Authority: Article VIII, Sections 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, Constitution of Virginia; Title 2.2, Chapters 10, 12, 29, 30, 31, and 32; Title 22.1, 22.1-8 through 20, 22.1-21 through 24; Title 51.1, Chapters 4, 5, 6.1, and 11; Title 60.2, Chapters 60.2-100, 60.2-106; Title 65.2, Chapters 1, 6, and 9, Code of Virginia; P.L. 108-446, P.L. 107-110, Federal Code.

A. Out of this appropriation, $9,000 the first year and $9,000 the second year from the general fund is designated to support annual membership dues to the Southern Regional Education Board. In addition, $5,000 the first year and $5,000 the second year from the general fund is designated to pay registration and travel expenses of citizens appointed as Virginia commissioners for the Southern Regional Education Board.

B. Out of this appropriation $79,000 the first year and $79,000 the second year from the general fund is provided for the fees and travel expenses associated with the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, established pursuant to Chapter 187, of the 2009 Acts of Assembly.

C. The Department of Education is authorized to collect proceeds from the sale of educational resources it has developed, such as technology applications, on-line course content, assessments, and other educational content, to out-of-state individuals or entities and to in-state, for-profit entities. The Department of Education is further authorized to deposit such proceeds in a non-reverting special fund account established in its financial records for this purpose. Net proceeds from such sales shall be expended by the Department of Education to further develop existing educational resources or to create new educational resources for the benefit of the commonwealth's public schools and which may also be sold under the provisions of this paragraph. The Secretary of Administration shall authorize any licensing agreements executed by the Department of Education pursuant to this paragraph.

D. Out of this appropriation, $34,625 the first year and $34,625 the second year from the general fund shall be used to provide performance evaluation training to teachers, principals, division superintendents, and other affected school division personnel in support of the transition from continuing employment contracts to annual employment contracts for teachers and principals.

E. Out of this appropriation, $100,000 the first year and $100,000 the second year from the general fund is provided for the Board of Education, in consultation with the Standards of Learning Innovation Committee, to continue redesigning the School Performance Report Card so that it is more effective in communicating to parents and the public regarding information about the status and achievements of the schools and school divisions.

F. Out of this appropriation, $300,000 the first year and $300,000 the second year is provided from the general fund for the Department of Education to develop a growth scale for the existing Standards of Learning mathematics and reading assessments. This growth scale should facilitate data-driven school improvement efforts and support the state's accountability and accreditation systems.

G. Out of the amounts in this item, the Department of Education shall develop and administer biennially to individuals holding a license from the Department in each public elementary and secondary school in the Commonwealth a voluntary and anonymous school personnel survey to evaluate school-level teaching conditions and the impact such conditions have on teacher retention and student achievement. Such survey may include questions regarding school leadership, teacher leadership, teacher autonomy, demands on teachers' time, student conduct management, professional development, instructional practices and support, new teacher support, community engagement and support, and facilities and other resources. The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall report the results of any school personnel survey to the Chairmen of the House Committees on Appropriations and Education and to the Senate Committees on Finance and Education and Health annually before the first day of each General Assembly Regular Session.

H. The Department of Education shall develop and administer a one-time collection of data from school divisions to determine the prevailing practice of planning time for elementary school teachers. The Department shall compile and report the information to the Chairs of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance and Appropriations Committees no later than the beginning of the 2021 General Assembly session.

I. Notwithstanding the provisions set forth in this Act or in § 22.1, Code of Virginia, the Superintendent of Public Instruction may grant temporary flexibility or issue waivers of certain deadlines and requirements that cannot be met due to the state of emergency or school closures resulting from Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Such flexibility or waivers may include, but are not limited to, accreditation, testing and assessments, graduation, licensure, including temporary licensure, school calendars, and program applications and reports due to the Department of Education or Board of Education. Such authority only applies to deadlines and requirements for fiscal year 2020 (school year 2019-2020), or fiscal year 2021 (school year 2020-2021), or fiscal year 2022 (school year 2021-2022). Prior to granting any flexibility or waivers pursuant to this language, the Superintendent of Public Instruction must report to the Secretary of Education and substantiate how the state of emergency or school closures resulting from COVID-19 impacted each deadline or requirement, the proposed alternative, and the affected fiscal and school years. Subsequently, information about waivers or flexibility extended shall be reported to the Board of Education and made available on the agency website.

J. Out of this appropriation, $120,000 the second year from the general fund is provided for the Department of Education to develop and implement a pilot program to more comprehensively supervise school division compliance with a subset of key standards by requiring (i) the submission of more comprehensive compliance information, (ii) selective independent verification of compliance, (iii) monitoring of corrective action implementation, and (iv) analysis of compliance trends and issues. The Department shall conduct the pilot program during the 2021-2022 school year and submit a report on the results to the Board of Education and House Education and Appropriations Committees and Senate Education and Health and Finance and Appropriations Committees no later than November 30, 2022.