SB 490 — Standards of Quality; employment of principals and assistant principals.

SPECIAL SESSION I ENROLLED VIRGINIA ACTS OF ASSEMBLY ––-- 2022 SPECIAL SESSION I CHAPTER E21 An Act to amend and reenact § 22.1-253.13:2 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the Standards of Quality;

employment of principals and assistant principals.

R O [S 490] Approved LAugust L4, 2022 Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

E § 22.1-253.13:2.

DA. and other professional personnel.equirements for the licensing of teachers, principals, superintendents, B.

The Board shall establish requirements for the licensing of teachers, principals, superintendents, and other professional personnel.

B.

Each school board shall assign licensed instructional personnel in a manner that produces divisionwide ratios of students in average daily membership to full-time equivalent teaching positions, excluding special education teachers, principals, assistant principals, school counselors, and librarians, that are not greater than the following ratios:

if the average daily membership in any kindergarten class exceeds 24 pupils, Ba full-time teacher's aide shall be assigned to the class;

(ii) 24 to one in grades one, two, and9threeand three with no class being larger than 3530 students;

(iii) 25 to one in grades four through six with no class being larger than 35 students;

After EeptemberSeptember 30 of any school year, anytime the number of students in a class exceeds the class size limit established by this subsection, the local school division shall notify the parent of each student in such class of such fact no later than 10 days after the date on which the class exceeded the class size limit.

Within its regulations governing special education programs, the Board shall seek to set pupil/teacher ratios for pupils with intellectual disability that do not exceed the pupil/teacher ratios for self-contained claFurther,classes schoolfor boardspupils shallwith assignspecific instructionallearning personneldisabilities. in a manner that produces schoolwide ratios of students in average daily memberships to full-time equivalent teaching positions of 21 to one in middle schools and high schools.

Further, school boards shall assign instructional personnel in a manner that produces schoolwide ratios of students in average daily memberships to full-time equivalent teaching positions of 21 to one in middle schools and high schools.

Calculations of kindergarten positions shall be based on full-day divisions offering half-day kindergarten withprograms. pupil/teacher ratios that exceed 30 to one shall adjust their average daily membership for kindergarten to reflect 85 percent of the total kindergarten average daily memberships, as provided in the appropriation act.

Beginning with the March 31 report of average daily membership, those school divisions offering half-day kindergarten with pupil/teacher ratios that exceed 30 to one shall adjust their average daily membership for kindergarten to reflect 85 percent of the total kindergarten average daily memberships, as provided in the appropriation act.

In addition to the positions supported by basic aid and in support of regular school year programs of prevention, intervention, and remediation, state funding, pursuant to the appropriation act, shall be provided to fund certain full-time equivalent instructional positions for each 1,000 students in grades K through 12 who are identified as needing prevention, intervention, and remediation services.

School divisions using the Standards of Learning Algebra Readiness Initiative funding in this manner shaF.shall only employ instructional personnel licensed by the Board of Education.

InF. addition to the positions supported by basic aid and those in support of regular school year programs of prevention, intervention, and remediation, state funding, pursuant to the general of 4 appropriation act, shall be provided to support (i) 18.5 full-time equivalent instructional positions in the 2020-2021 school year for each 1,000 students identified as having limited English proficiency and (ii) 20 full-time equivalent instructional positions in the 2021-2022 school year and thereafter for each 1,000 students identified as having limited English proficiency, which positions may include dual language teachers who provide instruction in English and in a second language.

In addition to the positions supported by basic aid and those in support of regular school year programs of prevention, intervention, and remediation, state funding, pursuant to the general appropriation act, shall be provided to support (i) 18.5 full-time equivalent instructional positions in the 2020-2021 school year for each 1,000 students identified as having limited English proficiency and (ii) of 4 full-time equivalent instructional positions in the 2021-2022 school year and thereafter for each 1,000 students identified as having limited English proficiency, which positions may include dual language teachers who provide instruction in English and in a second language.

Local school boards shall employ two full-time equivalent positions per 1,000 students in grades of 4 kindergarten through 12, one to provide technology support and one to serve as an instructional technology resource teacher.

E To provide flexibility, school divisions may use the state and local funds for instructional technology resource teachers to employ a data coordinator position, an instructional technology resource teacher position, or a data coordinator/instructional resource teacher blended position.

The data coordRnatorcoordinator of 4 position is intended to serve as a resource to principals and classroom teachers in the area of data analysis and interpretation for instructional and school improvement purposes, as well as for overall data management and administration of state assessments.

School divisions using these funds in this manner data shall employ only instructional personnel licensed by the Board of Education.

L K.

E L.

school counselor staff requirements shall, however, be based on the enrollment at the various school organization levels, i.e., levelselementary, uponmiddle, request from local school boards seeking to implement experimental or innovativehigh programsschool. that are not consistent with these staffing levels.

The Board of Education may grant waivers from these staffing levels upon request from local school boards seeking to implement experimental or innovative programs that are not consistent with these staffing levels.

School boards shall, however, annually, on or before December 31, report to the public (i) the actual pupil/teacher ratios in elementary school classrooms in the local school division by schSolschool for the current school year;

and (ii) the actual pupil/teacher ratios in middle school and high school 4nin the local school division by school for the current school year.

Actual pupil/teacher ratios shall includ0include only the teachers who teach the grade and class on a full-time basis and shall exclude resource personneR.personnel.

Any classes having waivers to exceed the requirements of this subsection ensureshall thealso confidentialitybe ofidentified. all teacher and pupil identities.

theSchools data shall be compiledidentified; in a manner to N.

however, the data shall be compiled in a manner to ensure the confidentiality of all teacher and pupil identities.

N.

however, no such nonpublic or home school student shall be counted as more than one-half a student for purposes of such pro rata courses.ion.calculation.

Such calculation shall not include enrollments of such students in any other public school O.courses.

O.

For the purposes of this title, unless the context otherwise requires, "support services positions" shall inc1.include the following:

1.