ENROLLED
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
Senate Bill No. 127

(By Senators Tomblin, Mr. President, and Sprouse, By Request of the Executive)
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[Passed March 11, 2006; in effect ninety days from passage.]
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AN ACT to amend and reenact §18-2-15a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; and to amend and reenact §18-9A-8a of said code, all relating to regional education service agencies; study by the State Superintendent of Schools; and foundation allowance for regional education service agencies.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That §18-2-15a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted; and that §18-9A-8a of said code be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:

ARTICLE 2. STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.

§18-2-15a. Comprehensive study of regional education service agencies.

(a) The state superintendent shall conduct a comprehensive study of the programs, governance and administration of the regional education service agencies established pursuant to section twenty-six of this article.

(b) The study shall include, but is not limited to, the following:

(1) The general structure and specific processes for governance and oversight of the regional education service agencies to ensure efficiency of operations and accountability in the areas of:

(A) Financial integrity, oversight and accountability;

(B) Fiscal oversight of budgeting, salaries, benefits and employment;

(C) Service delivery in priority areas, including, but not limited to: (i) The types, cost, convenience and results of in- service training programs and other efforts to assist low performing schools and school systems; and (ii) the costs and turnaround time of computer repair services; and

(D) The costs and benefits of other services provided to the respective members' counties;

(2) Areas of needed improvements, including any existing limitations or hindrances to improvement;

(3) The powers and duties of state board and state superintendent relating to regional education service agencies;

(4) The qualifications and procedures for selection of agency executive directors;

(5) The selection and supervision of agency staff;

(6) Development of agency budget;

(7) Oversight of agency purchasing and auditing procedures;

(8) Development of programs and delivery of services; and

(9) Procedures to ensure fiscal and programmatic accountability.

(c) The state superintendent shall report findings generated by the study, together with recommendations and any legislation necessary to effectuate the recommendations, to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability by the first day of December, two thousand six.
ARTICLE 9A. PUBLIC SCHOOL SUPPORT.
§18-9A-8a. Foundation allowance for regional education service agencies.

For the fiscal year beginning on the first day of July, two thousand six, and for each fiscal year thereafter, the foundation allowance for regional education service agencies shall be equal to sixty-three one-hundredths percent of the allocation for professional educators as determined in section four of this article, but not more than four million two hundred thousand dollars. The allowance shall be distributed to the regional education service agencies in accordance with rules adopted by the state board. The allowance for regional education service agencies shall be excluded from the computation of total basic state aid as provided in section twelve of this article.