Bill Text: VA SJR85 | 2016 | Regular Session | Prefiled
Bill Title: Public elementary and secondary education; joint committee to study future of education.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2016-03-11 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ85ER) [SJR85 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2016-SJR85-Prefiled.html
|
16102585D WHEREAS, pursuant to Article VIII, Section 1 of the Constitution of Virginia, the General Assembly is charged with seeking "to ensure that an educational program of high quality is established and continually maintained"; and WHEREAS, pursuant to Article VIII, Section 2 of the Constitution of Virginia, "[s]tandards of quality for the several school divisions shall be determined and prescribed from time to time by the Board of Education, subject to revision only by the General Assembly"; and WHEREAS, the General Assembly exercises its power to revise the standards of quality pursuant to Chapter 13.2 (§22.1-253.13:1 et seq.) of the Code of Virginia; and WHEREAS, pursuant to §22.1-18.01 of the Code of Virginia, the Board of Education biennially reviews the standards of quality to ensure their integrity and either (i) proposes amendments to the standards or (ii) makes a determination that no changes are necessary; and WHEREAS, the Board of Education periodically proposes and the General Assembly periodically makes amendments to the standards of quality; and WHEREAS, the General Assembly has not undertaken an in-depth review and revision of the standards of quality since enacting Chapters 939 and 955 of the Acts of Assembly of 2004; and WHEREAS, the effective use of educational technology is crucial to ensuring that an educational program of high quality that meets the standards of quality prescribed by the Board of Education and revised by the General Assembly is established and continually maintained; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That a joint committee of the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education and Health be established to study the need for revisions to or reorganization of the standards of quality, with a particular emphasis on the effective use of educational technology. The joint committee shall have a total membership of 12 members, consisting of seven members of the House Committee on Education to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates upon the recommendation of the Chairman of the House Committee on Education and five members of the Senate Committee on Education and Health to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules upon the recommendation of the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Health. The joint committee shall elect a chairman and vice-chairman from among its membership. In conducting its study, the joint committee shall collaborate with the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Standards of Learning Innovation Committee, and other interested stakeholders to study and make recommendations for legislative changes to the standards of quality, with a particular emphasis on educational technology. In conducting its study, the joint committee shall establish and appoint members to work groups in distinct subject matter areas. Members of such work groups shall include representatives of the Department of Education, the Standards of Learning Innovation Committee, the Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals, the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals, the Virginia Education Association, the Virginia School Board Association, the Virginia School Superintendent Association, and such other interested stakeholders as the joint committee deems appropriate. Administrative staff support shall be provided by the Office of the Clerk of the House of Delegates. Legal, research, policy analysis, and other services as requested by the joint committee shall be provided by the Division of Legislative Services. Additional research and advisory services as requested by the joint committee shall be provided by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission and the schools of education of each baccalaureate public institution of higher education in the Commonwealth. Technical assistance shall be provided by the Department of Education. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the joint committee for this study, upon request. The joint committee shall be limited to four meetings for the 2016 interim and four meetings for the 2017 interim. Approval for unbudgeted nonmember-related expenses shall require the written authorization of the chairman of the joint committee and the respective Clerk. If a companion joint resolution of the other chamber is agreed to, written authorization of both Clerks shall be required. No recommendation of the joint committee shall be adopted if a majority of the House members or a majority of the Senate members of the joint committee (i) vote against the recommendation and (ii) vote for the recommendation to fail notwithstanding the majority vote of the joint committee. The joint committee shall complete its meetings for the first year by November 30, 2016, and for the second year by November 30, 2017, and the chairman shall submit to the Division of Legislative Automated Systems an executive summary of its findings and recommendations no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly for each year. Each executive summary shall state whether the joint committee intends to submit to the General Assembly and the Governor a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summaries and reports shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website. Implementation of this resolution is subject to subsequent approval and certification by the Joint Rules Committee. The Committee may approve or disapprove expenditures for this study, extend or delay the period for the conduct of the study, or authorize additional meetings during the 2016 and 2017 interims. |
