Governor McDonnell’s Legislative Initiatives
The Governor’s legislative initiatives are taking shape, and he is lining up the “movers and shakers” in the Republican Party to carry his bills in the 2012 Session. McDonnell has made it clear that he plans to impose significant, new reforms on K-12 through legislation and says he will concentrate on quality over funding and get behind bills to reform standards and accountability measures.
VASSP has been very outspoken on issues related to standards and accountability and has told the State Board, the State Superintendent and legislators that principals and assistant principals welcome the opportunity to participate in developing quality standards and accountability measures and stand ready to implement more rigorous evaluation measures; however, VASSP has warned that without funding for top-quality professional development specific to the implementation of new measures of performance and accountability, reform will not be successful. The Governor’s introduced budget falls far short of including enough funding for meaningful professional development. It is important for those who are calling for new evaluation techniques, professional standards criteria and performance measures to understand that success depends on how reform is implemented, and professional educators know that successful reform depends on quality professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators.
Bet Neale
ELIZABETH HARRELL (“Bet”) NEALE
CAREER HISTORY: Twenty-five years of legislative experience in the Virginia political arena.
Bet began her career in the political arena as a Legislative Research Associate at the Division of Legislative Services, having first been mentored by her father Delegate Lyman Harrell, who served 12 years as a member of the House of Delegates. After moving with her family to West Point, where her husband Mark practices dentistry and where they raised their three children Nancy, Cheryl and Mark, Bet remained active in state legislative work as a consultant for a state commission and as a legislative assistant to Delegate Mary Marshall and Delegate Dorothy McDiarmid, Chair of the House Education and House Appropriations Committees. Beginning in 1990, Bet represented VASS as their lead lobbyist for 8 years, after which she served as executive director of the Henrico Education Foundation for HCPS.
Bet came on board with VASSP in 2000 as Director of Government Relations and lobbies on behalf of Association members during all General Assembly sessions and at meetings of legislative education committees and subcommittees. In her capacity as Director of Government Relations/Lead Lobbyist for VASSP, Bet also represents middle and high school principals and assistant principals at statewide education meetings, seminars and special commissions as well as at meetings of the State Board of Education.
Bet is a graduate of the University of Richmond with a BA in English and a Collegiate Certificate in Secondary Education. She has been a guest lecturer at the College of William and Mary and the University of Virginia as well as a presenter at various state meetings and seminars.
