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 …
Tag: Legislative Actions
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 …
Jan 30
General Assembly Report – January 30
Home school advocates had the upper hand in a “friendly” House Education subcommittee on Thursday, when they packed a small room in the General Assembly building at 7 AM to speak in favor of Delegate Bell’s House Bill 947 that would not allow school divisions to participate in a league that does not allow home …
Jan 30
HB 576 – More Information for Principals
HB 576 which proposes changes in teacher evaluation timelines continues to receive much notice across the commonwealth. Principals have expressed many concerns with this bill. Five major ones are summarized below: 1. There is only ONE year for teacher evaluations, and this on top of a whole new evaluation procedure for teachers and principals. You …
Jan 26
Teacher Tenure/Continuing Contracts
The long held belief that teachers can have permanent positions through tenure has begun to fade with new accountabilites. In a recent article in the Richmond Times Dispatch, http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2012/jan/25/tdnat01-states-weaken-teacher-tenure-rights-ar-1637129/ , the reality of accountability that is tied into funding and jobs has brought a new paradigm to educators. The shift now for educators’ job security is being driven by the reality of …
Jan 24
General Assembly Report – January 23
What a difference a day makes – especially in the 2012 Session. The Governor’s initiatives and bills are bumping up against each other, there are so many of them! And while we wait for the teacher’s grievance bill, many others are whizzing by. Today in House Education, there was quite a discussion about reporting or …
Jan 18
Capital Issues at the General Assembly
The 2012 General Assembly Session is less than a week old, and already politicians have filed 9 bills related to suspension and expulsion that challenge a principal’s ability to maintain safety and discipline in schools. Additionally, among bills related to K-12, is legislation that would allow home-schooled students to play public school sports; require allocation …