SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2003 SESSION

  • | print version

HB 2042 Virginia Educational Options Program.

Introduced by: Robert G. Marshall | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles | history

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Virginia Educational Options Program. Provides parents of students enrolled in, attending, or assigned to public schools that have been accredited with warning in any specified academic area or areas or have had their accreditation denied for the past 2 consecutive years with the right to request transfers to comparable accredited public schools of their choice in the relevant school division. In those school divisions with only 1 school at the various educational levels, or in those instances in which the majority or all of the public schools are accredited with warning or have had accreditation denied, or the school division is unable to grant the transfer request because adequate space is not available in a comparable school of the parent's choice, the parent will have the right to request a school attendance voucher from the Board of Education to enroll the student in an accredited public school in another school division or in a participating nonsectarian private school. The vouchers will be in the amount of $2,000 or a sum equal to the required expenditure per pupil as set forth in the appropriation act for the relevant school division, whichever is less; however, vouchers cannot be for more than the tuition charges. The Board of Education will deduct the voucher amounts from the school division's basic aid appropriations and will promulgate regulations for the program, with the advice and consultation of the Office of the Attorney General. The legislation protects against shutout of students who reside in the various attendance zones and avoids construction of the new law to guarantee admission, attendance or full tuition payment for any student. The Auditor of Public Accounts will perform annual financial and performance evaluations, beginning in 2004.