Subcommittee tables multiple education bills; several others reported to next stage

The subcommittee considered a lengthy docket and took a mix of actions: tabling several measures and reporting others to the next stage.

Notable tablings included HB 526 (school psychologist stipend expansion), which Delegate Downey described as extending teacher initiative stipends to nationally certified school psychologists with a proposed first-year stipend of $5,000 and $2,500 in subsequent years; Leader Herring moved to table that bill, and the subcommittee tabled HB 526 by a vote of 6 to 0. HB 138 (career coach requirement) was tabled after discussion of an estimated $17,500,000 state share fiscal impact. HB 31 (professionally licensed teacher supplemental pay), HB 180 (work-based learning coordinator pilot), HB 546, HB 748, HB 1059, and HB 755 were also tabled, generally by unanimous subcommittee votes.

Reported bills included HB 263 (requires the Department of Education to employ a certified school library specialist) which was reported by a vote of 6 to 0, and HB 584 (Western Virginia Public Education Consortium), which was reported with amendments by a vote of 6 to 0. The amendments to HB 584 adjusted consortium membership for redistricting, removed the requirement to work with Northern Virginia school divisions on outdated educational technology language, removed a proposed sunset, and removed an annual reporting requirement.

Next steps: Each tabled bill remains available for reconsideration by the sponsor or committee; reported bills advance in the process for further committee consideration or floor action.