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1999 SESSION

992723836
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 566
Offered January 19, 1999
Establishing the Blue Ribbon Commission on Education.
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Patrons-- Hamilton, Jackson, Albo, Bennett, Darner and Jones, J.C.; Senators: Houck, Howell and Potts
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Referred to Committee on Rules
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WHEREAS, the demands of an increasingly competitive 21st century global marketplace will challenge Virginia’s system of public education to prepare its students to learn, adapt, and expand their skills in the workforce; and

WHEREAS, because the “fundamental goal of the public schools,” as articulated in the Standards of Quality, is to ”enable each student to develop the skills that are necessary for success in school and preparation for life,” it is essential that our public schools equip students with the tools that will allow them to wisely choose among the options of directly entering the workforce, obtaining postsecondary technical education or training, attending college, graduate, or professional school, or combining these objectives; and

WHEREAS, the Standards of Quality direct school boards to infuse throughout the K-12 curricula career education programs that “promote knowledge of careers and all types of employment opportunities including, but not limited to, apprenticeships, the military, and career education schools, and emphasize the advantages of completing school with marketable skills”; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to § 22.1-209, local school boards are required to “make available to secondary students employment counseling and placement services to furnish information relating to the employment opportunities available to students graduating from or leaving the public schools in the school division which shall include all types of employment opportunities, including, but not limited to, apprenticeships, the military, and career education schools”; and

WHEREAS, supplementing these career planning efforts are programs created pursuant to § 22.1-209.01 to prepare students for “postsecondary education eligibility, employment, and advanced technical skills training,” as well as career guidance counseling designed to “furnish information on available employment opportunities to all students,” as required by § 22.1-253.13:1 D, and pupil personnel services for grades K-12 to aid students in their educational, social, and career development pursuant to § 22.1-253.13:2 D; and

WHEREAS, recognizing the importance of workforce development training programs, the Governor of Virginia has directed the Secretary of Commerce and Trade to review such programs in an effort to promote economic development efforts in the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, the President of the State Board of Education has acknowledged the need for all students to be held to a standard of learning that will enhance the skills and abilities of students entering the workforce or pursuing higher education; and

WHEREAS, to increase the quality of public education in Virginia and to improve coordination between public education and workforce development training, it is imperative to build on those existing and revised standards, programs, and initiatives that ensure the greatest educational and professional development opportunities; and

WHEREAS, while Virginia has made great progress in increasing educational quality and in preparing its young people for the world of work with the implementation of revised Standards of Learning for mathematics, English, science, and history and social science in 1995, new Standards of Accreditation for public schools in 1997, and in a broad range of workforce training initiatives, further study is needed to determine ways to enhance linkages between public education and workforce development and to assist students in acquiring necessary work habits, developing marketable skills, coordinating courses of study, and identifying career goals; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Blue Ribbon Commission on Education be established. The Commission shall be composed of fifteen members as follows: three members of the House of Delegates, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; two members of the Senate, to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections; five citizens representing business, education, and industry, to be appointed by the Governor; the Secretary of Education; the Secretary of Commerce and Trade; and the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Chancellor of the Virginia Community College System, and the Director of the State Council of Higher Education, who shall serve ex officio with full voting privileges.

The Commission shall study (i) the integration of the Standards of Learning with middle and high school curricula and programs that focus on workforce development skills; (ii) the availability of these middle and high school workforce development opportunities to students across the Commonwealth; (iii) the adequacy of current curricula, program resources, and technology in the public schools statewide; (iv) staffing and state and local funding levels for middle and high school workforce development programs; (v) the efficacy of current state and local coordination and governance of middle and high school workforce development programs; (vi) the need for training and technical assistance for workforce development educators; (vii) the use of the Standards of Learning and national business and industry standards to enhance the quality of these curricula and programs; and (viii) such other issues as it deems appropriate.

The Department of Education shall provide staff support for the study. The staffs of the Virginia Business Education Partnership, the Virginia Community College System, and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia shall provide technical assistance for the study. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Commission, upon request.

The direct costs of this study shall not exceed $10,000.

The Commission shall submit an interim report to the Governor and the 2000 Session of the General Assembly and shall complete its work in time to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 2001 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for processing legislative documents.

Implementation of this resolution is subject to subsequent approval and certification by the Joint Rules Committee. The Committee may withhold expenditures or delay the period for the conduct of the study.