots for a total target of 1,250 students. Providers must participate in a new Quality Rating System being proposed.
Language amendments provide greater flexibility for the Literary Fund interest rate subsidy and technology notes programs by removing the “seasonality” requirements that restrict the VPSA interest rate subsidy sale to the fall only and the technology notes sale to the spring only. Another amendment allows projects on the Literary Fund’s Second Priority Waiting List to participate in the interest rate program if unused appropriation remains once the participation of projects on the First Priority Waiting List is confirmed.
Click here for additional information about Governor Kaine's proposed changes to the budget (State Budget).
Education Legislation
At the first meeting of the Senate Education and Health Committee on Thursday, members held a long debate on SB 759, which proposed tuition assistance of up to $10,000 a year to a Virginia nonsectarian private school of choice for students with disabilities for whom an individual education plan has been written. A similar bill had been carried over last year in the Committee and then amended during the off-season. Still, the measure failed on a close 8 to 7 vote.
Many education-related bills already have been introduced and printed. Here are some of the highlights. Additional legislation will be summarized in next week's report.
HB 1442 and SB 1147 expand the requirements for earning a standard diploma to include one concentration in career and technical education (HB 1442 is on House floor).
HB 1617 requires each local school division to allocate 65% of its operating budget to instructional spending. HB 2166 requires each local school division to allocate 67% of its operating budget to instructional spending.
HB 1719 requires local school boards to employ one licensed nurse for each school.
HB 1737 directs local school boards to establish a division safety hotline for students, parents, or school personnel to anonymously report threats of violence or other suspicious or criminal conduct.
HB 1752 requires that any funds appropriated by a locality to its school board that are not expended in the fiscal year to be reappropriated to the school board.
HB 1843 creates income tax credits for business entities and individuals who contribute to eligible public school foundations and scholarship foundations.
HB 1978 and HB 2026 require school boards to annually report to the Board of Education, the number of career and technical education completers that graduated.
HB 2093 and SB 795 revise the instructional personnel provisions of the Standards of Quality to require school boards to employ reading specialists, principals and assistant principals and speech language pathologists at certain ratios. These are initiatives previously proposed by the BOE but not funded by the legislature. New initiatives include requirements for employing mathematics specialists and date managers/test coordinators. The bills also require school divisions to post school division policies, division's website.
HB 2199 eliminates the requirement for school boards to employ technology support and technology resource teacher positions.
HB 2302 permits local school boards to enter into agreements with nonpublic schools to provide student transportation to and from the nonpublic schools.
SB 757 makes several changes to the Neighborhood Assistance Act program, including to provide that $1 million of a $4 million cap increase would be dedicated for education programs, and that $3 million is provided for grants to private schools for students with disabilities.
SB 796 exempts school boards from the competitive bidding process when purchasing Virginia food products from a farmer in the state.
SB 813 permits a retired VRS member to return to work as a school superintendent and still maintain monthly retirement payments.
SB 847 requires testimony under oath during special education due process procedures.
SB 863 allows school boards to establish after school programs designed to prevent at-risk youth from engaging in illegal or gang-related activities.
SB 927 prohibits any adult who has been convicted of a sexually violent offense from entering school property.
Please contact CEPI if you have any questions or need additional information about the 2007 General Assembly.
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