This bill requests that the Joint Committee on Government and Finance conduct a study to estimate the actual costs of providing early childhood care and education in West Virginia. The study aims to determine whether current subsidy reimbursement rates accurately reflect the true cost of quality care across different program types, age groups, and geographic regions. If completed, the findings will be reported to government, health, and education committees by December 31, 2026, to help inform future budget decisions and subsidy policies. The bill directly affects state officials responsible for child care funding and policy, as well as early childhood care providers who receive state subsidies.
This Senate Concurrent Resolution asks the Joint Committee on Government and Finance to study how athletic trainers are currently accessed in public high schools and to investigate ways to improve their availability. The resolution directs the committee to examine the safety and health needs of student athletes and to explore educational opportunities for individuals seeking to become athletic trainers in West Virginia. The committee must submit a report by January 1, 2027, to state leaders with findings and recommendations on expanding athletic trainer access and sports medicine education. Funding for the study will come from existing legislative appropriations to the committee.
This bill establishes the West Virginia Professional Charter School Board and sets specific qualifications for its appointed voting members. It requires board members to be state citizens with experience in public or nonprofit governance, school leadership, or education law, while also mandating geographic diversity and limiting political party representation to no more than three members. The legislation also creates conflict-of-interest rules that prevent appointments for individuals currently employed by charter schools or companies serving them, and it defines the board's duties including authorizing charter schools, investigating complaints, and conducting audits.
This bill requests the Joint Committee on Government and Finance to study women's collegiate sports programs in West Virginia, focusing on financial sustainability, name image and likeness impacts, and Title IX obligations. The study will examine current funding levels, endowment feasibility, revenue-sharing models, and operational efficiency methods to support female student-athletes. The committee must submit a report by January 1, 2027, to state officials with findings, conclusions, and potential legislative recommendations. Funding for the study will come from existing legislative appropriations to the committee.
This bill asks a state legislative committee to study whether West Virginia should offer cost-of-living adjustments to public school teachers, school service staff, and state police officers. The study would examine the financial costs, implementation options, and potential effects on salaries and staffing for these groups. It requires the committee to report its findings and recommendations to the legislature in 2027, with the cost of the study paid from existing legislative funds.
This bill provides additional funding to the West Virginia Department of Education for fiscal year 2026 by allocating money from the state's unappropriated surplus revenue. The legislation directly affects the State Board of Education and State Department of Education by supplementing their existing budget appropriations. Key provisions include specific funding allocations for various programs such as teacher retirement, child nutrition, technology modernization, scholarship programs, and special education services. The bill amends the state budget act to formalize these financial transfers from the general revenue fund to the education department's designated fund.
This bill creates a new adjunct teaching permit in West Virginia that allows individuals without full teaching certification to fill vacant teaching positions, offer new programs, or supplement existing ones when certified teachers are unavailable. The permit is valid for one year and requires county school boards to repost the position annually, with renewal contingent on meeting basic performance standards. Key provisions include requiring mentor assignment, completion of specific training, prohibition on special education instruction, and flexible employment terms where compensation and benefits are mutually agreed upon between the school board and teacher.
This Senate Concurrent Resolution requests the Joint Committee on Government and Finance to study how state and local funds are spent by county school boards under the Public School Support Program. The study will examine spending patterns, enrollment changes, and staffing costs to determine if a new School Finance Transparency Commission is needed to improve financial reporting and public understanding of education funding. The committee must submit its findings and recommendations to state leaders by December 31, 2026, with any proposed legislation to be reported to the 2027 legislative session. This measure does not change current funding laws but instead initiates a review process to inform potential future policy adjustments.
This bill creates a truancy pre-trial diversion program in West Virginia that allows parents, guardians, and custodians of truant children to avoid criminal conviction if they address the truancy and its underlying causes. It amends existing laws to delay sentencing for parents and guardians involved in truancy cases, giving them additional time to resolve attendance issues and access support services. The legislation also permits judges to require the Department of Human Services to provide home-based family preservation services for families facing truancy charges. Additionally, the bill removes criminal penalties for students who have reached the age of majority, focusing instead on requiring school attendance without jail time.
This bill, titled the Future-Ready Education Act, aims to modernize educational programs and technologies in West Virginia to better prepare students for future workforce needs. It allows local school districts to enter multi-year contracts for educational materials that include technology licensing, provided these contracts offer significant fiscal savings and include a cancellation clause. The legislation extends the Mountain State Digital Literacy Project to include grades 9-12 and adds support for reading, mathematics, science, and career-technical education. Additionally, it authorizes the state to retain $7.1 million from the 2026-2027 school year budget to fund high-quality professional training in the science of reading for kindergarten through fifth-grade teachers, with voluntary participation allowed for public charter school educators.
