Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s education reform bill was introduced today in both the House of Delegates and the State Senate. The governor’s education proposal is aimed at improving student performance by removing barriers in code that stifle local initiatives and ensuring West Virginia students are taught by great teachers.
“As I said in my State of the State address, education reform will be one of my main focuses during this legislative session. Our children deserve the best education possible, and it’s up to us to see that our system is providing it,” Gov. Tomblin said. “I’m working on education reform from three different angles: working with the legislature, issuing executive orders, and working directly with the State Board of Education. I believe, together, we will give our kids the education they deserve.”
The legislative proposal presented today included the following:
- Expanding four-year-old preschool to an optional full-day program,
- Addressing the lack of course transferability between public education and colleges,
- Requiring 180 days of instruction,
- Providing flexibility for school calendars,
- Improving hiring practices to employ the most qualified candidates,
- Allowing Teach for America to fill teacher vacancies in critical need areas, and
- Providing loan forgiveness for teachers in critical need areas.
Gov. Tomblin asked the State Board of Education to take a more proactive leadership role in the following key areas:
- Working with higher education to better prepare elementary teachers in reading,
- Creating a comprehensive plan to integrate technology into the classroom,
- Clarifying the role of the Regional Education Service Agencies (RESA’s), and
- Establishing a commission to review the current administrative structure of local school boards of education.
In the coming weeks, the governor will issue a number of executive orders to complete his comprehensive effort to increase student achievement across West Virginia.
