The Senate Education and Health Committee reported and referred to the Senate Finance Committee legislation requiring local school boards to employ one full-time equivalent licensed behavior analyst or licensed assistant behavior analyst per five schools within a local school division. Licensed Behavior Analysts try to teach students more effective ways of behaving and making changes to social consequences of existing behavior.
SB 1258 (Dunnavant) adds this requirement to the Standards of Quality governing staff ratios for local school divisions and would require additional state and local funding to implement. The committee incorporated into the bill, SB 1134 (Favola), which sought to include licensed behavior analysts to list of student support positions. SB 1258 was reported and referred by the Senate Finance Committee on a 13-2 vote on January 10.
VACo staff expressed concerns to the Committee regarding the fiscal impact of the bill to localities.
VACo Contact: Jeremy Bennett