WEST virginia legislature
2017 regular session
Introduced
House Joint Resolution 17
By Delegates Sobonya, Miller, C., Moore, Higginbotham, Maynard, Butler, Romine, C., Foster, N., Hamrick, Summers and sypolt
[Introduced February
16, 2017;
Referred to the Committee on Education then Judiciary ]
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of West Virginia amending section two, article XII thereof, relating to the free schools of the State, numbering and designating such proposed amendment; and providing a summarized statement of the purpose of such proposed amendment.
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia, two-thirds of the members elected to each house agreeing thereto:
That the question of ratification or rejection of an amendment to the Constitution of the State of West Virginia be submitted to the voters of the state at the next general election to be held in the year two thousand eighteen, which proposed amendment is that section two, article XII be amended to read as follows:
ARTICLE XII.
§ 2. Supervision of Free Schools.
The general supervision of the free schools of the State
shall be vested in the West Virginia the people of West Virginia
through their elected representatives in the Legislature. The board of
education which shall serve the Legislature as an advisory body and shall
perform such duties as may be prescribed by law. The board shall consist of
nine members to be appointed by the governor, by and with the advice and
consent of the senate, for overlapping terms of nine four years. except
that the original appointments shall be for terms of one, two, three, four,
five, six, seven, eight, and nine years, respectively No more than five
members of the board shall belong to the same political party, and in addition
to the general qualifications otherwise required by the Constitution, the Legislature
may require other specific qualifications for membership on the board. No
member of the board may be removed from office by the Governor except for
official misconduct, incompetence, neglect of duty, or gross immorality, and
then only in the manner prescribed by law for the removal by the Governor of
state elective officers.
The West Virginia Board of Education shall in the
manner prescribed by law, select the State Superintendent of Free Schools who
shall serve at its will and pleasure. He or she shall be the chief school
officer of the State and shall have such powers and shall perform such
duties as may be prescribed by law.
The State Superintendent of Free Schools shall be a member of the Board of Public Works as provided by subsection B, section fifty-one, article six of this Constitution.
Resolved further, That in accordance with the provisions of article eleven, chapter three of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, such amendment is hereby numbered “Amendment No. 1” and designated as the “Amend Supervision of Free Schools Amendment” and the purpose of the proposed amendment is summarized as follows: “To amend section two, article twelve, which designates that supervision of schools be vested in the Legislature, that the board of education be made an advisory body, and modifies the terms of the board of education.”
NOTE: The purpose of this resolution is to vest the supervision of free schools in the Legislature, to make the board of education an advisory body, and to modify the composition and terms of the board of education.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present Constitution and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.