The massive public education reform bill has started what is expected to be a long and contentious route through the legislature. The Senate Education Committee spent about a half-hour Tuesday listening to a detailed expansion of the 179-page bill.
Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Plymale, D-Wayne, says he hopes to have the bill out of his committee no later than next Thursday (March 7); it next heads to the Senate Finance Committee.
At some point, the bill will run into stiff opposition from the two teacher unions who believe the bill wipes out the seniority protections for teachers who want to transfer to new positions and unfairly forces county school systems to meet 180 days of instruction.
Plymale, who supports the bill, is not willing to predict how much of a fight is ahead, but he says he does not want the debate to take away from the point of the legislation, which is student achievement.
“I was elected by the people to do the best job I can for the citizens, and that includes the students of West Virginia
The legislation, among other things, gives greater authority to local school boards to hire the most qualified teacher rather that the most senior, requires all counties to have 180 days of instruction, expands pre-school to include all four-year-olds, improves reading standards through the third grade, and advocates the use of technology to help students learn.
