HJ19: Public education; Department of Education to study purpose and goals.
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 19
WHEREAS, Standard of Quality One, as codified in § 22.1-253.13:1 of the Code of Virginia, states the joint belief of the General Assembly and the Board of Education that "the fundamental goal of the public schools of the Commonwealth must be to enable each student to develop the skills that are necessary for success in school, preparation for life, and reaching their full potential"; and
WHEREAS, this goal is expressed and fleshed out in a multitude of laws, regulations, policies, and practices; and
WHEREAS, it would be beneficial for the Department of Education, on behalf of the General Assembly and the Board of Education and by encouraging input from the citizens of the Commonwealth, including parents, teachers, school administrators, and local school board members, to clarify (i) the broader purpose of public education in light of such fundamental goal and (ii) the specific measurable outcomes that all such laws, regulations, policies, and practices should help to achieve in order to further such broader purpose and such fundamental goal; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the Department of Education be requested to study the purpose and goals of public education.
In conducting its study, the Department shall encourage input from the citizens of the Commonwealth, including parents, teachers, school administrators, and local school board members, to clarify (i) the broader purpose of public education in light of the fundamental goal of public education, as expressed by the General Assembly and the Board of Education, and (ii) the specific measurable outcomes that education laws, regulations, policies, and practices should help to achieve in order to further such broader purpose and such fundamental goal.
Technical assistance shall be provided to the Department of Education by each local school board. All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Department of Education for this study, upon request.
The Department of Education shall complete its meetings by November 30, 2022, and shall submit to the Governor and the General Assembly an executive summary and a report of its findings and recommendations for publication as a House or Senate document. The executive summary and report shall be submitted as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports no later than the first day of the 2023 Regular Session of the General Assembly and shall be posted on the General Assembly's website.