WV HB5499

Creates an independent School System Performance and Accountability Board (5 members with staggered 5-year terms) and Office of School System Performance and Accountability (OSPA) to monitor county school districts' fiscal health, governance, and academic performance separately from the WV Board and Department of Education

Establishes a statewide early-warning system with quarterly reviews tracking indicators including reliance on temporary funding for recurring costs, staffing levels exceeding capacity, declining reserve balances, repeated audit findings, and governance dysfunction

Requires counties failing to meet established thresholds to be placed on a public Fiscal and Governance Watch List and submit corrective action plans with timelines; prohibits use of temporary funds for recurring personnel costs without multi-year sustainability certification

Eliminates the existing Division of Accountability within the WV Department of Education and transfers those staff positions (1 director, 4 coordinators, support staff) to the new OSPA, funded through redirected resources to maintain fiscal neutrality

Mandates OSPA prepare Narrative Risk Briefs (maximum 7 pages) for watch-listed counties and conduct targeted on-site stabilization visits; requires documentation of early-warning indicators, assistance provided, and county response before any state takeover can be recommended