The homeschool athlete participation bill (HB947) lingers in the Virginia General Assembly and the issue continues to garner attention. In a recent article in the February 27 Virginian-Pilot www.Pilotonline.com, the debate continues in “Tebow Mania Makes Bad Law.” In the commentary, the previous points which identify this piece of legislation as unacceptable are continued: 1. Tebow …
February 2012 archive
Feb 24
Virginia Board of Education Meeting – February – 2012
The Virginia Board of Education February meeting was held in Richmond in the Department of Education facilities on Thursday, February 23 2012. The agenda and related documents may be reviewed at www.doe.virginia.gov/boe/meetings/2012/02_feb/agenda.shtml A summary of the meeting is as follows: Election of the Offices of President and Vice President of the Board of Education for 2012-2014. Mr. David …
Feb 22
Contract Bill Update – HB 576
There was an unpredictable outcome for the teacher/principal contract bill in the Senate last week that will certainly cause the Administration to wonder where they might have miscalculated their chances there. Just before that vote, VASSP was finally brought to the table on Monday to discuss our concerns after making it known to the Administration …
Feb 20
General Assembly Report – February 16
The 2012 General Assembly session has had a variety of bills presented related to discipline in our public schools. While news coverage of this topic has been scattered, discipline remains one of the more frequently addressed topics in the General Assembly. In the 2012 session, eight (8) bills proposed on this subject have either failed …
Feb 16
Governor McDonnell Advances ‘Opportunity To Learn’ Education Agenda for 2012
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell announced his 2012 legislative and budget actions that support his administrations ‘Opportunity To Learn’ K-12 education agenda on Thursday, February 9 in Richmond. VASSP has monitored the education legislative actions for this session of the General Assembly and among them are items from the governor’s education agenda. One bill that has received close attention …
Feb 10
General Assembly Report – February 9
There was “theater” in the Senate Education and Health Committee today, and not all of it about legislation but rather a display of partisan bickering. That aside, the major piece of legislation VASSP was following today was the Governor’s contract bill. VASSP has recently expressed their opposition to the bill as currently written, including concerns …
Feb 09
VASSP Position on HB 576
The opening of the General Assembly’s 2012 session brought legislation with new potential challenges for Virginia school administrators. Perhaps the most controversial piece of legislation was presented by Delegate Richard Bell, R-Staunton, HB 576. The bill, a continuation of Governor McDonnell’s performance based teacher incentive from the 2011 session, places new deadlines and accountabilities on …
Feb 07
New Reports Bridge K-12 & Higher Education Data Divide
The Virginia Department of Education has just released information on postsecondary enrollment and achievement of Virginia high school graduates. These reports are a part of the state’s efforts to improve on the quality and detail of the data on educational outcomes for educators and in particular, high school principals and guidance counselors. The busy schedules …
Feb 04
General Assembly Report – February 2
This week at the GA was tough on those of us who oppose HB 967 that would basically force the VHSL to amend their regulations to allow for home schoolers to participate in interscholastic activities or to essentially go defunct – since school divisions would not be allowed to join an organization that did not …
Feb 02
General Assembly Report – February 1
Patrons are rushing to consolidate a number of discipline bills – there were 9 (nine!) introduced, and they range from mandating alternative education to requiring principals to “read them their rights.” With this many bills in the hopper, representing legislation in both the House and the Senate, the odds would not seem to be in …