The Senate Education and Health Committee met for its first meeting of the 2023 session of the Virginia General Assembly on January 12, 2023. The following actions were taken by the committee on legislation impacting K-12 education in the Commonwealth.
SB 806 (Stanley) Establishes the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Computing (STEM+C) Competition Team Grant Program to encourage interest in STEM+C-related subject areas and support STEM+C-related extracurricular team-building activities in public schools in the Commonwealth by providing grants to qualified schools, as defined in the bill, for use in establishing or supporting STEM+C competition teams. The bill also creates the STEM+C Competition Team Grant Fund for the purpose of providing such grants to qualified schools.
The bill was Passed by for the Day.
SB 890 (Hashmi) Establishes the Veterans' Teaching Licensure Support Fund and Program for the purpose of supporting veterans and service members teaching in a public school in the Commonwealth or pursuing a career in education in the Commonwealth by awarding a reimbursement grant to eligible veterans and service members to reimburse them for their professional studies tuition expenses incurred toward receiving teacher licensure in the Commonwealth.
The bill was Re-referred to the Senate Education and Health Subcommittee on K-12 Education.
SB 892 (Newman) Provides that beginning in taxable year 2024, students eligible for a scholarship from an approved scholarship foundation shall include any school-aged child living in Virginia whose family income does not exceed 300 percent of federal poverty guidelines, regardless of prior public school enrollment or a recent move to Virginia. Under current law, a student must be a resident of Virginia who (i) in the current school year has enrolled and attended a public school in the Commonwealth for at least one-half of the year, (ii) for the school year that immediately preceded his receipt of a scholarship foundation scholarship was enrolled and attended a public school in the Commonwealth for at least one-half of the year, (iii) is a prior recipient of a scholarship foundation scholarship, (iv) is eligible to enter kindergarten or eligible to enter first grade, or (v) for the school year that immediately preceded his receipt of a scholarship foundation scholarship was domiciled in a state other than the Commonwealth and did not attend a nonpublic school in the Commonwealth for more than one-half of the school year.
The bill was Re-referred to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee.
SB 893 (Newman) Allows a taxpayer entitled to an education improvement scholarships tax credit to transfer such credit to any other taxpayer.
The bill was Re-referred to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee.
SB 935 (Hashmi) Directs the Department of Education to develop and maintain an easily accessible and streamlined website to provide clarification on teacher licensure and endorsement requirements, including information on specific requirements and certification credentials based on the specific type of licensure or endorsement. The bill also directs the Department to develop and maintain a teacher licensure application portal to integrate all forms and payment required for licensure and that includes (i) a feature enabling any teacher to track his progress in earning professional development points, completing licensure renewal requirements, and fulfilling any additional credentialing or endorsement options offered by the Board of Education and (ii) options for sharing and sending any application documents and forms to allow Educator Preparation Programs or division leadership to review and approve such documents and forms prior to the Department review process.
The bill was Re-Referred to the Senate Education and Health Subcommittee on K-12 Education.
SB 943 (Suetterlein) Requires each public high school in the Commonwealth to publicly identify on its official website the faculty member responsible for special education transition planning and coordination at such high school.
The bill Reported on a vote of 15-0.
SB 1052 (McPike) Directs the Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure to advise the Board of Education and submit recommendations on policies related to helping school divisions more effectively recruit and retain licensed teachers.
The bill Reported with substitute on a vote of 15-0.
SB 1164 (Lewis) Provides that the Accomack County School Board and the Northampton County School Board are eligible to receive the cost of competing adjustment to salaries for instructional and support positions as part of the state share of basic aid pursuant to the general appropriation act.
The bill was Passed by for the Day.
The Senate Education and Health Committee meets weekly during the session on Thursday morning's beginning at 8:00 a.m. A link to the Live Stream video and recordings of all previously held committee meetings and floor sessions of the Senate can be viewed by clicking here.
