Adopting Resolution on the Standards of Quality
Resolution Number 2008-46
November 20, 2008
The Board of Education adopts the Resolution on the Standards of Quality. The Resolution reads as follows:
Expressing the Sense of the Board of Education on the Standards of Quality: For Consideration by the Governor and the 2009 Session of the General Assembly
WHEREAS, the Virginia Board of Education believes that public education is of the highest priority in the state budget; and
WHEREAS, the Standards of Quality (SOQ) define the minimum foundation the Commonwealth must provide to meet its constitutional obligation to maintain "an educational program of high quality" for the children of Virginia; and
WHEREAS, without sufficient support to implement these important standards, Virginia's public schools would not have made the progress and earned the national recognition for academic achievement the citizens of the Commonwealth have been celebrating for over a decade; and
WHEREAS, the Board has reviewed the current requirements in the SOQ and recommendations that have yet to be adopted and funded by the General Assembly; and
WHEREAS, the Board acknowledges the economic conditions facing the Commonwealth in the next year and the challenges that are before the Governor and the General Assembly to deal with budget constraints while protecting core services in the area of Pk-12 education; and
WHEREAS, the Board wishes to communicate its SOQ priorities to the Governor and the General Assembly for their consideration in the 2009 General Assembly Session;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Education affirms its support for those provisions of the Standards of Quality that have been recommended by the Board in recent years and that are yet to be adopted and funded. The Board intends to request approval and full funding of these staffing requirements in a later year.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Education requests approval during the 2009 Session of "intermediate SOQ implementation options" that would enable school divisions to use existing SOQ and incentive program funding to hire data coordinators, reading specialists, mathematics teacher specialists, and English Language Learner (ELL) teachers to provide additional support in classrooms.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board's recommendations contained herein shall be communicated to the Governor and the 2009 General Assembly for their consideration.
Adopted in Richmond, Virginia, This Twentieth Day of November in the Year 2008.
Standards of Quality Status:
Estimated Cost of the Board of Education's Unfunded SOQ Recommendations
Fiscal Year 2009-2010
Based on Chapter 879, 2008 Acts of Assembly
Recommendation |
State Cost |
Local Cost |
Require one full-time position per 1,000 students in grades kindergarten through 12 to provide schools support in data management and the utilization and administration of state assessments. The data manager/test coordinator would hold a license issued by the Board of Education and would serve as a resource to principals and classroom teachers in analyzing and interpreting data for instructional purposes; |
$ 41.7 million |
$ 33.4 million |
Require one full-time principal in every elementary school, middle school, and high school; |
7.7 million |
4.2 million |
Require one assistant principal for each 400 students in every elementary school, middle school, and high school; |
57.3 million |
47.9 million |
Require one full-time equivalent instructional position for each 1,000 students in average daily membership to serve as reading specialists for the school division; |
41.7 million |
33.4 million |
Require local school boards to employ speech-language pathologists in sufficient numbers to ensure that a caseload does not exceed 60 students per position; |
4.3 million |
3.6 million |
Require one full-time instructional position for each 1,000 students in grades kindergarten through eight to serve as the mathematics teacher specialist; and |
28.6 million |
22.8 million |
Require local school boards to employ instructional and paraprofessional staff to ensure the following maximum pupil-teacher ratios for students who are blind or vision impaired:
|
3.8 million |
3.2 million |
Total |
$185.2 million |
$148.5 million |
Mark E. Emblidge, President
Board of Education
Adopted in the Minutes of the Virginia Board of Education
November 20, 2008
View VDOE's Expenses