H. B. 2998
(By Delegates Anderson and Manuel)
[Introduced March 26, 2001; referred to the
Committee on Education then Finance.]
A BILL to amend article four, chapter eighteen-a of the code of
West Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as
amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated section
seventeen-a, relating to providing certain rights to RESA
employees.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That article four, chapter eighteen-a of the code of West
Virginia, one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, be
amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section
seventeen-a, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 4. SALARIES, WAGES AND OTHER BENEFITS.
§18A-4-17a. Rights of professional employees of RESAs.
(a) Professional personnel employed by regional education
service agencies (RESA) shall be afforded all the rights,
privileges and benefits established for the professional personnel
under this article: Provided, That the benefits shall apply only
within the RESA where the professional personnel are employed:
Provided, however, That benefits, as used in this section, may not
be considered to include salaries, unless explicitly provided for
within this article: Provided further, That seniority for the RESA
professional personnel shall be calculated on the basis of the
length of time the employee has been professionally employed at the
RESA.
(b) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to
mean that professional personnel employed by the RESA are other
than RESA employees.
(c) Reductions in work force in the RESA shall be made in
accordance with the provisions of section seven-a, article four,
chapter eighteen-a of this code: Provided, That only years of
employment within the RESA shall be considered for purposes of
reduction in force within the RESA.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide the professional
employees employed by RESAS with the same rights and protections
enjoyed by other professional educators under §18A-4-1 of this
code.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.