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Current Status Bill Number:View additional legislative information at the LPITS web site.3708 Type of Legislation:General Bill GB Introducing Body:House Introduced Date:20010314 Primary Sponsor:Bingham All Sponsors:Bingham, J.E. Smith, Lourie, and F.N. Smith Drafted Document Number:l:\council\bills\gjk\20345sd01.doc Companion Bill Number:456 Residing Body:House Current Committee:Education and Public Works Committee 21 HEPW Subject:Governor's School for Teaching, Learning, and Technology established; Schools and School Districts, Board of Trustees History Body Date Action Description Com Leg Involved ______ ________ ______________________________________ _______ ____________ House 20020131 Co-Sponsor removed (Rule 5.2) by Rep. Sheheen ------ 20010315 Companion Bill No. 456 House 20010314 Introduced, read first time, 21 HEPW referred to Committee Versions of This Bill
TO AMEND TITLE 59, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO EDUCATION, BY ADDING CHAPTER 42 SO AS TO ESTABLISH THE GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL FOR TEACHING, LEARNING, AND TECHNOLOGY AS A RESOURCE FOR ALL PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE STATE, TO PROVIDE FOR A GOVERNING BOARD FOR THE SCHOOL, AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE MANNER THE SCHOOL IS ESTABLISHED, OPERATED, AND FUNDED.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Title 59 of the 1976 Code is amended by adding:
Section 59-42-10. The Governor's School for Teaching, Learning, and Technology is established as a resource for all public schools in the State. The school shall conduct research and develop more effective educational practices and bring to bear the most advanced educational research and practices currently available in public education in a demonstration campus and teaching academy. The school shall specifically address continuing advances in teaching, learning, and technology in its program. Best practices as developed and refined in the Governor's School shall be disseminated to all public schools in the State. To provide equitable geographical access to all public educators for purposes of professional training, the school shall be located within the boundaries of Richland or Lexington County on a site to be identified by the River Alliance and submitted to the board of trustees for its approval.
Section 59-42-20. The school shall be under the management and control of a board of trustees consisting of the following members:
(1) a chairman appointed by the Governor for a term of four years, coterminous with the term of the Governor, provided, that the chairman first appointed shall serve an initial term as chairman to expire with the term of the Governor appointing him;
(2) one member from each of the six congressional districts appointed by the Governor;
(3) the chairman of the Board of Trustees of Richland School District One or his designee to serve ex officio with full voting privileges;
(4) the chairman of the Board of Trustees of Lexington School District Two or his designee to serve ex officio with full voting privileges;
(5) the State Superintendent of Education to serve ex officio with full voting privileges;
(6) the Executive Director of the Commission on Higher Education to serve ex officio with full voting privileges;
(7) the superintendents of Richland School District One and Lexington School District Two to serve ex officio without voting privileges.
Members appointed from the congressional districts shall serve a term of four years and until their successors are appointed and qualify, except that of those first appointed, the members representing the First, Second, and Third Congressional Districts shall serve for terms of two years and until their successors are appointed and qualify. Members shall receive mileage, subsistence, and per diem allowed by law for members of state boards, committees, and commissions.
In his appointments, the Governor shall seek to obtain the best qualified persons from the business, industrial, and educational communities and seek board membership that is broadly representative of the people of the State.
Section 59-42-30. The school shall admit students in accordance with criteria, standards, and procedures to be established by the board, provided that the school shall mirror, insofar as possible, the demographics of students in South Carolina's public schools. Students meeting the admission criteria are entitled to attend from the two host districts, Richland School District One and Lexington School District Two. However, the students from other districts may apply for admission pursuant to policies adopted by the board of trustees. Students attending from Richland School District One and Lexington School District Two shall be approved by the board of trustees of the respective districts.
Section 59-42-40. In order to establish the initial campus and to do what is necessary to have the school ready to receive students by the third year of operation, the board may enter into a written agreement with the two host districts, Richland School District One and Lexington School District Two to delineate what responsibilities and financial obligation each has toward this purpose. This written agreement also may have unilateral termination provisions on behalf of any signatory.
Section 59-42-50. The Governor's School shall have a statewide mission to serve in its teaching and learning program all school districts in the State, through on-site and off-site professional training services to public educators and through a program of outreach. The outreach program shall give priority to disadvantaged school districts as identified by the State Department of Education. To ensure compliance with this provision, the Governor's School shall prepare annually a plan for services to all school districts and file it with the Department of Education and shall submit annually an evaluation to measure the effectiveness and achievement of provisions of the plan. The plan for services to all school districts shall include a separate budget for the services.
Section 59-42-60. Pre-service and in-service training programs and activities for teachers and other public educators shall be organized and offered through the school's teaching academy. The teaching academy shall be constituted through a voluntary cooperative arrangement of colleges and schools of education at South Carolina post-secondary institutions that are nationally accredited according to the standards of the Commission on Higher Education. An advisory committee to the board of trustees and the teaching academy shall consist of the presidents of all post-secondary institutions with nationally accredited teacher education programs, which elect to participate.
Section 59-42-70. The scope of the school's curriculum shall include pre-kindergarten through year fourteen to emphasize the critical importance of early childhood development and the critical importance of facilitating successful transitions for adolescents into adulthood.
Section 59-42-80. The board of trustees shall employ a chief executive officer for the school and other key administrative and support personnel. The first year shall be dedicated to program and curriculum planning and planning for construction of physical facilities. The next ensuing year will continue those processes, and in addition faculty recruitment will begin. Enrollment of students will begin in the third year of the school.
Section 59-42-90. The school shall receive such funding as may be provided by the General Assembly in the annual general appropriations act.
Section 59-42-100. (A) Any school district from which the Governor's School draws at least ten percent of the Governor's School enrollment shall not suffer reduction in per pupil state aid, which would have the effect of a net reduction in total per pupil state aid to the district. Per pupil state aid for the purposes of this provision includes funds from the Education Finance Act, the Education Improvement Act, the Education Accountability Act, the State School Building Fund, the Children's Education Endowment, and the State School Facilities Bond Act.
(B) If a district becomes the beneficiary of this hold harmless financial provision it shall be fully effective only until enrollment growth in the districts results in no net reduction in per pupil state aid to the district. The State Department of Education shall administer the provisions of this section.
(C) If a district becomes the beneficiary of this hold harmless financial provision and shall subsequently become disqualified under the provisions of subsection (B), the financial benefit previously enjoyed shall be phased out over a three-year period in equal increments."
SECTION 2. This takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
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