HOUSE BILL NO. 984 Offered January 9, 2008 Prefiled January 8, 2008 A BILL to direct the Department of Education to establish a three-year pilot program to provide grants to six geographically diverse school divisions in the Commonwealth for the purposes of hiring math specialists. ---------- Patron-- Nutter ---------- Committee Referral Pending ----------

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. § 1. The Department of Education shall establish a math specialist grant pilot program to provide grants to six geographically diverse school divisions across the Commonwealth for the purposes of hiring math specialists. The purpose of the project is to determine the long-term feasibility of requiring at least one permanent math specialist for every school division in the Commonwealth. The funding for the pilot program shall be from such funds as are provided for that purpose in the general appropriations act.

            § 2. The Department shall ensure that three of the participating school divisions already employ a math specialist and are seeking to hire an additional math specialist and three of the participating school divisions have not previously employed a math specialist, at the time the grant is awarded. To be eligible for the grant, a school division must commit to hiring a math specialist for a period of three years.

§ 3. At the end of the three-year period, the Department shall submit a report to the General Assembly evaluating the effectiveness of the pilot program and his recommendation as to the long-term feasibility and effectiveness of requiring at least one permanent math specialist for every school division in the Commonwealth.