Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding in Title 22.1 a chapter numbered 19.1, consisting of sections numbered 22.1-349.1 through 22.1-349.4, as follows:

§22.1-349.1. Virginia Science Technology Engineering and Applied Mathematics Academy established; purpose.

The Virginia Science Technology Engineering and Applied Mathematics Academy, Inc., (Virginia STEAM Academy) is established as a private, nonprofit organization exempt from taxation under §501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and a single-site, statewide, publicly accessible, special high school of science, technology, engineering, and applied mathematics for the purpose of:

1. Integrating the sciences, humanities, and arts;

2. Providing a rigorous, college-level learning environment for high school students in an immersive, applied-living, and applied-learning context;

3. Attracting more students to science, technology, engineering, and applied mathematics before college;

4. Accelerating learning among academically talented high school students in the Commonwealth who are interested in science, technology, engineering, and applied mathematics;

5. Providing accelerated instruction in a residential educational setting;

6. Serving as a laboratory for students and educators across the Commonwealth for exemplary teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering, and applied mathematics through residential summer academies, digital learning, and professional development;

7. Operating a consortium model that includes a consortium leadership team consisting of students and parents and representatives from elementary and secondary education, higher education, business, science, engineering, the arts, civic organizations, government, and the military that informs the board of directors on the design, delivery, measurement, and continuous improvement of all facets and initiatives of the Virginia STEAM Academy; and

8. Positively affecting the economy of the Commonwealth.

§22.1-349.2. Board of directors.

A. The Virginia STEAM Academy shall be governed by a board of directors (board) consisting of at least 15 but not more than 21 members appointed and elected as follows: (i) one member of the House of Delegates, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates in accordance with the principles of proportional representation contained in the Rules of the House of Delegates; (ii) one member of the Senate, to be appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; (iii) one nonlegislative citizen member, appointed by the Governor, who is among the best qualified to serve on the board by virtue of his experience with science, technology, engineering, and applied mathematics as a student, parent, engaged citizen, or representative of business, industry, government, or education; (iv) the Director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Secretary of Education, and the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, or their designees, who shall serve ex officio with voting privileges; and (v) at least eight but not more than 14 nonlegislative citizen members, elected by the the board, who demonstrate effective leadership skills, represent each of the eight superintendent's regions in the Commonwealth, and consist of (a) no more than two presidents of partner colleges or universities, or their designees, elected on a rotating basis until the president of each Virginia STEAM Academy partner college or university, or his designee, has been a member of the board; (b) no more than two division superintendents of partner school divisions elected on a rotating basis until a division superintendent of each Virginia STEAM Academy partner school division has been a member of the board; (c) no more than two representatives of partner science, engineering, and research institutions elected on a rotating basis until a representative of each partner science, engineering, and research institution has been a member of the board; (d) no more than two representatives of business partners elected on a rotating basis until a representative of each business partner has been a member of the board; and (e) no more than six students, parents, or other citizens of the Commonwealth at large. Nonlegislative citizen members shall be citizens of the Commonwealth.

B. Ex officio members of the board shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office.

C. Appointments to fill vacancies, other than by expiration of a term, shall be for the unexpired terms. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments. All members may be reappointed.

D. No appointed member shall serve more than two consecutive two-year terms and no member elected by the board shall serve more than two consecutive three-year terms. The remainder of any term to which a member is appointed to fill a vacancy shall not constitute a term in determining the member's eligibility for reappointment.

E. The board shall elect a chairman, vice-chairman, secretary, and treasurer from among its membership. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum. The board shall meet at least once annually. The meetings of the board shall be held at the call of the chairman or whenever the majority of the members so request.

F. No member of the board shall receive compensation for the performance of his duties, but all members shall be reimbursed for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as provided in §§2.2-2813 and 2.2-2825. Funding for the costs of expenses of the members shall be provided by the Virginia STEAM Academy.

§22.1-349.3. Duties of board of directors.

The board shall:

1. Appoint a president, who shall be the chief executive officer of the Virginia STEAM Academy and have such duties as may be prescribed by the board;

2. Adopt regulations and bylaws for its government and procedures;

3. Adopt such rules and regulations for the government and management of the Virginia STEAM Academy as it deems expedient and are not contrary to law;

4. Confer degrees, subject to the approval of the Board of Education;

5. Appoint an advisory committee to inform and be informed by the board, consisting of no more than 15 members, who shall (i) include at least one member from each of the eight superintendent's regions of the Commonwealth and (ii) represent students, parents, business, elementary and secondary education, higher education, government, and science, engineering, and research;

6. Establish the course of study for the Virginia STEAM Academy that (i) includes the standard high school curriculum and in-depth, applied instruction in science, technology, engineering, and applied mathematics and (ii) is informed by and aligned with, as appropriate, international standards including Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA);

7. Pursue independent accreditation of the Virginia STEAM Academy by AdvancEd, formerly Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Council on Accreditation and School Improvement, and the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS);

8. Establish criteria for the admission of students who reside in the Commonwealth that (i) seek to establish a student body that mirrors the demographics of the Commonwealth with respect to geography, income, race, ethnicity, and gender, as permitted by law, (ii) include a weighted lottery for unfilled seats that also seeks to establish such a balanced student body, as permitted by law, and (iii) provide a cap of no more than three students per year to be admitted from a single school division unless Virginia STEAM Academy and the school division mutually agree to lift the cap and consider more student seats; and

9. Send to the school division in which each enrolled student's parents reside the enrolled student's (i) Standards of Learning test scores and (ii) scores on other tests used for the purposes of accreditation.

§22.1-349.4. Funding.

The Virginia STEAM Academy shall, in consultation with the Board, the Secretary of Education, and the chairpersons of the eight regional superintendents' study groups, study various forms of funding available to the Academy and shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Chairman of the House and Senate Education and Health Committee before 11/1/15.