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CHARLESTON, W. Va.–West Virginia lawmakers will consider a range of educational policies, including the addition of aides to classrooms for the youngest students.
House Speaker Roger Hanshaw, R-Clay, said providing funding for those aides is a top priority for him. He cited public investment to support upper grade levels over the past few years but said that won’t pay off if younger students don’t have enough support to be prepared.
“That’s where my support for that comes from. It’s making sure that we are not sending kids into higher grades to take advantage of things we have been trying to do the last four years in such a way that they can’t reap the benefits out of it.”
The funding for aides would be for first- and second-grade classrooms.
Delegate Joe Statler, vice chairman of the House Education Committee, also described that support as a priority during Friday’s Legislative Lookahead event sponsored by the West Virginia Press Association, AARP West Virginia and West Virginia University’s university relations office.
“As a whole, this piece of legislation will be tremendously productive in this state as it allows more one-on-one with the students,” said Statler, R-Monongalia.
“We know the building of the foundation in education is critical, so these students have what they need, especially in the reading skills to move forward.”
Statler described the effort as building on the success of pre-kindergarten programs in the state.
The financial projection is $68 million, Statler said, affecting about 1,800 classrooms. He said the state Department of Education and others are working on preparing the legislation. The regular, 60-day legislative session begins next week.
“If you have more than 12 students in the classroom, you will be required to have an assistant in that classroom,” he said.
West Virginia Education Association President Dale Lee said he hopes the policy would truly keep class sizes smaller.
“My concern to Delegate Statler is, I understand the desire to put aides in classrooms, teachers assistants,” Lee said. “My hope is that you’re not going to increase the class sizes, the size of those classrooms, to do that.”
Higher ed funding formula
Statler also said the House Education Committee will consider a revamped funding formula for colleges and universities. A formula could provide more certainty than the ups and downs of the traditional budget process, Statler said. “It’s going to be another piece of legislation that will really help,” he said.
Hanshaw agreed.