So, Gov. Bob McDonnell unveiled his education plan today and is sure to have folks jumping all over him – even his friends.
1) He wants to give localities the option to start school before Labor Day. Clearly his pals in the tourism industry here in Virginia Beach aren’t about to be too pleased with that, particularly since he opposed such measures as a delegate. His response is that he has to govern for all Virginians now – fair point, but not one that will go down easy with a Corona.
2) He wants to bring the Virginia Retirement System back up to standards (but that will require more locality and individual employee participation), get more dollars in the classroom, and pay teachers 2 percent more than the paltry nothing they already get for the work and effort they put into their job. So, suddenly localities are screaming that the don’t have the funds to step up to the plate and do what’s right for their kids (I’m looking at you, Norfolk). Whatever happened to the conservatives believing in the government closest to you making decisions?
3) Finally, he wants to establish an annual teacher review and contract renewal process. Ouch. Can anyone say “merit pay” on the horizon?
These are bold steps by McDonnell – but they’re important ones. They are also conservative ones. Improve education at the local level. Pay the true performers what they deserve. Ensure that those who work diligently and perform exceptionally get a the opportunity to have a pension. Allow educators more time to teach kids above and beyond the SOL if necessary, after all, the SOL is merely the minimum we want our kids to know…they should excel beyond.
Here’s the entire McDonnell proposal:
Raise Standards – College and Workforce Readiness
Streamlining Diploma Requirements
· Consolidating the high school diplomas available around the Commonwealth from seven to three more rigorous and meaningful requirements, and raising the rigor of a Standard Diploma to require career and technical education credential or passing a state licensure examination, national occupational competency assessment or the Virginia workplace readiness skills assessment. It also includes folding the Modified Standard Diploma into the Standard Diploma and making accommodations for special education students. This legislation also folds the General Achievement Diploma into the General Achievement Adult High School Diploma, and requires industry certification or work skills assessments. A Special Diploma will be available for students with disabilities who complete the requirement of their IEP and who do not meet the requirements for other diplomas. $308,655 is included in budget for assessments in the Standard DiplomaPositive Youth Development
· Establish positive youth development academy pilot program for rising 9th and 10th graders in selected regions of the Commonwealth to focus on life skills such as civics, financial literacy, community service, preventive health, character education and leadership skills. The legislation also allows character education programs to be implemented during the regular school year or during the summer via a Youth Development Academy.Dual Enrollment
· Establish written agreements with a Virginia Community College specifying the pathway for students to complete an associate’s degree or a one-year Uniform Certificate of General Studies from a Virginia Community College concurrent with a high school diploma.Advancing Literacy
· Revise the Standards of Quality to ensure local school divisions use funds appropriated for prevention, intervention, and remediation to create reading intervention services to students in grades 3 and 4 who demonstrate deficiencies based on the SOL reading test or any reading diagnostic test that meets criteria established by the Department of Education. Intervention services must be provided prior to promoting a student from grade 3 to 4 or grade 4 to 5.Reducing Mandates on Local School Divisions
Calendar Flexibility
· Repeal the requirement that school divisions must begin their school term after Labor Day unless they have a waiver from the Board of Education to increase amount of instructional time students receive in a given yearExpanding Educational Options for Virginia Students
Provide Structured Support for Innovative Learning
· Establish an Innovative Options Technical Advisory Committee with national experts to provide guidance to potential applicants during the planning process for charter schools, college partnership laboratory schools and virtual school programs. $201,624 is included over the biennium to support the work of this committee.Virtual Schools Legislation
· Establish new regulations for accrediting virtual schools that enroll students full-time.Alternative Licensure Virtual Teachers Legislation
· Establish alternative licensure for virtual school teachers.College Partnership Laboratory School Enhancements
· Allow for a partnership with local school boards and institutions of higher education in which both have shared accountability and funding for students. Both public and private institutions of higher education would be allowed to establish a college partnership laboratory school in partnership with one or more local school boards.Educational Improvement Scholarship
· Provide tax credits to companies that contribute to the educational improvement scholarship fund for low-income students.Enhancing Teacher Quality
Strengthening Teacher and Administrator Contracts, Evaluation Policies and Streamline Grievance Process
· Establish an annual contract and evaluation process versus the current continuing contract practice for teachers and principals. It will allow for a new evaluation system to work by attracting and retaining the top-tier educators in our K-12 public schools. Seventeen other states have already made changes to their contract and tenure laws. $415,500 is included in the budget over the biennium for principal and teacher training.· Establish a three-step grievance process to include the employee, the principal, the superintendent, and the school board, and set aggressive timelines for the process that would significantly reduce the time required for a grievance to be concluded.
The 2012 “Opportunity to Learn” agenda also includes funding initiatives in the governor’s 2012-2014 biennial budget that will:
· Provide additional funding to support the Early Intervention and Reading Initiative
· Require local school divisions to include in their existing reports to the Department of Education how their financial resources are being allocated
· Provide $2 million in additional funding in FY 13 and FY14 for the Communities in Schools program to expand to Hampton Roads, Petersburg, southwest Virginia, northern Virginia, and Danville. Expansion would also include adding regional field support personnel, on-going state-wide training and technical assistance, and annual total quality system standards reviews.
· Provide $1.8 million in funding in FY 13 and FY14 for 10th graders to take the PSAT and partner with College Board to conduct statewide workshops on using the results to increase AP participation and SAT scores.
· Provide $770, 276 for the expansion of the PluggedInVA model to all 8 superintendents’ regions in the state. PluggedInVA involves enrolling adults both in local GED programs in divisions and also in industry certification programs at the community colleges.
· Provide $80,000 in FY13 to provide planning and first year start-up funding in FY13 for Health Sciences academies.
· Provide $135,794 for the Positive Youth Development Academy pilot program for rising 9th and 10th graders in selected regions of the Commonwealth
· Fund a request for proposals to develop an elementary education preK-6 approved program with a major in mathematics, sciences, or integrated sciences and mathematics and middle/secondary approved programs focusing on the preparation of mathematics and science teachers. The programs must be led by public or private colleges or universities, including collaboration of local school divisions, with preference to a consortia model. Programs will provide support to prospective teachers in completing a program within a four-year baccalaureate degree, offer tuition incentives, and promote distribution of high quality teachers across the Commonwealth.
· Provide $600,000 in funding for incentive awards for teachers in STEM areas. A new teacher with an endorsement in mathematics, physics, or technology education assigned to a teaching position in a corresponding STEM subject area is eligible to receive a $5,000 initial incentive award after the completion of the first year of teaching with a satisfactory performance evaluation and a signed contract for the following school year. An additional $1,000 incentive award may be granted for each year the eligible teacher receives a satisfactory evaluation and teaches a STEM subject for up to three years (maximum incentive award is $8,000). Funding will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis with preference to teachers assigned to teach in hard-to-staff schools or schools in improvement.
Governor McDonnell also committed more than $300 million to support the state’s commitment to teacher retirement.
