A bill is on its way to Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin that would require some school central office administrators to become substitute teachers for at least three days a school year.
The bill, SB80, gained final approval Tuesday in the legislature.
Del. Josh Stowers, D-Lincoln, says the requirement will help county school boards with substitute teacher costs and help administrators get an idea of how classrooms have evolved.
Stowers, a school vice principal in Kanawha County, says it won’t hurt for some of those administrators to see how things work.
“There’s been a lot of time that central office administrators haven’t been inside a classroom for 15 or 20 years,” Stowers said.
He stopped short of saying the administrators are out of touch.
“It’s the opportunity to get back into the classroom and see how things evolve,” Stowers said. “Things change every year. Education is changing at warped speed. There are new programs and new initiatives and those things change every year.”
The requirement does not apply to county school superintendents on central office administrators who have never held teaching certificates.