House File 309 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY MAY, WORTHAN, SCHUELLER,
KELLEY, LUKAN, KAUFMANN,
ROBERTS, SCHULTZ, SANDS,
DOLECHECK, DE BOEF, DRAKE,
TYMESON, DEYOE, COWNIE,
and MAREK
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to early school starts and requests for
2 innovative school year pilot programs, and providing an
3 effective date.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
5 TLSB 1381HH 83
6 kh/nh/5
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 257.17, Code 2009, is amended to read
1 2 as follows:
1 3 257.17 AID REDUCTION FOR EARLY SCHOOL STARTS.
1 4 State aid payments made pursuant to section 257.16 for a
1 5 fiscal year shall be reduced by one one=hundred=eightieth for
1 6 each day of that fiscal year for which the school district
1 7 begins school before the earliest starting date specified in
1 8 section 279.10, subsection 1. However, this section does not
1 9 apply to a school district that has received approval for a
1 10 pilot program for an innovative school year from the director
1 11 of the department of education under section 279.10,
1 12 subsection 4, to commence classes for regularly established
1 13 elementary and secondary schools in advance of the starting
1 14 date established in section 279.10, subsection 1 3.
1 15 Sec. 2. Section 279.10, subsection 2, Code 2009, is
1 16 amended to read as follows:
1 17 2. The board of directors shall hold a public hearing on
1 18 any proposal request made pursuant to subsection 3 prior to
1 19 submitting it to the department of education for approval.
1 20 Sec. 3. Section 279.10, subsection 3, unnumbered paragraph
1 21 2, Code 2009, is amended to read as follows:
1 22 The board shall file a request for approval with the
1 23 department not later than November 1 of the preceding school
1 24 year. The request shall include a listing of the savings and
1 25 goals to be attained under the innovative school year subject
1 26 to rules adopted by the department under chapter 17A. The
1 27 department shall notify the districts of the approval or
1 28 denial of pilot programs not later than the next following
1 29 January 15. For each school year, the department may approve
1 30 not more than three innovative school year pilot program
1 31 requests.
1 32 Sec. 4. Section 279.10, subsection 4, Code 2009, is
1 33 amended by striking the subsection.
1 34 Sec. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect July 1,
1 35 2010, and is applicable for school years beginning on or after
2 1 that date.
2 2 EXPLANATION
2 3 This bill eliminates, effective for the school year
2 4 beginning July 1, 2010, the authority of the director of the
2 5 department of education to grant a request made by a board of
2 6 directors of a school district to commence classes prior to
2 7 the earliest school starting date allowed. The bill also
2 8 limits the department to granting only three requests per
2 9 school year for innovative school year pilot programs.
2 10 The bill makes a conforming change to eliminate an
2 11 exemption from aid reduction for early school starts, unless
2 12 the exemption is for a school district approved to implement
2 13 an innovative school year. Without the waiver, the school
2 14 district's state aid payments are reduced by 1/180 for each
2 15 day of that fiscal year for which the school district begins
2 16 school before the earliest starting date allowed.
2 17 LSB 1381HH 83
2 18 kh/nh/5