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2008 SESSION

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088054504
HOUSE BILL NO. 255 Offered January 9, 2008 Prefiled January 2, 2008 A BILL to amend and reenact §§ 22.1-79.1 and 22.1-296 of the Code of Virginia, relating to opening of the school year. ---------- Patron-- Fralin ---------- Referred to Committee on Education ----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That §§ 22.1-79.1 and 22.1-296 of the Code of Virginia are amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 22.1-79.1. Opening of the school year; approvals for certain alternative schedules.

A. Each local school board shall set be responsible for setting the school calendar so that the first day students are required to attend school shall be after Labor Day and determining the opening of the school year. The Board of Education may waive this requirement on a showing of good cause.

B. For purposes of this section, "good cause" means:

1. A school division has been closed an average of eight days per year during any five of the last 10 years because of severe weather conditions, energy shortages, power failures, or other emergency situations;

2. A school division is providing, in the school year for which the waiver is sought, an instructional program or programs in one or more of its elementary or middle or high schools, excluding the electronic classroom, which are dependent on and provided in one or more elementary or middle or high schools of another school division that qualifies for such waiver. However, any waiver granted by the Board of Education pursuant to this subdivision shall only apply to the opening date for those schools where such dependent programs are provided; or

3. A school division is providing its students, in the school year for which the waiver is sought, with an experimental or innovative program which requires an earlier opening date than that established in subsection A of this section and which has been approved by the Department of Education pursuant to the regulations of the Board of Education establishing standards for accrediting public schools. However, any waiver or extension of the school year granted by the Board of Education pursuant to this subdivision or its standards for accrediting public schools for such an experimental or innovative program shall only apply to the opening date for those schools where such experimental or innovative programs are offered generally to the student body of the school. For the purposes of this subdivision, experimental or innovative programs shall include instructional programs that are offered on a year-round basis by the school division in one or more of its elementary or middle or high schools.

CB. Individual schools may propose, and local school boards may approve, pursuant to guidelines developed by the Board of Education, alternative school schedule plans providing for the operation of schools on a four-day weekly calendar, so long as a minimum of 990 hours of instructional time is provided for grades one through twelve and 540 hours for kindergarten. No alternative plan that reduces the instructional time in the core academics of English, mathematics, social studies, and science shall be approved.

§ 22.1-296. Payment of employees; reimbursement for private transportation; certain sick leave policies.

A. Each school board shall provide for the payment of teachers, principals, assistant principals and other employees monthly, semi-monthly or biweekly, as may be determined by the school board.

However, school boards receiving a waiver from the Board of Education pursuant to § 22.1-79.1 and setting the school calendar so that the first day students are required to attend occurs prior to August 15 shall establish a payment schedule to ensure that all contract personnel are compensated for time worked within the first month of employment.

B. All school board employees may be reimbursed for private transportation at a rate not to exceed that which is authorized for persons traveling on state business in accordance with § 2.2-2825. Whatever rate is paid, however, shall be the same for school board members and employees of the board.

C. Each local school board shall adopt policies providing for leave without pay for school board employees with debilitating or life-threatening illness or injury, without regard to the employee's length of service with the school board.