HD75 - Educational Infrastructure Pursuant to HJR 135 of 1996


Executive Summary:
House Joint Resolution 135 of 1996 established this 23-member commission, with the following membership: the chairmen of the House Committees on Appropriations, Finance, and Education, and three members of the House of Delegates; the co-chairmen of the Senate Committee on Finance, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and two members of the Senate; eight citizens representing commercial communications technology, educational technology, school design and construction, funding public school and capital construction, school design, the Virginia Municipal League, the Virginia Association of Counties, and the public at large; the Lieutenant Governor; the Secretary of Education; the President of the Board of Education; and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. All members served with full voting privileges (See Appendix A for enabling resolution).

Citing the age of many of Virginia's public schools, the need for public school infrastructure capable of supporting educational technology, the increasingly important role of technology in business and industry, the necessity of planning revisions to adjust to evolving technology, the relationship of technology to student achievement, Virginia's role in communications technology, recent educational technology funding initiatives, and the benefits of a comprehensive examination of the state's educational technology infrastructure, HJR 135 directed the commission to accomplish the following objectives:

• Inventory and evaluate the physical and technical infrastructure needs of public schools throughout the Commonwealth.

• Review current capital construction projects and estimate future public school construction and renovation needs.

• Determine the technological needs of the public schools.

• Recommend appropriate alternative revenue sources for such construction and renovation, including ways to provide a sound and viable educational technology infrastructure for the public schools.

• Determine the level and source of funding required to support the infrastructure, and how to provide computers for all students by the year 2000, integrated instructional technology in the classroom, networking, connection to the Internet, and staff development.

* Communicate and coordinate with the Select Committee on Public School Construction to facilitate consistency and avoid duplication and fragmentation of efforts.

• Develop and recommend, in collaboration with the Select Committee on School Construction, an educational technology master plan which incorporates current networking and funding initiatives and provides a vision for meeting future school construction and educational technology needs as Virginia enters the 21st century.

The commission was directed to complete its work in time to report its findings and recommendations to the governor and the 1997 Session of the General Assembly. The commission's work was, however, continued by HJR 500 to the 1998 Session (see Appendix B for continuing resolution).