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PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. NEW SECTION. 256D.1 LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS AND
1 2 INTENT.
1 3 The general assembly finds that early childhood education
1 4 programs provide benefits in the areas of economic
1 5 development, education, workforce preparation, health costs,
1 6 welfare costs, and juvenile justice. The general assembly
1 7 further finds that it is in the best interest of the state to
1 8 encourage and equitably fund early childhood education
1 9 programs in the public school districts. The goal of these
1 10 programs shall be, at a minimum, to produce children who by
1 11 the age of three and forever after are self-confident and
1 12 trusting, intellectually inquisitive, able to use language to
1 13 communicate, physically and mentally healthy, able to relate
1 14 well to others, and empathetic to others. Toward that goal,
1 15 it is the intent of this chapter to establish and fund an
1 16 early childhood education imperatives program.
1 17 Sec. 2. NEW SECTION. 256D.2 EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
1 18 IMPERATIVES PROGRAM APPROPRIATION.
1 19 1. There is appropriated from the general fund of the
1 20 state to the department of education for the fiscal year
1 21 beginning July 1, 1998, and for each succeeding fiscal year,
1 22 the sum of fifteen million dollars for the early childhood
1 23 education imperatives program.
1 24 2. For each fiscal year for which moneys are appropriated
1 25 in subsection 1, the amount of moneys allocated to school
1 26 districts shall be in the proportion that the basic enrollment
1 27 of a district bears to the sum of the basic enrollments of all
1 28 school districts in the state for the budget year. However,
1 29 except as provided in subsection 7, a district shall not
1 30 receive less than seven thousand five hundred dollars in a
1 31 fiscal year. The Iowa braille and sight saving school, the
1 32 state school for the deaf, and the Price laboratory school at
1 33 the university of northern Iowa shall annually certify their
1 34 basic enrollments to the department of education by October 1.
1 35 The department of human services shall certify the average
2 1 student yearly enrollments of the institutions under the
2 2 control of the department of human services enumerated in
2 3 section 218.1, subsections 1 through 3, 5, 7, and 8, to the
2 4 department of education by October 1.
2 5 3. For each year for which an appropriation is made to the
2 6 early childhood education imperatives program, the department
2 7 of education shall notify the department of revenue and
2 8 finance of the amount to be paid to each school district based
2 9 upon the distribution plan set forth for the appropriation
2 10 made pursuant to this section. The allocation to each school
2 11 district under this section shall be made in one payment on or
2 12 about October 15 of the fiscal year for which the
2 13 appropriation is made, taking into consideration the relative
2 14 budget and cash position of the state resources. Prior to the
2 15 receipt of moneys, school districts shall provide to the
2 16 department of education adequate assurance that they have
2 17 developed or are developing an early childhood education plan
2 18 as required by section 256D.3 and that moneys received under
2 19 this section will be used in accordance with the required
2 20 early childhood education plan.
2 21 4. Moneys received under this section shall not be
2 22 commingled with state aid payments made under sections 257.16
2 23 to a school district and shall be accounted for by the school
2 24 district separately from state aid payments.
2 25 5. Payments made to school districts under this section
2 26 are miscellaneous income for purposes of chapter 257 or are
2 27 considered encumbered. Each school district shall maintain a
2 28 separate listing within their budgets for payments received
2 29 and expenditures made pursuant to this section.
2 30 6. Moneys received under this section shall not be used
2 31 for payment of any collective bargaining agreement or
2 32 arbitrator's decision negotiated or awarded under chapter 20.
2 33 7. For purposes of this chapter, "school district" means a
2 34 school district, the Iowa braille and sight saving school, the
2 35 state school for the deaf, the Price laboratory school at the
3 1 university of northern Iowa, and the institutions under the
3 2 control of the department of human services enumerated in
3 3 section 218.1, subsections 1 through 3, 5, 7, and 8. However,
3 4 notwithstanding subsection 2, the amount of moneys allocated
3 5 to the institutions under the control of the department of
3 6 human services enumerated in section 218.1, subsections 1, 2,
3 7 3, and 5, shall be a total of not more than twenty-two
3 8 thousand five hundred dollars for each fiscal year, to be
3 9 distributed proportionately among the four institutions by the
3 10 department of education.
3 11 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 256D.3 EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
3 12 IMPERATIVES PROGRAM PLANNING.
3 13 1. Prior to receiving moneys under this chapter, the board
3 14 of directors of a school district shall adopt an initial early
3 15 childhood education plan that supports early childhood
3 16 education efforts and includes an evaluation component. The
3 17 plan shall be developed by licensed professional staff of the
3 18 district, including both teachers and administrators. The
3 19 plan shall, at a minimum, focus on preparing children to
3 20 attain or surpass student achievement goals identified
3 21 pursuant to sections 280.12 and 280.18. The initial plan
3 22 shall be amended or adopted anew at least once every five
3 23 years. The early childhood education plan shall be kept on
3 24 file in the district and a copy of the initial plan,
3 25 subsequent amendments to the plan, and copies of subsequent
3 26 plans adopted shall be sent to the appropriate area education
3 27 agency and the department of education. Progress as
3 28 determined by the school district, but including progress in
3 29 preparing children to attain or surpass student achievement
3 30 goals, shall be included as part of the annual report
3 31 submitted to the department of education in compliance with
3 32 sections 280.12 and 280.18.
3 33 2. Prior to receiving moneys under this chapter, the Iowa
3 34 braille and sight saving school, the state school for the
3 35 deaf, and the Price laboratory school at the university of
4 1 northern Iowa shall each develop an initial early childhood
4 2 education plan that prepares, or supports and improves,
4 3 student achievement and includes an evaluation component. The
4 4 initial plan shall be amended or adopted anew at least once
4 5 every five years, and a copy of the initial plan, subsequent
4 6 amendments to the plan, and copies of subsequent plans adopted
4 7 shall be sent to the state board of regents and the department
4 8 of education. An annual progress report, describing progress
4 9 in attaining student achievement goals, shall be submitted to
4 10 the state board of regents and the department of education.
4 11 3. The institutions under the control of the department of
4 12 human services enumerated in section 218.1, subsections 1
4 13 through 3, 5, 7, and 8, shall each develop an initial early
4 14 childhood education plan that prepares a child for, or
4 15 supports and improves, student achievement and includes an
4 16 evaluation component. Each institution shall send a copy of
4 17 the initial plan, subsequent amendments to the plan, and
4 18 copies of subsequent plans adopted to the departments of human
4 19 services and education. Each institution shall submit an
4 20 annual progress report, describing progress in attaining
4 21 student achievement goals, to the departments of human
4 22 services and education.
4 23 Sec. 4. NEW SECTION. 256D.4 EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
4 24 IMPERATIVES PROGRAM EXPENDITURES.
4 25 School districts, as defined in section 256D.2, subsection
4 26 7, shall expend funds received pursuant to section 256D.2 to
4 27 support developmentally appropriate early childhood practices
4 28 and programs that do all of the following: encourage children
4 29 to actively construct their own knowledge; engage children
4 30 with varied play and work activities and materials of interest
4 31 to the children; utilize a physical and interpersonal
4 32 environment supportive of learning goals; foster language
4 33 development, rudimentary learning, and problem-solving in a
4 34 social context with peers and adults; are inclusive of all
4 35 children within an age group that may range from age zero to
5 1 eight; involve interaction between teachers and individual
5 2 children, small and large teams, and groups of children; honor
5 3 the cultural diversity and backgrounds of the children;
5 4 include appropriate assessment; involve parents and others
5 5 from the community; collaborate with other agencies focused on
5 6 the health and well-being of children; highlight the
5 7 children's work; offer at least a daily opportunity for
5 8 outdoor play; extend individual and small group reading
5 9 opportunities throughout the day; include curriculum developed
5 10 to be adaptive to the many possible ways and paces with which
5 11 children learn; and cause children and parents to look forward
5 12 to participating in early childhood activities and programs.
5 13 EXPLANATION
5 14 This bill establishes an early childhood education
5 15 imperatives program and funds the program with an annual
5 16 appropriation of $15 million from the state general fund to
5 17 the department of education.
5 18 The general assembly finds, according to the bill, that
5 19 early childhood education programs benefit society and that it
5 20 is in the best interest of the state to encourage and
5 21 equitably fund early childhood education programs in public
5 22 school districts. The bill defines the goals of an eligible
5 23 early childhood education program and lists the components of
5 24 developmentally appropriate early childhood education
5 25 practices and programs that qualify for state funding.
5 26 The bill provides for a per pupil annual distribution of
5 27 the funds appropriated, but stipulates that a school district
5 28 shall receive no less than $7,500. The bill defines the term
5 29 "school district" to include the Iowa braille and sight saving
5 30 school, the state school for the deaf, the Price laboratory
5 31 school at the university of northern Iowa, Glenwood state
5 32 hospital-school, Woodward state hospital-school, the mental
5 33 health institutes located at Cherokee and Independence, the
5 34 state training school, and the Iowa juvenile home. However,
5 35 under the bill, the department of education is directed to
6 1 distribute a total of $22,500 among four of the institutions
6 2 under the control of the department of human services: the
6 3 Glenwood state hospital-school, Woodward state hospital-
6 4 school, and the mental health institutes located at Cherokee
6 5 and Independence.
6 6 The bill also requires school districts to develop and
6 7 adopt an initial early childhood education plan that prepares
6 8 a child for, or supports and improves, student achievement and
6 9 includes an evaluation component. The initial plan shall be
6 10 amended or replaced at least once every five years and a copy
6 11 of the initial plan, subsequent amendments to the plan, and
6 12 replacements of the initial plan shall be sent to the
6 13 appropriate state agencies. Progress made under the plan
6 14 toward preparing students to attain student achievement goals
6 15 shall be reported annually to the appropriate state agencies.
6 16 LSB 3245YC 77
6 17 kh/cf/24
Text: HSB00512 Text: HSB00514 Text: HSB00500 - HSB00599 Text: HSB Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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