A legislative plan to allow a state agency to take control of struggling schools in Virginia has been approved by the state legislature and appears set to be signed by Gov. Bob McDonnell.
The proposal headed to the Republican governor’s desk last week would create an Opportunity Educational Institution with nine voting members to be selected by the governor and members of the legislature. It would have the authority to take over supervision of schools denied accreditation by the state, as well as schools that are on “warning” status for three consecutive years.
If a school has been run by the institution for four years and six months, at the latest, the institution must make a recommendation as to whether it should retain control of the school longer or transfer it back to local, traditional district control. No schools would be transferred to the institution until after the 2013-14 school year. Right now, the Associated Press notes, only six schools would qualify to be shifted to the new state-supervision model.
