(a) Pursuant to subsection (q), section thirteen of this article, a county board is authorized to enter into a cooperative agreement with one or more other county boards to establish educational services cooperatives which shall serve as regional units to provide for high quality, cost effective lifelong education programs and services to students, schools, school systems, and communities in accordance with this section. Each educational services cooperative may serve as a regional public multi-service agency to develop, manage, and provide such services or programs as determined by its governing council and as provided in this section or otherwise provided in this code. All references in this code to regional education service agencies or RESA’s mean an educational services cooperative as authorized under this section.

(b) The regional education service agencies previously established by section twenty-six, article two of this chapter and W. Va. 126CSR72, filed October 15, 2015, and effective November 16, 2015, shall remain and may continue to operate in accordance with said section and rule unless and until modified by a cooperative agreement entered into by county boards within the boundaries of the agency or dissolved by said county boards: Provided, That on July 1, 2018, the regional education service agencies as provided under prior provisions of section twenty-six, article two of this chapter are dissolved. If a regional education service agency is reconfigured pursuant to a cooperative agreement or is dissolved, all property, equipment and records held by the regional education service agency necessary to effectuate the purposes of this section shall be transferred or liquidated and disbursed in accordance with the following priority order: (1) To any successor educational services cooperative substantially covering the same geographical area; (2) To the county boards who were members of the regional education service agency as agreed upon by those counties; or (3) To the state board or to other appropriate entities as provided by law.

(c) An educational services cooperative shall be under the direction and control of a governing council consisting of the following members:

(1) The county superintendent of each county participating in the cooperative agreement;

(2) A member of the board of education from each county participating in the cooperative agreement selected by the county board of education as provided in the bylaws of the governing council of the educational services cooperative; and

(3) The following representatives, if any, to be selected by the educational services cooperative administrator with the consent of the governing council:

(A) Representatives of institutions of higher education and community and technical colleges serving the geographical area covered by the educational services cooperative;

(B) One non-superintendent chief instructional leader employed by a member county;

(C) One school principal employed by a member county;

(D) One teacher employed by a member county; and

(E) Additional members representing business and industry, or other appropriate entities, as the governing council determines fit to meet its responsibilities.

(d) The governing council of an educational services cooperative:

(1) Shall adopt bylaws concerning the appointment and terms of its members, including the authorization of designees by its members, the selection of officers and their terms, the filling of vacancies, the appointment of task forces and study groups, the evaluation of the executive director and staff and any other provisions necessary for the operation of the educational services cooperative. A quorum for governing council meetings shall be a simple majority of the number of members of each governing council;

(2) Shall appoint an individual to serve as the educational services cooperative administrator who shall serve at the will and pleasure of the governing council and shall implement the policies of the governing council.

(3) May employ regular full-time and part-time staff, as necessary, after a majority of the members of a governing council, by vote, verify that such employment is necessary for effective provision of services and to perform services or other projects that may require staff and support services for effective implementation. Staff who are hired into a position that requires a specified certification must maintain the certification for the duration of employment. The governing council is the sole employer of the educational services cooperative’s personnel it employs and shall be responsible for any benefit and liability programs necessitated by such employment. Employees of the educational services cooperative are considered state employees for the purposes of participation in the state’s public employees’ insurance and retirement programs. A recipient of personnel services from the educational services cooperative is not deemed an employer because of the exercise of supervision or control over any personnel services provided;

(4) May purchase, hold, encumber and dispose of real property, in the name of the educational services cooperative, for use as its office or for any educational service provided by the educational services cooperative if a resolution to do so is adopted by a two−thirds vote of the members of the governing council and then approved by three−fourths of the county boards in the educational services cooperative by majority vote of each county board;

(5) Shall operate as Local Educational Agencies (LEA’s) for financial purposes, including grants and cooperative purchasing, and collectively as essential agencies responsible for performing service functions to the total community. An educational services cooperative is eligible as an LEA to participate in partnership with or on behalf of any county school system or school in those programs that will accomplish implementation of the strategic plan and/or state education initiative of the system or school, or to further statutory priorities consistent with educational services cooperative operations;

(6) May receive, expend and disburse funds from the state and federal governments, from member counties, or from gifts and grants and may contract with county boards of education, the West Virginia Department of Education, institutions of higher education, persons, companies, or other agencies to implement programs and services at the direction of the council. The state board, department of education, or any member county board may request implementation of programs and services by the educational services cooperative. An educational services cooperative may also receive funds from profit-generating enterprises, the funds of which will contribute to the educational services cooperative initiatives. Each educational services cooperative is encouraged to partner with member school systems, particularly those designated as low-performing, and other organizations as appropriate to attract and leverage resources available from federal programs to maximize its capacity for meeting the needs of member schools and school systems. Educational services cooperatives are recognized as eligible LEA’s for the purposes of applying, on behalf of school systems, for grant funds consistent with performing regional services and functions and/or supportive of education initiatives of the educational services cooperative;

(7) Upon the request of one or more county boards of education, or by the state board as permitted or contracted, and if directed by law, an educational services cooperative may assume responsibility for one or more functions otherwise performed by one or more county boards of education;

(8) May offer technical assistance, including targeted comprehensive staff development services, or other technical assistance to any member school or school system, and give priority to those schools and school systems that are found to be out of compliance with a state law or federal law;

(9) May serve as repositories of research-based teaching and learning practices, and shall use technology, particularly web-based technology, to ensure maximum access to such practices by public schools in the region and state; and

(10) Shall develop and/or implement any other programs or services as directed by law or the governing council, or requested by individual member counties or groups of member counties subject to available funds. The Legislature expects that the assistance and programs developed and/or implemented by the educational services cooperatives may differ among the schools, counties and educational services cooperatives.

(e) The administrator of each educational services cooperative shall submit annually a plan to the governing council that identifies the programs and services which are suggested for implementation by the educational services cooperative during the following year. The plan shall contain components of long-range planning determined by the governing council. These programs and services may include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

(1) Administrative services;

(2) Curriculum development;

(3) Data processing;

(4) Distance learning and other telecommunication services;

(5) Evaluation and research;

(6) Staff development;

(7) Media and technology centers;

(8) Publication and dissemination of materials;

(9) Pupil personnel services;

(10) Planning;

(11) Secondary, postsecondary, community, adult, and adult vocational education;

(12) Teaching and learning services, including services for students with special talents and special needs;

(13) Employee personnel and employment services;

(14) Vocational rehabilitation;

(15) Health, diagnostic, and child development services and centers;

(16) Leadership or direction in early childhood and family education;

(17) Community services;

(18) Fiscal services and risk management programs;

(19) Legal services;

(20) Technology planning, training, and support services;

(21) Health and safety services;

(22) Student academic challenges;

(23) Cooperative purchasing services; and

(24) Other programs and services as may be provided pursuant to other provisions of this Code.

(f) The educational services cooperative administrator, with advice and assistance of the governing council, may select as its fiscal agent one of the county boards of education comprising the educational services cooperative. The county board so selected may maintain a separate bank account or accounts for the receipt and disbursement of all educational services cooperative funds and perform the accounting functions specified in the policies adopted by the state board. A county board of education serving as a fiscal agent may not initiate action, direct the programs or substitute its judgment for that of the educational services cooperative administrator as advised by the governing council. The county board of education may reject an action of the educational services cooperative administrator if sufficient funds are not available, or if it perceives a legal conflict. The educational services cooperative administrator shall make arrangements for an annual audit to be conducted in accordance with the requirements of the OMB Uniform Guidance (2 C.F.R. 200) and the cost of the audit shall be incurred by the educational services cooperative. Prior to making those arrangements, the educational services cooperative administrator must coordinate with the respective fiscal agent to ensure the audit addresses all applicable issues.

(g) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the contrary, employees of educational services cooperatives shall be reimbursed for travel, meals and lodging at the same rate as state employees under the travel management office of the Department of Administration.

(h) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the contrary, county board members serving on governing councils of educational services cooperatives may receive compensation at a rate not to exceed $100 per meeting attended, not to exceed fifteen meetings per year. County board members serving on governing councils may be reimbursed for travel at the same rate as state employees under the rules of the travel management office of the Department of Administration. A county board member may not be an employee of an educational services cooperative.