SB 275: Removing requirement school cooks or custodians have high school diploma or equivalent - West Virginia

sb275 sfa barrett _1 2-21 adopted.htm → sb275 sfat barrett _1 2-21 adopted.htm · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill title was updated to include 'SFAT' instead of 'SFA', and Senator Barrett's amendment was significantly rewritten to formally propose substituting the entire bill title with a new one that clarifies the bill's purpose: removing the high school diploma requirement for cooks and custodians in county school systems.

Scope change

The amendment now explicitly defines the bill's purpose as removing the high school diploma requirement for cooks and custodians, making the eligibility criteria for these positions clearer.

REQUIREMENT

The amendment text was changed from a simple proviso about cooks and custodians to a formal proposal to substitute the entire bill title with a more descriptive one.

SCOPE

The bill title now explicitly states it relates to removing the high school diploma requirement for cooks and custodians in county school systems.

TECHNICAL

The bill header was changed from 'SFA' to 'SFAT', likely indicating a procedural status change in the legislative process.

sb275 h edu am _1 adopted.htm → sb275 sfa barrett _1 2-21 adopted.htm · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill amendment removes a requirement that cooks and custodians must be at least 21 years old to be employed, narrowing the age restriction that previously excluded those specific job roles from the age requirement. This change affects eligibility criteria for certain school personnel positions.

Scope change

The age exemption for school personnel was narrowed from including bus drivers, cooks, and custodians to only cooks and custodians, removing bus drivers from the exemption.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the age exemption for school bus drivers who were previously allowed to be employed at 21 years of age or older without meeting the high school diploma or GED requirement.

Modified the age exemption to only apply to cooks and custodians who are 21 years of age or older, removing bus drivers from this exception.

Committee Substitute → sb275 h edu am _1 adopted.htm · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to remove the requirement for cooks and custodians aged 21 or older to have a high school diploma or GED as a condition of employment. This change affects eligibility criteria for these specific job classifications in county school systems.

Scope change

The bill's scope was narrowed by removing educational requirements for specific job categories (cooks and custodians aged 21+), while maintaining requirements for other service personnel.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the requirement that cooks and custodians aged 21 or older must have a high school diploma or GED to be employed by county boards of education.

The exemption for cooks and custodians aged 21+ was moved from the original text to the amended version, clarifying that these positions are exempt from the general educational requirement.

Enrolled Committee Substitute → Committee Substitute · 3 edits

MINOR

This bill amends West Virginia's school personnel employment requirements by removing the high school diploma or GED mandate for cooks and custodians who are 21 years of age or older. Previously, all service personnel hired after July 1, 1988, needed a high school diploma or GED, but this change creates a specific exemption for older cooks and custodians. The bill also clarifies that the age exemption applies to school bus drivers as well. This change matters because it allows counties to hire experienced cooks and custodians who may not have formal education credentials but have valuable work experience.

Scope change

The bill narrows the high school diploma requirement by creating age-based exemptions for specific job categories (cooks, custodians, and school bus drivers who are 21 or older), while maintaining the requirement for other service personnel.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the absolute requirement for cooks and custodians to have a high school diploma or GED, replacing it with an age-based exemption for those 21 years or older.

Extended the age-based exemption to include school bus drivers who are 21 years of age or older.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the language from a blanket exemption for cooks and custodians to a specific age-based exemption (21 years or older) for cooks, custodians, and school bus drivers.

Engrossed Committee Substitute → Enrolled Committee Substitute · 3 edits · Apr 24, 2025

MINOR

This bill removes the high school diploma or GED requirement for cooks and custodians employed by county school boards in West Virginia, while maintaining that requirement for other service personnel. The change allows these essential workers to be hired without meeting the previous educational threshold, potentially expanding the available workforce for school facilities.

Scope change

The bill narrows the educational requirement exemption to specifically include cooks and custodians, whereas the previous version excluded all cooks and custodians from the high school diploma requirement.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the high school diploma or GED requirement for cooks and custodians, allowing them to be employed without meeting this educational threshold.

Added specific language clarifying that the high school diploma requirement applies to all service personnel except school bus drivers who are 21 or older, cooks, and custodians.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the exemption language from excluding cooks and custodians from the requirement to explicitly stating they are not subject to the high school diploma or GED requirement.

Introduced Version → Engrossed Committee Substitute · 3 edits · Feb 24, 2025

MINOR

This bill amends the West Virginia Code to remove the requirement for cooks and custodians employed by public schools to have a high school diploma or equivalent. Previously, these positions were exempt from the general education requirement that applies to other service personnel, but the amendment clarifies that cooks and custodians who are 21 years of age or older are specifically excluded from the diploma requirement. The change simplifies hiring criteria for these essential support roles while maintaining educational standards for other school staff.

Scope change

The bill narrows the exemption from the high school diploma requirement to specifically apply to cooks and custodians who are 21 years of age or older, rather than all cooks or custodians regardless of age.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the blanket exemption for all cooks and custodians from the high school diploma requirement, replacing it with a specific exemption for those who are 21 years of age or older.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the legislative text to clarify that the education requirement applies to cooks and custodians under 21, while maintaining the requirement for other service personnel.

TECHNICAL

Added additional sponsors (Senators Thorne and Rose) to the bill header and updated the report date to February 19, 2025.

Removing requirement school cooks or custodians have high school diploma or equivalent

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