Local Role
1. School Choice 1993 adopted, 1995 adopted/amended
VASS supports "choice" within school districts and supports current standards and laws, which allow for flexibility within existing public school educational units that would continue to be under the control of local school boards. Moreover, VASS supports a policy which would declare that relief granted to a particular educational unit in the school division would be available to all schools.
2. Charter Schools Revised Proposed Position 1999 adopted/amended
VASS supports monitoring any proposed changes to the current charter school legislation in order to assure that it continue to be limited to public schools in the Commonwealth and that local school boards retain authority and control over such schools.
3. Parental Responsibility 1996 adopted, 1997 adopted/amended
VASS supports parental involvement in all aspects of their children’s education but does not support a Constitutional amendment regarding the right of parents to direct the education of their children.
4. Suspension & Expulsion 1997 adopted, 1999 adopted/amended, 2000 adopted/amended
(a) VASS supports legislation to permit a local school board, in the event of an appeal, to review the recommendation of the division superintendent or his designee to exclude a student expelled by another school board or private school, rather than conduct another hearing at the board level.
(b) No state mandates should be considered which would abrogate the authority of local school boards to suspend, expel, or exclude students from school attendance or abrogate the authority to choose appropriate alternative placements for students.
(c) VASS supports legislation to revise the sections of the Code relating to suspensions and expulsions to provide for uniform definitions and procedures.
5. Part-time Enrollment 1997 adopted, 1998 adopted/amended
VASS favors continuation of present policy of local control over part-time enrollment of home and private school students in public schools, including the VHSL policy, which requires that a student be enrolled in 5 subjects, and pass 5 subjects.
6. Special Education Mediation 1996 adopted, 1997 adopted/amended, 1998 adopted/amended
VASS recommends to the Virginia Department of Education and the Virginia State Special Education Advisory Committee that they remain active participants.
7. Calendar 1994 adopted, 1995 adopted, 1996 adopted, 1997 adopted, 1998 adopted, 1999 adopted/amended, 2000 amended
VASS supports returning control of the public school calendar to local school boards and supports local flexibility and control over choice of opening dates to allow them to have time to provide for required remediation and teacher training.
8. Graduation Requirements 1996 adopted, 2000 adopted/amended
VASS supports continuation of local initiatives to raise graduation requirements.
9. Consolidation of Local Government Functions 1997 adopted
VASS opposes legislation to mandate consolidation of local government and school division operations.
10. Appropriation by Local Government 1997 adopted, 2000 amended
VASS supports appropriation of school funds by local governing bodies on a lump sum basis over categorical basis.
11. Alternative Education 1999 adopted, 2000 amended
VASS supports additional funding for alternative education and maintains that such funding should be the joint responsibility of the local school division and the state-funded alternative education programs. Local school divisions should receive funding expanded funding for elementary alternative education programs.
Local divisions should not be required to provide services to all students expelled or suspended without sufficient funding for programs, staff, and construction needs from the state.
1. Standards of Accreditation / Standards of Learning 1996 adopted, 1997 adopted/amended, 1999 adopted/amended, 2000 adopted/amended, 2001 adopted/amended
(a) VASS opposes the concept of Standards of Learning becoming regulations.
(b) VASS supports General Assembly review of the Standards of Accreditation (SOA) for public schools in Virginia. VASS further supports return to state policy whereby SOQ revision and approval by the General Assembly precede proposed SOA revision by the State Board of Education.
VASS supports the review, revision, and approval of the SOA by the General Assembly, with such legislation to include a sunset clause.
VASS supports Board of Education policy or regulations whereby local school divisions would not be required by the state to exceed federal special education standards and regulation.
VASS supports a policy whereby the Board of Education would not adopt special education standards and regulations that exceed federal law and regulations
(f) VASS supports the use of an improvement model to determine accreditation status during and after the implementation years.
(g) VASS supports local scoring of SOL tests.
(h) VASS supports pilot programs in electronic testing.
(i) VASS supports legislation that would designate the local school board as the sole authority to approve school improvement plans.
(j) VASS supports reporting high school credit end-of-course test scores at the high school regardless of the grade in which the test was taken.
(k) VASS supports legislation which would permit multiple criteria to be used for school accreditation and graduation requirements.
2. Accountability 1997 adopted, 2000 amended
(a) The state should assume a role of support and direction rather than one of punitive enforcement in accountability and accreditation.
VASS believes that every shareholder should be responsible and accountable for both success and improvement. Shareholders include students, parents, local school boards, the Board of Education, and state and local governing bodies.
3. School Report Card 1998 adopted, 2000 amended
(a) VASS supports accountability and the development of School Performance Profiles when they reflect the broad richness and diversity within each individual school system.
(b) VASS believes that school systems should be free to provide additional information on individual school profiles, which is important and unique to those schools.
4. Non-Prescription Drugs 1999 adopted
VASS supports continuation of local school control over school discipline policies, including those dealing with non-prescription drugs.
5. Freedom of Information 1999 adopted
VASS supports legislation that enhances the ability of local school boards and administrators to conduct school business in an environment that protects the privacy of students and personnel records and other sensitive information.
6. Student Internet Access 1999 adopted
VASS supports allowing local school division policies to control student access to the Internet and the use of software to filter certain information.
1. Program Offerings 1995 adopted, 1996 adopted/amended 1997 adopted/amended, 1998 adopted/amended, 2001 adopted/amended
(a) The SOA requirements should not restrict or limit opportunities currently available to challenge students. Choices should remain for students such as: the arts and humanities, health and P.E., vocational education, including technical courses that serve to facilitate such programs as school-to-work transition.
(b) The state must support fairness and equal opportunity for all students and the need for preservation of essential programs and personnel.
(c) The state should recognize the many different strategies and program options that are, or could be, available to these students locally and provide adequate state funding for such alternative education programs.
(d) VASS supports SOA that define and require instructional program offerings.
(e) VASS supports allowing local school divisions to implement 4-year-old programs for "at risk" students identified as eligible in their division.
(f) VASS will monitor the study dealing with vocational training for those students with an IEP exiting public schools. Moreover, VASS recommends that decisions on inclusion be handled at the local school board level so as to reflect the needs of individual students and schools.
Advanced Study Diploma
1995 adopted, 1997 adopted/amended, 1998 adopted/amendedDiplomas should reflect the varied competencies of individual students who achieve higher standards beyond the SOA requirements as determined by the locality.
3. Family Life 1995 adopted, 1996 adopted/amended, 1997 adopted/amended, 1998 adopted/ amended, 2000 amended
VASS supports continuation of the present policy of "opt-out" for those students whose parents choose not to have them participate in certain Board of Education and General Assembly-approved programs, such as the Family Life Education program.
4. KINDERGARTEN 1993 adopted, 1994 adopted/amended
VASS supports maintaining the current standards in the Code of Virginia relating to the admission of students to kindergarten and recommends that they not be altered.
5. Assessment 1997 adopted, 1998 adopted/amended
(a) The experience of other states, which have recently implemented new learning standards, should be reviewed to determine:
(i) Drop out and retention rates
(ii) Correlation between economic condition of individual localities and test scores
(iii) Number of tests and instructional time to administer
(iv) Costs of implementation (i.e., personnel, laboratory space, training, materials, additional periods, reporting requirements, re-testing, legal challenges)
(b) A responsible and comprehensive model of assessment should include:
(i) Assurance of valid and reliable SOL and end-of-course tests
(ii) Performance-based criteria, such as student written work and teacher assessment
(iii) Alignment of the testing schedule with course completion
(iv) Understanding that there is a limited correlation between SOL tests and the Stanford 9
(v.) Establishment of valid cut scores supported by current research
(c) VASS supports higher academic standards for students in the Commonwealth and the programs and services that will enable all students to meet or exceed those standards.
1. Child Abuse & Neglect 1993 adopted, 2001 adopted/amended
VASS supports the concept that the responsibility for investigating complaints of child abuse against school division employees be retained by local social service departments and school divisions.
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2. Drug Testing 1996 adopted, 1997 adopted/amended
Opposes mandatory drug testing of students as well as requirements for public school personnel to conduct such testing.
3. Program Completion 1997 adopted
Students who are graduating from a secondary school, and who do not intend to continue their education, shall have identifiable, marketable skills. Students who are graduating from a secondary school, and who do not intend to continue their education, shall have completed a vocational educational program.
4. Reporting Drop-outs 1998 adopted, 2001 adopted, amended
The Department of Education should develop a report that allows for differentiation between dropouts and those removed from schools by suspension or expulsion.
5. Compulsory School Attendance Age 1999 Adopted
VASS supports a study of compulsory school attendance policy prior to considering any action to alter the present age policy.
6. Driver’s License Issuance and Revocation 1999 Adopted
VASS supports legislation which would specify that school divisions not be involved in the issuance and revocation of drivers’ licenses for students.
1. Technology 1996 adopted, 1997 adopted/amended, 1998 adopted/amended
The state should provide all schools with direct unlimited access to voice, video, and data networks including the upgrading of infrastructure to enhance classroom instruction and assessment.
(b) All schools must have a 5-to-1 student-to-microcomputer ratio.
(c) All schools must have one-fifth of the computers upgraded each year on a textbook-type replacement cycle.
(d) All schools must have state funding for appropriate multi-media software.
2. Transportation 1997 adopted, 1998 adopted/amended, 2000 amended
(a) VASS opposes transportation services for private school students by public schools and believes it is an inappropriate use of public funds.
(b) VASS supports current practices and funding for students whose disabilities require special transportation.
1. Technology Training 1997 adopted, 1998 adopted/amended, 2000 amended
Administrators will need to receive ongoing training in order to keep abreast of the in Omnibus rapidly changing technology advancements and needs in school
2. Binding Arbitration 1993 adopted, 1995 adopted/amended, 1996 adopted/amended
(a) VASS opposes legislation that would change current law to allow for binding arbitration.
(b) VASS supports current law which vests final authority in any case involving the grievance procedure with local school boards.
3. Teacher Contracts 1995 adopted, 1996 adopted/amended, 1997 adopted/amended, 1999 adopted/amended
(a) VASS supports a legislative study of term contracts and procedure for dismissal of teachers and nonrenewable of contracts in an effort to encourage more flexibility in the process and terms of such contracts. In addition, VASS supports the idea of term contracts in theory for teachers and administrators and will monitor closely, bills relative to tenure, "incompetence," and nonrenewable of teaching contracts.
(b) VASS does not support legislation which would require local school divisions to issue written contracts to non-licensed personnel employed full or part-time for 10 months or less and which would require notice of non-continuation of such employment.
4. Grievance Procedures 1991 adopted, 1992 adopted/amended, 1993 adopted/amended
VASS supports the present grievance procedure and opposes legislation that would add as grievance actions reprimands or other criticism placed in personnel files, the contents of any evaluation, transfer within the school division and reduction in force within the school division.
5. Enhancement of Retirement Benefits 1994 adopted, 2000 adopted/amended, 2001 adopted/amended
(a) VASS supports the enhancement of the retirement benefits paid to personnel covered by the Virginia Retirement System to include but not be limited to a benefits restoration plan to address 415-B.
(b) VASS supports enabling school divisions to re-hire retired licensed personnel on a full-time basis with no loss of retirement benefits.
6. Criminal History 1995 adopted, 1996 adopted/amended, 1997 adopted/amended
(a) VASS supports legislation to expand the reporting of criminal history record information regarding applicants for employment to local school divisions to include any felony, crime of moral turpitude, or any offense involving molestation, physical or sexual abuse or rape of a child.
(b) VASS encourages all superintendents to promote policies by local school boards to conduct criminal history records checks. VASS would urge that the State pay its share of the cost to localities for statewide criminal history checks.
7. School Health Issues 1993 adopted, 1994 adopted/amended, 1995 adopted/amended, 1996 adopted/amended, 1997 adopted/amended, 1998 adopted/amended, 2000 adopted/amended
(a) State funding to localities should be increased in order to begin to realistically serve those students requiring some form of health-related services during the year.
(b) Current legislation, which prohibits school divisions from requiring teaching personnel to assist students in non-emergency health-related situation, should be reviewed for fiscal and other ramification, and funded according to such review before localities are mandated to comply.
(c) VASS supports funding for appropriate health training for school personnel to meet the needs of students in the individual schools.
(d) VASS supports providing immunity to school personnel performing health-related tasks.
(e) VASS favors provision of health service to students by a variety of health care personnel, including Registered Nurses, supervised Licensed Practical Nurses, supervised Nurses’ Aides, EMT’s, Clinic Aides, and volunteers.
(f) VASS supports a policy by which localities continue to determine how best to provide health services to students with the integral assistance and advice of local School Health Advisory Boards.
(g) VASS opposes regulations or legislation that mandates use of licensed nurses as the only persons to give medication to children.
8. Planning Time for Elementary Teachers 1993 adopted
VASS supports the concept that local school divisions are capable of setting, monitoring and evaluating instructional schedules for school personnel. Planning time for teachers should be a local decision based on the local requirement and specific local schedule. A comprehensive study of the cost to provide planning time should be completed.
9. Minimum Staffing Requirements 1994 adopted, 1997 adopted/amended, 1998 adopted/amended, 1999 adopted/amended, 2000 adopted/amended
(a) VASS supports initiatives to add teaching personnel to elementary schools and requests that any such initiative be made flexible so that additional teachers can be employed in accordance with the needs of the local school divisions.
(b) VASS supports SOA that define and require certain administrative, support, and instructional staffing levels.
(c) VASS believes that minimum staffing requirements should be set in the Standards of Accreditation.
(d) VASS supports reinstatement of elementary guidance and counseling personnel as required positions in the SOA.
(e) VASS supports increasing the minimum staffing requirements in the SOA’s with additional funding.
(f) VASS supports a legislative study of the personnel requirement of the SOQ and SOA to assess their adequacy for meeting the current instructional needs of students including, but not limited to remediation, alternative education, behavior intervention, parental involvement, and technological support.
10. Technology 1993 adopted, 1997 adopted/amended, 2000 adopted/amended
(a) VASS supports funding for one instructional technology position per 500 students or major portion thereof.
(b) Technology resource assistants should receive a salary commensurate with the training and skills identified in the stated job description; however, it would not be necessary that they be certified teachers.
(c) VASS supports the establishment of a permanent funding source for educational technology.
11. Recruiting and Retaining Teachers and Administrators 2000 adopted, 2001 adopted/amended
VASS supports legislation to address the teacher and administrator shortage crisis. This legislation should include providing financial assistance to school divisions for recruiting and retaining qualified teachers and administrators.
VASS supports additional teacher education scholarships at $6,000 per year for 4 years with a requirement that the loan would be repaid with each year a teacher is employed in a school division in Virginia. Additionally, one half of the scholarship funds should be allocated to teachers majoring in special education, mathematics, and science and one-half of the scholarship funds should be allocated to teachers in all other major areas.
VASS supports funding stipends for mentors to meet their mentor program requirements.
VASS supports legislation that would re-align the PRAXIS math cut scores based on endorsement areas.
VASS supports additional state funding to Virginia colleges and universities to expand the number of students enrolling in teacher education programs.
VASS supports expanding the number of slots and the funding for the career switcher program.
1. General 1993 adopted, 1996 adopted/amended, 2000 adopted/amended
(a) Virginia should fund education at a level greater than the states that rank below Virginia in per capita personal income.
(b) The maximum composite index value should be monitored to assure equity among all school divisions.
(c) VASS believes the state must fund basic and mandated services as defined in the SOA and SOQ.
(d) VASS believes that any new requirements created as a result of changes to the SOA should be funded by the General Assembly. Before implementation of any new SOA, these requirements must be include in the budget process.
(e) The VASS supports legislation to amend Section 22.1-17 of the Code of Virginia for the General Assembly to devise a methodology that would measure the local fiscal impact of changes in the SOA.
(f) VASS supports legislation that would prescribe a methodology for adequate sharing by the state of the actual costs to school divisions for successfully implementing the accountability program.
2. State Funding Formulas 1996 adopted, 1998 adopted/amended, 2001 adopted/amended
VASS will continue to monitor the JLARC study of adequate funding to school divisions.
3. Fiscal Autonomy for Local Boards 1994 adopted
VASS supports fiscal autonomy for elected school boards.
4. Alternative Education/Drop-Out Prevention 1997 adopted, 2000 adopted/amended, 2001 adopted/amended
(a) VASS supports continuation of funding for dropout programs.
VASS supports continuation of funding for at-risk students, to include remedial education SOQ funding, at-risk SOQ funding, funding for reduced K-3 class size, at-risk 4-year-old funding, and technology funding.
VASS supports continued funding for alternative education as well as additional alternative education sites, to provide reasonable and adequate access to all school divisions.
(d) VASS supports expanding funding to all school divisions for elementary alternative education programs.
5. Higher Education Reimbursements 1997 adopted
VASS opposes reimbursement to institutions of higher education for students enrolling in remedial courses.
6. Tuition Credits/Vouchers 1999 adopted/amended
VASS opposes the use of public funds for tuition credits and/or vouchers.
7. Educational Choice
VASS supports charter schools legislation that limits charter schools to public schools in a Virginia school division with approval of local school board.
8. Special Purposes 1997 adopted, 1999 adopted/amended, 2000 adopted/amended
(a) VASS supports an initiative which requires unexpended educational funds to be used for one or all of the following: technology in public schools, the Literary Fund.
(b) VASS supports a policy that would require the same payment from private school students to a summer Governor’s School as that which would be required for public school students of the same division.
(c) Elementary guidance counselors must continue to be funded by the state and should be recognized for the excellent jobs they perform for students and for schools.
(d) Reading specialists for elementary schools, who assist in early intervention and continued progress in this most important area of reading, should be recognized as critical to student success and, therefore should receive state funding.
(e) VASS opposes state proposal that mandates solutions to local discipline problems without commensurate funding.
(f) The state should include in its funding figures transportation costs for state and local programs.
(g) VASS supports permanent funding from the state for technology and technology resource assistants in each year of the biennium.
(h) VASS requests that the 2000 General Assembly provide funding to local school divisions to employ the additional personnel necessary to coordinate the testing that will be required as a result of the revisions to the Virginia Standards of Accreditation.
9. School Construction 1998 adopted, 1999 adopted/amended, 2000 adopted/amended
(a) A program of state participation in school construction and renovation projects should be implemented in addition to current Literary Loan and VPSA programs.
(b) Sufficient funding should be provided for the Literary Loan program.
(c) The state should address the financial condition of the Literary Fund and should always consider ways to balance the general fund without impacting VRS.
(d) The state should continue the VPSA subsidy sales until the Literary Fund is available to meet school construction needs
(e) The state should expand the ability of school divisions to borrow with state assistance.
(f) The Literary Fund should be available to all school divisions.
(g) The General Assembly should expand the ability of the school divisions to borrow through expanding the capacity of VPSA.
(h) The state should share debt service as ongoing, unfunded operational expenses.
(i) Debt service should not be part of the state-funding match.
(j) The state should take into consideration mandates (e.g., reduced class size) and their impact on construction and renovation.
(k) The state should explore new sources of revenue for the Literary Fund.
(l) Expand the ability of school divisions to borrow by:
(i) Removing the present composite index cap and raising the minimum balance of the Literary Fund and
(ii) Expanding the capacity of VPSA to include providing additional staff and funding to make short-term moneys available to school divisions awaiting approval of Literary Fund loans
(m) VASS supports the state’s provision of a permanent funding source for school construction to meet local building and maintenance needs.
(n) VASS does not support a state mandate that local school divisions reduce student/teacher ratios without a study to include the fiscal impact on construction of classrooms, purchasing mobile classrooms or delaying implementation of the mandate.
10. Maintenance 1998 adopted
(a) The General Assembly should increase the per pupil allocation for maintenance supplement to a realistic level.
(b) The state should support regular, annual school maintenance planning for each school in a division.
(c) The General Assembly should establish the Maintenance Reserve Fund as a yearly obligation that is available to every school division.
(d) VASS supports establishing Maintenance Reserve Funding as a yearly state obligation.
11. Technology 1998 adopted
(a) Establish a funding mechanism for technology initiatives of the General Assembly by:
(i) Short-term financial package to fund infrastructure support needed for such initiatives and
(ii) Adopting technology standards in SOQ to drive funding.
(b) An acknowledgment of the real cost of implementing the technology initiative should be recognized the state including not only the purchase of equipment, software, and infrastructure, but also maintenance, technology training and technology resource teachers.
(c) Flexible block grants should be provided annually to meet equipment, software, and training needs on the technology plan.
(d) The state should consider the building/renovation implications in technology funding initiatives
12. Teacher Salaries 1999 adopted, 2001 adopted/amended
VASS strongly supports additional state funding to bring the average teacher salary to the national average.
13. Health Services 1999 adopted
VASS supports additional state funding for health services commensurate with the needs of students and expectations of the state.
14. 4 Year-Old-At-Risk Program 1999 adopted, 2001 adopted/amended
(a) VASS supports the state share of all students eligible to participate in the 4
Year-Old At-Risk Program.
(b) VASS supports the amendment of the state budget to conform with current law (Section 22.1-199.1) that allows school divisions that fund their preschool programs with federal funds to apply for At-Risk-Four-Year-Olds Program Funds.
15. Remediation Funds 1999 adopted
VASS supports additional funding for remediation programs to assist school divisions in meeting the Standards of Learning and Standards of Accreditation requirements.
16. School Safety Resource Officers 1999 adopted
VASS strongly supports state funding for school safety resource officers in school buildings.
17. Test Administration 1999 adopted, 2000 adopted/amended, 2001 adopted/amended
(a) VASS supports the state providing funding for local scoring of SOL tests.
(b) VASS supports state funding of registration for students taking the AP, IB exams and other tests approved by the state as a substitute for SOL tests.