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2015 SESSION

15100631D
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 558
Offered January 14, 2015
Prefiled January 7, 2015
Requiring the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia to analyze the teacher shortage and critical shortage teaching endorsement areas in the Commonwealth. Report.
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Patrons-- Orrock and Carr
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, paragraph G 1 a of Item 138 of Chapter 806 of the Acts of Assembly of 2013 (the Appropriation Act), as amended, requires the Department of Education (Department) to report on the critical shortage teaching endorsement areas in the public elementary and secondary schools of the Commonwealth for the 2014-2015 school year; and

WHEREAS, the Department has prescribed a methodology and determined the 10 most critical shortage teaching endorsement areas in the Commonwealth for the 2014-2015 school year; and

WHEREAS, the 10 most critical shortage teaching endorsement areas in the Commonwealth for the 2014-2015 school year, in order, are special education, elementary education preK-6, middle education grades 6-8, career and technical education, mathematics grades 6-12, school counselor preK-12, foreign languages preK-12, health and physical education preK-12, English, and history and social sciences; and

WHEREAS, in addition to these specific teaching endorsement areas, the Commonwealth is experiencing a broader teacher shortage problem; and

WHEREAS, it is imperative to examine and address, with the input of both the higher education community and the elementary and secondary education community, the broader teacher shortage problem and the specific teaching endorsement areas that are lagging behind; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia be required to analyze the teacher shortage and critical shortage teaching endorsement areas in the Commonwealth.

In conducting its analysis, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (Council) shall, in consultation with the Virginia Community College System, the Department of Education, and the Virginia School Boards Association, analyze the causes of the teacher shortage in general, as well as shortages in specific teaching endorsement areas, and develop strategies to mitigate such shortages.

Technical assistance shall be provided to the Council by the Department. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Council for this analysis, upon request.

The Council shall complete its analysis by November 30, 2016 and submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the next Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.