This bill asks a state legislative committee to study whether West Virginia should offer cost-of-living adjustments to public school teachers, school service staff, and state police officers. The study would examine the financial costs, implementation options, and potential effects on salaries and staffing for these groups. It requires the committee to report its findings and recommendations to the legislature in 2027, with the cost of the study paid from existing legislative funds.
This bill provides additional funding to the West Virginia Department of Education for fiscal year 2026 by allocating money from the state's unappropriated surplus revenue. The legislation directly affects the State Board of Education and State Department of Education by supplementing their existing budget appropriations. Key provisions include specific funding allocations for various programs such as teacher retirement, child nutrition, technology modernization, scholarship programs, and special education services. The bill amends the state budget act to formalize these financial transfers from the general revenue fund to the education department's designated fund.
This bill creates a new adjunct teaching permit in West Virginia that allows individuals without full teaching certification to fill vacant teaching positions, offer new programs, or supplement existing ones when certified teachers are unavailable. The permit is valid for one year and requires county school boards to repost the position annually, with renewal contingent on meeting basic performance standards. Key provisions include requiring mentor assignment, completion of specific training, prohibition on special education instruction, and flexible employment terms where compensation and benefits are mutually agreed upon between the school board and teacher.
HB 5355 requires West Virginia public school districts to place any teaching position held by an uncertified individual up for public bidding every school year. This applies directly to school districts and teachers currently working without valid teaching certification. The bill mandates that such positions remain open for bid annually until filled by a certified educator, ensuring only qualified staff occupy teaching roles. It does not change certification requirements but adds a recurring annual bidding process for uncertified positions.
SB 890 changes West Virginia's public school calendar requirements from day-based to hour-based standards. It replaces the 180-day instructional requirement with a minimum of 900 instructional hours per year and changes the teacher employment term from 200 days to 1,600 hours. The bill allows counties to use up to 25 hours of alternative instruction (like remote learning during closures) toward the total hour requirement and permits flexible scheduling for educator development time. These changes directly affect all public school districts, teachers, and students in West Virginia by shifting how school calendar compliance is measured.
HB 5616 modifies how "years of experience" are calculated for teachers and county-employed registered nurses in West Virginia. The bill explicitly adds military service time to the count of experience years if the individual was under a teaching contract at the time of military induction. This change directly affects teachers and nurses whose salary increments under the state minimum pay schedule will now include qualifying military service, aligning with existing provisions for other experience types. The amendment updates the statutory definition in §18A-4-1 of the West Virginia Code without creating new programs or funding.
SB 899 allows teachers with 15 years of experience at a specific school level (elementary, middle, or high) to become certified school principals without traditional administrative coursework. Instead, they must complete a year-long program developed by the West Virginia Department of Education, covering school administration topics like instructional leadership and finance. The bill applies directly to current teachers seeking principal roles in schools matching their teaching experience level. This change takes effect July 1, 2026, replacing previous education requirements for principal certification. The policy aims to create a new pathway for experienced educators to transition into school leadership.
HB 5354 authorizes the continued use of multiple existing legislative rules governing West Virginia's higher education programs, including scholarship initiatives like the Underwood-Smith Teacher Scholarship and PROMISE. It amends one rule (Medical Student Loan Program) to require U.S. citizenship or legal immigrant status for eligibility and repeals two outdated rules related to purchasing efficiencies and a research trust fund program. The bill does not create new programs but formalizes current administrative practices under the Higher Education Policy Commission and Community and Technical College Education. This procedural bill affects state education agencies and institutions managing these programs.
HB 5586 establishes a new minimum salary schedule for classroom teachers in West Virginia, effective for the 2024-2025 school year and continuing thereafter. The bill sets specific minimum salary amounts based on teachers' years of experience (0-26+ years) and educational qualifications (Bachelor's, Master's, or Doctorate degrees). This policy change directly affects all public school classroom teachers in West Virginia by creating a standardized pay structure with different rates for various experience levels and education levels. The bill amends §18A-4-2 of the Code of West Virginia to implement this new salary framework.
HB 5420 requires West Virginia public schools to implement a "Logic for Living" curriculum for students in grades 7-10, focusing on practical reasoning skills like identifying logical fallacies, constructing sound arguments, and evaluating evidence. It directly affects public schools, teachers, and students by mandating a dedicated semester-long logic course starting in the 2028-2029 school year, with phased county implementation. Key mechanisms include developing interdisciplinary materials (integrating logic into subjects like science and social studies), involving the West Virginia University Washington Center for curriculum design and teacher training, and requiring new teacher endorsements for logic instruction. The bill emphasizes informal logic - such as recognizing flawed arguments (e.g., ad hominem or false dilemmas) - rather than formal logic, aiming to strengthen critical thinking for college, careers, and civic engagement.
