Bill Text: WV HB4206 | 2018 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Revising pupil to teacher ratio for elementary schools
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-19 - To House Education [HB4206 Detail]
Download: West_Virginia-2018-HB4206-Introduced.html
WEST virginia legislature
2018 regular session
Introduced
House Bill 4206
By Delegates Shott, Gearheart and Ellington
[Introduced January 19,
2018; Referred
to the Committee on Education then Finance.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §18-5-18a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to revising pupil to teacher ratio for elementary schools.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
ARTICLE 5. COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION.
§18-5-18a. Maximum teacher-pupil ratio.
County boards of education shall provide, by the school year 1983-84, and thereafter, sufficient personnel, equipment and facilities as will ensure that each first and second grade classroom, or classrooms having two or more grades that include either the first or second grades shall not have more than twenty-five pupils for each teacher of the grade or grades and shall not have more than twenty pupils for each kindergarten teacher per session, unless the state superintendent has excepted a specific classroom upon application therefor by a county board.
County boards shall provide
by the school year 1984-85, and continue thereafter, sufficient personnel,
equipment and facilities as will ensure that each third, fourth, and
fifth and sixth grade classroom, or classrooms having two or more grades
that include one or more of the third, fourth, and fifth and sixth
grades, shall not have more than twenty-five pupils for each teacher of the
grade or grades.
Beginning with the school year 1986-87, and thereafter, no county shall maintain a greater number of classrooms having two or more grades that include one or more of the grade levels referred to in this section than were in existence in said county as of January 1, 1983: Provided, That for the prior school years, and only if there is insufficient classroom space available in the school or county, a county may maintain one hundred ten percent of such number of classrooms.
During the school year
1984-85, and thereafter, the state superintendent is authorized, consistent
with sound educational policy, (a) to permit on a statewide basis, in grades
four through six five, more than twenty-five pupils per teacher
in a classroom for the purposes of instruction in physical education, and (b)
to permit more than twenty pupils per teacher in a specific kindergarten
classroom and twenty-five pupils per teacher in a specific classroom in grades
one through six five during a school year in the event of
extraordinary circumstances as determined by the state superintendent after application
by a county board of education.
The state board shall establish guidelines for the exceptions authorized in this section, but in no event shall the superintendent except classrooms having more than three pupils above the pupil-teacher ratio as set forth in this section.
The requirement for
approval of an exception to exceed the twenty pupils per kindergarten teacher
per session limit or the twenty-five pupils per teacher limit in grades one
through six five is waived in schools where the schoolwide
pupil-teacher ratio is twenty-five or less in grades one through six five:
Provided, That a teacher shall not have more than three pupils above the
teacher/pupil ratio as set forth in this section. Any kindergarten teacher who
has more than twenty pupils per session and any classroom teacher of grades one
through six five who has more than twenty-five pupils shall be
paid additional compensation based on the affected classroom teacher's average
daily salary divided by twenty for kindergarten teachers or twenty-five for
teachers of grades one through six five for every day times the
number of additional pupils enrolled up to the maximum pupils permitted in the
teacher's classroom. All such additional compensation shall be paid from county
funds exclusively.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this section to the contrary, commencing with the school year beginning on July 1, 1994, a teacher in grades one, two, or three or classrooms having two or more such grade levels, shall not have more than two pupils above the teacher/pupil ratio as set forth in this section: Provided, That commencing with the school year beginning on July 1, 1995, such teacher shall not have more than one pupil above the teacher/pupil ratio as set forth in this section: Provided, however, That commencing with the school year beginning on July 1, 1996, such teacher shall not have any pupils above the teacher/pupil ratio as set forth in this section.
No provision of this section is intended to limit the number of pupils per teacher in a classroom for the purpose of instruction in choral, band or orchestra music.
Each school principal shall assign students equitably among the classroom teachers, taking into consideration reasonable differences due to subject areas and/or grade levels.
The state board shall collect from each county board of education information on class size and the number of pupils per teacher for all classes in grades seven through twelve. The state board shall report such information to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability before January 1, of each year.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to revise the pupil to teacher ratio for elementary schools.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.