Bill 784

                    Current Status

Bill Number:               784
Ratification Number:       623
Act Number                 503
Introducing Body:          Senate
Subject:                   Vocational agriculture program--twelve-month basis

(A503, R623, S784)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 59-53-1850, 59-53-1860 AND 59-53-1870, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO VOCATIONAL TRAILING FUNDS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT SUCH FUNDS BE DISBURSED FOR USE BY HIGH SCHOOLS AND JOINT VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS WHICH CONDUCT PROGRAMS OF VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE ON A TWELVE-MONTH BASIS PER YEAR; TO PRESCRIBE PROGRAMS OF INSTRUCTION DURING THE INTERIM ACADEMIC YEARS; AND TO PROVIDE THAT THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION SHALL ADOPT INSTRUCTIONAL STANDARDS FOR VOCATIONAL PROGRAMS IN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION AND PROVIDE FOR THE REVIEW OF LOCAL VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

Vocational agriculture program--twelve-month basis

Section 1. Section 59-53-1850 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding at the end:

"For high schools and joint vocational schools having a vocational agriculture prograrn, monies appropriated for this purpose shall be disbursed for use by such schools to conduct vocational agriculture programs on a full-time twelve-month per year basis. The provisions of this section shall not prohibit monies appropriated for vocational agriculture to be used in programs of less than twelve months per year. The local school board shall decide whether all or any part of its vocational agricultural program shall be twelve months or less than twelve months after consideration of the local board's needs assessment for vocational agriculture and the findings of the State Department of Education's review of the local vocational agricultural program."

Further--programs

Section 2. Section 59-53-1860 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding at the end:

"Due to the special characteristics of agriculture education work experiences which require instruction during the summer and on a year-round basis, monies appropriated for this purpose shall be available on a full-time twelve-month per year basis to those high schools and joint vocational schools whose teachers of vocational agriculture are responsible for the following programs of instruction on a full-time basis during the interim between academic years:

(a) Supervision and instruction of students in agriculture experience programs;

(b) Group and individual instruction of farrners and agri-businessmen;

(c) Supervision of student members of 'Future Farmers of America' who are involved in leadership training or other activities as part of their vocational education instructional program;

(d) Any program of vocational agriculture established by the State Board of Education."

Instructional program standards--review of

Section 3. Section 59-53-1870 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding at the end:

"On or before December 30, 1980, the State Board of Education shall adopt instructional program standards for vocational programs and a needs assessment format which includes instructional requirements for the special characteristics of the different vocational programs, using as a guide for vocational agriculture the standards of quality vocational programs in agriculture/agribusiness education developed by the vocational agricultural education profession. The instruction program standards for vocational agriculture programs shall include the instructional programs for the interim between academic years which are itemized in Section 59-53-1860 of the 1976 Code, as amended.

These instructional program standards shall be incorporated in the South Carolina State Plan for Vocational-Technical Education as adopted by the State Board of Education. The instructional standards adopted by the State Board of Education shall be used to evaluate all vocational programs.

Local programs of vocational agriculture education and the school district's needs assessment for agriculture education programs shall be reviewed by the State Department of E,ducation consultants for agriculture education with the participation of an advisory team consisting at minimum of a member of the local advisory committee for vocational agriculture, a member of the local advisory council for vocational education and a teacher-educator for agriculture education from Clemson University. The findings of such reviews shall include an explicit statement of the vocational agricultural education needs of the students and the agriculture community served by such local program. Any member of this review team shall be allowed to include a minority opinion in the findings of the review. These reviews shall be scheduled by the State Department of Education at intervals adequate to assure local program compliance with the State Plan for Vocational and Technical Education. Whenever a high school or joint vocational school's annual report, as required by Section 59-20-60, the S. C. Education Finance Act of 1977, on programmatic needs fails to justify or continue offering on a full-time twelve-month per year basis any existing vocational agriculture education program, the school district board of trustees for such school shall include and consider the findings of the State Department of Education review of the local vocational agriculture program in the needs assessment of such district board of trustee's comprehensive annual and long-range plan for meeting program needs."

Time effective

Section 4. This act shall take effect upon approval by the Governor.