Secretary of Education (185)

Authority: Title 2.2, Chapter 2, §2.2-208 Code of Virginia.

A. The Secretary of Education is hereby authorized to make allocations to qualified zone academies of the portion of the national zone academy bond limitation amount to be allocated annually to the Commonwealth of Virginia pursuant to Section 1397E of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and to provide for carryovers of any unused limitation amount.  In making such allocations, the Secretary of Education is directed to give priority to allocation requests for qualified zone academies having at least 35 percent free lunch participation or either located in federal enterprise communities or located in cities and counties within which federal enterprise communities are located.

B. The Secretary of Education is hereby authorized to make allocations of the portion of the tax-exempt private activity bond limitation amount to be allocated annually to the Commonwealth of Virginia pursuant to the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (PL 107-16)(Section 142(k)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended) for the development of education facilities using public-private partnerships, and to provide for carryovers of any unused limitation amount. In making such allocations, the Secretary is directed to give priority to public-private partnership proposals that will serve as demonstration projects concerning the leveraging of private sector contributions and resources, the achievement of economies or efficiencies associated with private sector innovation, and other benefits that are or may be derived from public-private partnerships in contrast to more traditional approaches to public school construction and renovation. The Secretary is directed to report annually not later than August 31 to the Chairmen of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees regarding any guidelines implemented and any allocations made pursuant to this paragraph.

C. Out of this appropriation, $600,000 the first year and $600,000 the second year from the general fund is designated to plan for the development and implementation of innovative education programs and to promote greater cooperation and coordination among institutions of higher education in developing programs for students in preschool to grade 12 through the establishment of College Partnership Laboratory Schools pursuant to Chapter 871 of the 2010 Acts of Assembly.  The Secretary of Education is authorized to select institutions of higher education to receive funding provided in this Item.

D. It is the goal of the Commonwealth to become a leader in the modeling and simulation arena.  To that end, the Secretary of Education with the cooperation of the Secretaries of Finance, Commerce and Trade, and Technology, their associated agencies, and the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Investment Authority, shall convene a workgroup consisting of representatives from both Virginia’s public and private higher education institutions and private industry to determine the methodology upon which the following desired outcomes may be achieved: capitalization and expansion of the Commonwealth’s current modeling and simulation assets, identification of collaborative opportunities for applied research and commercialization throughout Virginia, leveraging of multiple resources supporting modeling and simulation efforts through a single source, and the flexibility to accommodate rapid scenario development and teamwork among the academic and business arenas.  The Secretary shall report the status of the workgroup’s modeling and simulation activities and the resulting outcomes to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees by October 1 of each year.

E. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the expiration date for the Commission on Civics Education is hereby extended to June 30, 2013.

F. For the funds identified for reallocation in each of the higher education institutions' educational and general programs, each respective institution shall report the amounts and the specific purposes for which they were used in its six-year academic plans finalized in the fall of 2012 and the fall of 2013.

G. The Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Higher Education Advisory Committee, Secretary of Finance, Director of the Department of Planning and Budget, Executive Director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, Staff Director of the House Committee on Appropriations, and Staff Director of the Senate Committee on Finance, or their designees, shall present to the Governor and the Chairmen of House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees, no later than September 15, 2013, a long-term funding policy for higher education in Virginia consistent with the goals and guidelines set forth in the Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011.

H. The Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Virginia Community College System and the Board of Education, is authorized to coordinate with other stakeholders from school divisions, higher education institutions, and the private business sector to consider and review potential planning steps necessary to develop and implement a conceptual model for an Integrated School of the Future.  Elements of the new blended model for a school campus would include, but not be limited to, a cohesive approach to learning that infuses engineering and mathematical principles across all curriculum areas and a focus on providing state-of-the-art technology learning opportunities that ensure both secondary and post-secondary students will be equipped for the demands of the current and future workplace.