Senate 579

2026 regular session

Introduced

Senate Bill 579

By Senator Rucker

[Introduced January 22, 2026; referred
to the Committee on Education; and then to the Committee on Finance]

A BILL to amend and reenact §18-9B-7 the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; and to amend the code by adding a new section, designated §18-5-31, relating to improving school district efficiency; allowing a county board to exempt itself and all noncharter public schools under its jurisdiction from all statutes and rules as provided for public charter schools; requiring any county board making such an election to engage an external auditor to perform an independent audit of the county’s finances once every three years; and limiting the county board’s annual cost for the salaries of administrators to not more than six percent of the overall total annual budget of the county.  

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

ARTICLE 5. COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION.

§18-5-31. County board exemption from statutes and rules.

Notwithstanding any other provision of code to the contrary, any county board, commencing with the school year beginning July 1, 2027 and every school year thereafter, may elect to exempt itself and all noncharter public schools under its jurisdiction from all statutes and rules as provided for public charter schools pursuant to §18-5G-3(c) not including the statutes and rules specified in the subdivisions under that subsection: Provided, That any county board electing to exempt itself and all noncharter public schools under its jurisdiction pursuant to this section shall engage an external auditor to perform an independent audit of the county’s finances once every three years and shall submit the audit to the state superintendent within nine months of the end of the fiscal year for which the audit is performed.

ARTICLE 9B. STATE BOARD OF SCHOOL FINANCE.

§18-9B-7. Determination by the state superintendent before final approval of budget; length of term.

(a) The state superintendent, before giving his or her final approval to a proposed budget, shall require that:

(1) Estimates of revenue and receipts are reasonable and accurate;

(2) Amounts are budgeted so as to cover actual requirements of school operation;

(3) The county board’s annual cost for the salaries of administrators does not exceed six percent of the overall total annual budget of the county; and

(3) (4) Amounts are budgeted so as to maintain the schools of the county for the employment term and the instructional term as provided by §18-5-45 of this code.

(b) For the purposes of this section, "administrators" include the county superintendent; deputy, associate, or assistant superintendents; administrative assistants; attorneys; directors or managers of instruction; directors or managers of supportive services; chief school business officials; child nutrition directors; adult program coordinators; principals; assistant principals; directors and coordinators of services; accounts payable supervisors; payroll supervisors; supervisors of maintenance; supervisors of transportation; school bus supervisors; food services supervisors; or any other person performing administrative duties similar to the foregoing persons.

NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to allow a county board to exempt itself and all noncharter public schools under its jurisdiction from all statutes and rules as provided for public charter schools; require any county board making such an election to engage an external auditor to perform an independent audit of the county’s finances once every three years; and limit the county board’s annual cost for the salaries of administrators to not more than six percent of the overall total annual budget of the county.

Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from a heading or the present law and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.