H.F. 8 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 284.18 Teacher quality 1 demonstration pilot projects. 2 1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context 3 otherwise requires: 4 a. “Applicant” means the school superintendent of the school 5 district in which a cluster is located. 6 b. “Cluster” means a set of attendance centers consisting 7 of not less than one high school, not more than four middle 8 schools, and not more than seven elementary schools in a given 9 school district. 10 c. “Teacher” means a member of the instructional staff 11 who may or may not be licensed under chapter 272 and who is 12 employed by the school district to provide instruction in the 13 cluster on a part-time or full-time basis. 14 2. Department responsibilities. The department shall do all 15 of the following: 16 a. Make information available on its internet site regarding 17 teacher quality demonstration pilot project requirements and 18 the pilot project application and review process. 19 b. Approve applications for the creation of not less 20 than five, nor more than twelve, pilot projects submitted 21 by clusters that develop systems for attracting, retaining, 22 rewarding, and motivating teachers in accordance with this 23 section. 24 c. Review each pilot project annually based on the data 25 submitted in the school district’s comprehensive school 26 improvement plan. The department may withdraw approval of a 27 teacher quality demonstration pilot project for failure of a 28 cluster to meet the pilot project requirements of subsection 29 3. If the department withdraws its approval, waivers and 30 exceptions granted to a school district or cluster for purposes 31 of this section under subsection 5; section 256.9, subsection 32 39; or section 256.11, subsection 8, are revoked. 33 3. Pilot project requirements. Each cluster as part of a 34 teacher quality demonstration project shall meet the following 35 -1- LSB 1486YH (4) 87 kh/rj 1/ 7

H.F. 8 requirements: 1 a. Establish multiple career paths for teachers. 2 b. Place all teachers in expanded roles, which may include 3 but are not limited to leadership, program director, master 4 teacher, and mentor, and any other position approved by the 5 director. In expanding the roles, the director shall take into 6 consideration the interests, abilities, and accomplishments of 7 teachers within the cluster. 8 c. Provide for market-based compensation of teachers 9 under which teacher compensation levels are based on the 10 accomplishments and performance of teachers, student academic 11 achievement, and evaluation from peers, senior teachers, and 12 attendance center principals. 13 d. Offer performance-based accountability as follows: 14 (1) Eliminate teacher tenure and establish three-year 15 teaching contracts. 16 (2) Establish a system for teacher hiring and advancement 17 that is based on evaluation of a teacher’s performance by peers 18 who are employed by the school district and by peers who are 19 not employed by the school district. 20 e. Include ongoing professional development activities that 21 meet all of the following requirements: 22 (1) Are directly related to the curriculum and content areas 23 in which the teacher provides instruction. 24 (2) Are tied to challenging state or local content and 25 student performance standards. 26 (3) Are related to the instruction in methods of 27 disciplining children at the grade level taught by the teacher. 28 (4) Are proven effective instructional strategies and 29 methods for improving student achievement. 30 f. Establish a formal teacher mentoring system in which 31 beginning teachers and teachers in need of intensive assistance 32 are mentored by master teachers. 33 g. Establish, notwithstanding section 256.7, subsection 34 3, and chapter 272, an alternative preparation program to 35 -2- LSB 1486YH (4) 87 kh/rj 2/ 7

H.F. 8 train and hire an individual who possesses, at a minimum, a 1 baccalaureate degree in the field in which the individual 2 will be employed to provide instruction as a teacher at 3 an attendance center in the cluster. The individual must 4 demonstrate expertise in the field in which they will provide 5 instruction. 6 h. Make available to an individual who is employed under 7 paragraph “g” opportunities to meet the requirements for a 8 teaching license under chapter 272 or to become certified by 9 the national board for professional teaching standards. 10 4. Pilot project application requirements. An application 11 to implement a teacher quality demonstration pilot project 12 under this section may only be submitted by the superintendent 13 of the school district in the time and manner determined by 14 the department. Each application shall include all of the 15 following information: 16 a. A description of how the pilot project will assist the 17 school district in achieving the student achievement goals in 18 the school district’s comprehensive school improvement plan. 19 b. Identification and description of the attendance centers 20 that will comprise the cluster. 21 c. A description of the pilot project and how the cluster 22 will comply with the requirements of subsection 3. 23 d. An assurance that the school district will increase the 24 salaries of teachers who are employed at the attendance centers 25 that comprise the cluster, with descriptions of when and how 26 teachers will be compensated at the various role levels and the 27 impact a teacher’s performance evaluation may reasonably be 28 expected to have on the teacher’s salary. 29 e. A detailed description of the cost of the pilot project, 30 including but not limited to how the school district will 31 reallocate or raise funds to cover the costs associated with 32 implementation of the pilot project. 33 f. A description of the statutes and rules requirements 34 and provisions that the department is requested to waive under 35 -3- LSB 1486YH (4) 87 kh/rj 3/ 7

H.F. 8 subsection 5; section 256.9, subsection 39; and section 256.11, 1 subsection 8. 2 5. Inapplicability of statutes —— agreement provisions void. 3 a. The probation, evaluation, employment, and due process 4 requirements and provisions of sections 279.12, 279.13, 279.14, 5 279.15, 279.16, 279.17, 279.18, 279.19, 279.19A, 279.19B, 6 279.21, 279.27, and 279.43 shall not apply to teachers and 7 administrators employed by a school district to practice in a 8 cluster as part of a teacher quality demonstration project. 9 b. The provisions of a collective bargaining agreement 10 entered into by a school district and the licensed employees 11 of the school district that is approved to establish a teacher 12 quality demonstration pilot project under this section, 13 which are inconsistent with the compensation, evaluation, and 14 performance-based accountability requirements of a teacher 15 quality demonstration pilot project approved by the department 16 pursuant to this section, are deemed void and unenforceable for 17 the duration of the pilot project. 18 6. Evaluation requirements —— report. The department and 19 each school district operating a teacher quality demonstration 20 pilot project approved under this section shall regularly 21 evaluate and document the activities and approaches utilized 22 and outcomes achieved under a pilot project. The department 23 shall compile and summarize the results of the school 24 districts’ evaluations in an annual report which shall include 25 the department’s findings and recommendations and shall be 26 submitted to the state board and to the general assembly. 27 Sec. 2. APPLICABILITY. This Act applies to collective 28 bargaining agreements entered into or renewed by a school 29 district and the licensed employees of the school district on 30 or after the effective date of this Act. 31 EXPLANATION 32 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 33 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 34 This bill relates to the establishment of teacher quality 35 -4- LSB 1486YH (4) 87 kh/rj 4/ 7

H.F. 8 demonstration pilot projects for a three-year renewable period 1 by clusters of attendance centers within a school district if 2 approved by the department of education. 3 GENERAL PROVISIONS. Only the school district’s 4 superintendent may apply to the department for approval to 5 operate a teacher quality demonstration pilot project. Each 6 pilot project is comprised of a cluster within the school 7 district. Each cluster must include not less than one high 8 school, not more than four middle schools, and not more than 9 seven elementary schools in a given school district. 10 The bill defines “teacher” to mean a member of the 11 instructional staff who may or may not be licensed under Code 12 chapter 272 and who is employed by the school district to 13 provide instruction in the cluster on a part-time or full-time 14 basis. 15 The department must make information regarding teacher 16 quality demonstration pilot project requirements and the 17 pilot project application and review process available on its 18 internet site; must approve applications for the creation 19 of between 5 and 12 pilot projects; and must review each 20 pilot project annually based on the data submitted in the 21 school district’s comprehensive school improvement plan. 22 The department may withdraw approval of a pilot project for 23 failure to meet pilot project requirements. If the department 24 withdraws its approval, waivers and exceptions granted for 25 purposes of the pilot project are revoked. 26 PILOT PROJECT REQUIREMENTS. The bill lists the requirements 27 each pilot project must meet, including but not limited 28 to multiple career paths for teachers; expanded roles 29 for teachers; market-based compensation for teachers; 30 performance-based accountability of teachers that includes 31 elimination of teacher tenure and establishment of three-year 32 teaching contracts; a system for teacher hiring and advancement 33 based on peer evaluation; ongoing professional development 34 activities; and a formal teacher mentoring system. 35 -5- LSB 1486YH (4) 87 kh/rj 5/ 7

H.F. 8 The pilot project must also establish an alternative 1 preparation program to train and hire an individual who 2 possesses, at a minimum, a baccalaureate degree in the field in 3 which the individual will be employed to provide instruction 4 as a teacher at an attendance center in the cluster. The bill 5 nullifies the practitioner preparation program provisions of 6 Code section 256.7, subsection 3, and the provisions of Code 7 chapter 272, for purposes of this pilot project requirement. 8 Such individuals must also be provided with opportunities 9 to meet the requirements for a teaching license under Code 10 chapter 272 or to become certified by the national board for 11 professional teaching standards. 12 PILOT PROJECT APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS. The bill requires 13 that a pilot project application include a description of how 14 the pilot project will assist the school district in achieving 15 the district’s student achievement goals; identification and 16 description of the attendance centers that will comprise the 17 cluster; a description of the pilot project and how the cluster 18 will comply with the pilot project requirements; an assurance 19 that the school district will increase teacher salaries; 20 a detailed description of pilot project costs and how the 21 district will reallocate or raise funds to cover the costs; 22 and a description of the statutes and rules requirements and 23 provisions that the department is requested to waive. 24 INAPPLICABILITY OF STATUTES —— AGREEMENT PROVISIONS VOID. 25 The bill provides that the probation, evaluation, employment, 26 and due process requirements and provisions of Code chapter 279 27 do not apply to teachers and administrators in a pilot project, 28 and any collective bargaining provision that is inconsistent 29 with any compensation, evaluation, and performance-based 30 accountability requirement of a teacher quality demonstration 31 pilot project is deemed void and unenforceable. 32 EVALUATION REQUIREMENTS —— REPORT. The department and 33 each school district operating an approved pilot project must 34 regularly evaluate and document the activities and approaches 35 -6- LSB 1486YH (4) 87 kh/rj 6/ 7

H.F. 8 utilized and outcomes achieved under a pilot project. The 1 department shall compile and summarize the results of the 2 evaluations in an annual report which shall include the 3 department’s findings and recommendations and shall be 4 submitted to the state board of education and to the general 5 assembly. 6 The bill applies to collective bargaining agreements entered 7 into or renewed by a school district and the licensed employees 8 of the school district on or after the effective date of the 9 bill. 10 -7- LSB 1486YH (4) 87 kh/rj 7/ 7