Establishing Joint Task Force on the K-12 Teaching Profession in Virginia
Resolution Number 2000-2
May 25, 2000
WHEREAS, Article VIII of the Constitution of Virginia requires that the state shall provide a “system of free public elementary and secondary schools for all children of school age throughout the commonwealth, and shall seek to ensure that an educational program of high quality is established and continually maintained;” and
WHEREAS, providing for qualified, competent, and gifted classroom teachers is a shared responsibility between the Board of Education and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, as established in ''22.1-294.22.1-297 through 303; 22.1-305.1; and 22.1-253.13.5 of the Code of Virginia; and
WHEREAS, this cooperative effort between the Board of Education and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia fosters the development of teacher preparation programs that ensure quality, reflect research-supported best practices, and build upon the unique strengths of faculties and students that are needed in the constantly changing educational environment; and
WHEREAS, a recent research study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (1998) shows that by 2008, approximately 2.4 million teachers will be needed in the United States, thus requiring schools to hire more than 2,000 new and beginning teachers each year; and
WHEREAS, this unprecedented demand for teachers comes at a time of growing student enrollments, increasing retirement rates for teachers currently in service, initiatives throughout the states to reduce the number of students in each classroom, and the troubling trend of teachers choosing to leave the profession; and
WHEREAS, these challenges, faced by states throughout the country, are exacerbated by economic and demographic conditions that lead to uneven geographic distribution of the teaching force, making teacher shortages most intensely felt in urban and rural areas of the country; and
WHEREAS, during the past several years, states have experienced difficulties attracting and retaining teachers, and also are facing increasing shortages of teachers representing minority groups and certain content areas including mathematics, physics, earth science, special education, and foreign languages, and
WHEREAS, in response to the shortages, states are working to develop and implement comprehensive programs that address the need to attract, retain, and motivate the best talent into the teaching profession through a variety of coordinated, research-based programs and initiatives; and
WHEREAS, teacher workforce trends in Virginia mirror that of other states, as evidenced by statistics showing that last year Virginia employed over 86,000 classroom teachers, 6,000 of whom are new or beginning teachers, a number that is projected to increase to 7,600 by the coming school year; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Education and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia shall establish the Joint Task Force on the K-12 Teaching Profession in Virginia;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the business and deliberations of the Joint Task Force on the K-12 Teaching Profession in Virginia be conducted as specified in a charter, to be agreed to by the respective bodies, and which shall set forth the purpose, membership, organization, operating procedures, and responsibilities of the Joint Task Force;
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the Joint Task Force on the K-12 Teaching Profession in Virginia be directed to convene for the purpose of advising and making recommendations to the Board of Education and the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia on issues facing the K-12 teaching profession in Virginia
Signature:
Kirk T. Schroder, President
Board of Education
Adopted in the Minutes of the Virginia Board of Education
May 25, 2000