Senate File 245 - Introduced SENATE FILE 245 BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO SF 77) A BILL FOR An Act modifying the supplementary weighting for limited 1 English proficient students and including effective date and 2 applicability provisions. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 1740SV (1) 86 md/sc

S.F. 245 Section 1. Section 257.31, subsection 5, paragraph j, Code 1 2015, is amended to read as follows: 2 j. Unusual need to continue providing a program or other 3 special assistance to non-English speaking pupils after the 4 expiration of the five-year period of years specified in 5 section 280.4 . 6 Sec. 2. Section 280.4, subsection 3, Code 2015, is amended 7 to read as follows: 8 3. a. In order to provide funds for the excess costs of 9 instruction of limited English proficient students specified 10 in paragraph “b” above the costs of instruction of pupils in 11 a regular curriculum, students identified as limited English 12 proficient shall be assigned an additional weighting of 13 twenty-two hundredths three-tenths , and that weighting shall be 14 included in the weighted enrollment of the school district of 15 residence for a period not exceeding five the period of years 16 specified in paragraph “b” . However, the school budget review 17 committee may grant supplemental aid or a modified supplemental 18 amount to a school district to continue funding a program for 19 students after the expiration of the five-year specified period 20 of years . 21 b. (1) For students first determined to be limited English 22 proficient for a budget year beginning on or after July 23 1, 2010, but before July 1, 2015, the additional weighting 24 provided under paragraph “a” shall be included in the weighted 25 enrollment of the school district of residence for a cumulative 26 period of time not exceeding five years beginning with the 27 budget year for which the student was first determined to be 28 limited English proficient. The five years of eligibility 29 for the additional weighting need not be consecutive and 30 a student’s eligibility for the additional weighting is 31 transferable to another district of residence. 32 (2) For students first determined to be limited English 33 proficient for the budget year beginning on July 1, 2015, the 34 additional weighting provided under paragraph “a” shall be 35 -1- LSB 1740SV (1) 86 md/sc 1/ 3

S.F. 245 included in the weighted enrollment of the school district of 1 residence for a period not exceeding six years beginning with 2 the budget year for which the student was first determined to 3 be limited English proficient. 4 (3) For students first determined to be limited English 5 proficient for a budget year beginning on or after July 1, 6 2016, the additional weighting provided under paragraph “a” 7 shall be included in the weighted enrollment of the school 8 district of residence for a period not exceeding seven years 9 beginning with the budget year for which the student was first 10 determined to be limited English proficient. 11 Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE UPON ENACTMENT. This Act, being deemed of 12 immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment. 13 Sec. 4. APPLICABILITY. This Act applies to school budget 14 years beginning on or after July 1, 2015. 15 EXPLANATION 16 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 17 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 18 This bill relates to limited English proficient education 19 by modifying the supplementary weighting for limited English 20 proficient students. 21 Current Code section 280.4 provides supplementary weighting 22 for the excess costs of instruction of limited English 23 proficient students. The current amount of the supplementary 24 weighting for students identified as limited English proficient 25 is 0.22 per student. The weighting is provided for those 26 students first determined to be limited English proficient for 27 a budget year beginning on or after July 1, 2010, and may be 28 included in the weighted enrollment of the school district for 29 a period not exceeding five years. 30 The bill increases the amount of the supplementary weighting 31 for those students identified as limited English proficient to 32 0.30 per student. 33 The bill also specifies the number of years during which the 34 additional weighting may be included in the school district’s 35 -2- LSB 1740SV (1) 86 md/sc 2/ 3

S.F. 245 weighted enrollment. For students first determined to be 1 limited English proficient for a budget year beginning on or 2 after July 1, 2010, but before July 1, 2015, the additional 3 weighting may be included for a period not exceeding five 4 years. For students first determined to be limited English 5 proficient for the budget year beginning on July 1, 2015, the 6 additional weighting may be included for a period not exceeding 7 six years. For students first determined to be limited English 8 proficient for a budget year beginning on or after July 1, 9 2016, the additional weighting may be included for a period not 10 exceeding seven years. 11 The bill takes effect upon enactment and applies to school 12 budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2015. 13 -3- LSB 1740SV (1) 86 md/sc 3/ 3