Bill > SB516

This bill provides extra state aid to school districts for students enrolled in extremely remote schools, defined as schools located at least 20 miles from any existing public, charter, or private school and serving a minimum of 20 students. The bill aims to support these remote schools by addressing challenges such as building operations, extreme weather preparedness, and professional development for rural teaching environments. Specifically, the bill allows county boards to receive additional state funding for extremely remote schools, with a key requirement that they cannot close such a school during the fiscal year they are receiving the extra aid. The bill introduces a new provision that counts students in extremely remote schools as 2.5 students for funding calculation purposes, effectively increasing the per-student funding. County boards receiving this additional funding must submit annual reports to the State Superintendent detailing how the funds were used and their impact on student safety, education quality, and operational sustainability. The State Superintendent is then required to compile these reports and present them to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability, including an assessment of the program's effectiveness and potential recommendations for future funding adjustments. Additionally, extremely remote schools may request waivers from certain requirements, providing flexibility to address their unique challenges.

Budget and Finance, Education

http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/Bills_history.cfm?input=516&year=2025&sessiontype=RS&btype=bill