Text: HSB00154                          Text: HSB00156
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House Study Bill 155

Bill Text

PAG LIN
  1  1    Section 1.  Section 256.9, Code 1999, is amended by adding
  1  2 the following new subsections:
  1  3    NEW SUBSECTION.  49.  Conduct an ongoing study, in
  1  4 consultation with the board of educational examiners, to
  1  5 enable the director to project future teacher and endorsement
  1  6 shortage areas.
  1  7    NEW SUBSECTION.  50.  Develop, in consultation with the
  1  8 area education agencies, a statewide assistance support
  1  9 network to provide school districts with assistance in
  1 10 identifying future teachers and encouraging and facilitating
  1 11 their successful admission to a practitioner preparation
  1 12 program.
  1 13    Sec. 2.  NEW SECTION.  256.17  PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND
  1 14 PLANNING TIME PILOT PROJECT.
  1 15    The general assembly finds that classroom management has
  1 16 increased in difficulty and complexity.  Where once
  1 17 heterogeneous groups of children populated Iowa's classrooms,
  1 18 today's students are from diverse racial, ethnic, and social
  1 19 backgrounds.  Behavioral disorders and special education needs
  1 20 have multiplied.  Teachers must be prepared to manage
  1 21 classrooms well, to communicate with and engage parents in
  1 22 their child's education, to assess students' developmental
  1 23 needs, and to organize and work in teams.  To meet these
  1 24 needs, a pilot project for professional development and
  1 25 planning time is established under the control of the
  1 26 department of education, subject to an appropriation of
  1 27 sufficient funds by the general assembly.
  1 28    The board of directors of a school district may request
  1 29 approval from the state board of education to establish a
  1 30 pilot project that extends the school year by twenty days to
  1 31 provide professional educators and administrators employed by
  1 32 the district more opportunities and time for professional
  1 33 development and planning.
  1 34    The request shall describe the anticipated additional costs
  1 35 to the school district and the benefits to be gained from
  2  1 extending the school calendar to a two-hundred-day minimum.
  2  2 Students in a pilot project school district shall not be
  2  3 required to attend school more than one hundred eighty days or
  2  4 the equivalent each school year.
  2  5    Participation in a pilot project shall not modify
  2  6 provisions of a master contract negotiated between a school
  2  7 district and a certified bargaining unit pursuant to chapter
  2  8 20 unless mutually agreed to by the parties.
  2  9    If moneys are appropriated by the general assembly for
  2 10 funding the costs of pilot projects under this section, the
  2 11 state board of education shall notify the department of
  2 12 revenue and finance of the amounts to be paid to each school
  2 13 district with an approved pilot project.
  2 14    Sec. 3.  NEW SECTION.  261.114  TEACHER SHORTAGE AREA
  2 15 FORGIVABLE LOAN PROGRAM.
  2 16    1.  Subject to an appropriation of sufficient funds by the
  2 17 general assembly, a teacher shortage area forgivable loan
  2 18 program is established to be administered by the college
  2 19 student aid commission.  An individual is eligible for the
  2 20 forgivable loan program if the individual is a resident of
  2 21 this state who is enrolled in an approved practitioner
  2 22 preparation program or an approved graduate practitioner
  2 23 preparation program in a designated area in which teacher
  2 24 shortages are anticipated, at an institution of higher
  2 25 learning under the control of the state board of regents or an
  2 26 accredited private institution as defined in section 261.9.
  2 27    2.  The director of the department of education shall
  2 28 annually designate the areas in which teacher shortages are
  2 29 anticipated.
  2 30    3.  Each applicant shall, in accordance with the rules of
  2 31 the commission, do the following:
  2 32    a.  Complete and file an application for a teacher shortage
  2 33 area forgivable loan.  The individual shall be responsible for
  2 34 the submission of the parents' confidential statement, if
  2 35 appropriate, for processing to both the commission and the
  3  1 institution in which the applicant is enrolling.
  3  2    b.  Report promptly to the commission any information
  3  3 requested.
  3  4    c.  File a new application and, if appropriate, a parents'
  3  5 confidential statement, annually on the basis of which the
  3  6 applicant's eligibility for the renewed forgivable loan will
  3  7 be evaluated and determined.
  3  8    4.  Forgivable loans to eligible students shall not become
  3  9 due until after the student graduates or leaves school.  The
  3 10 individual's total loan amount, including principal and
  3 11 interest, shall be reduced by twenty percent for each year in
  3 12 which the individual remains an Iowa resident and is employed
  3 13 by a school district or an accredited nonpublic school as a
  3 14 practitioner in the area for which the loan was approved.  If
  3 15 the commission determines that the person does not meet the
  3 16 criteria for forgiveness of the principal and interest
  3 17 payments, the commission shall establish a plan for repayment
  3 18 of the principal and interest over a ten-year period.  If a
  3 19 person required to make the repayment does not make the
  3 20 required payments, the commission shall provide for payment
  3 21 collection.  Rules adopted by the commission for the
  3 22 administration of this program shall provide for payment
  3 23 postponement for individuals experiencing temporary hardship.
  3 24    5.  The amount of a teacher shortage area forgivable loan
  3 25 shall not exceed three thousand dollars annually, or the
  3 26 amount of the student's established financial need, whichever
  3 27 is less.
  3 28    6.  The interest rate for the forgivable loan shall be
  3 29 equal to the interest rate collected by an eligible lender
  3 30 under the Iowa guaranteed student loan program for the year in
  3 31 which the forgivable loan is made.
  3 32    7.  A teacher shortage area forgivable loan repayment fund
  3 33 is created for deposit of payments made by forgivable loan
  3 34 recipients who do not fulfill the conditions of the forgivable
  3 35 loan program and any other moneys appropriated to or received
  4  1 by the commission for deposit in the fund.  Notwithstanding
  4  2 section 8.33, moneys deposited in the fund shall not revert to
  4  3 the general fund of the state at the end of any fiscal year
  4  4 but shall remain in the forgivable loan repayment fund and be
  4  5 continuously available to make additional loans under the
  4  6 program.  Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2,
  4  7 interest or earnings on moneys deposited in the fund shall be
  4  8 credited to the fund.
  4  9    8.  For purposes of this section, unless the context
  4 10 otherwise requires, "teacher" means the same as defined in
  4 11 section 272.1.
  4 12    Sec. 4.  Section 272.2, Code 1999, is amended by adding the
  4 13 following new subsections:
  4 14    NEW SUBSECTION.  17.  Adopt rules requiring candidates for
  4 15 initial Iowa licensure as secondary school teachers to
  4 16 successfully complete content area reading coursework.
  4 17    NEW SUBSECTION.  18.  Adopt rules for the alternative
  4 18 licensure of content area specialists in subject or service
  4 19 shortage areas.
  4 20    Sec. 5.  Section 272.3, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 1999,
  4 21 is amended to read as follows:
  4 22    The board of educational examiners consists of eleven
  4 23 thirteen members.  Two Four must be members of the general
  4 24 public and the remaining nine must be licensed practitioners.
  4 25 One of the public Public members shall also be include the
  4 26 director of the department of education, or the director's
  4 27 designee., The other public member shall be a person who does
  4 28 not hold a practitioner's license, but has a demonstrated
  4 29 interest in education, a person from a list of nominees
  4 30 submitted to the governor by the state board of regents, and a
  4 31 person from a list of nominees submitted to the governor by
  4 32 the Iowa association of independent colleges and universities.
  4 33 The nine practitioners shall be selected from the following
  4 34 areas and specialties of the teaching profession:
  4 35    Sec. 6.  Section 272.3, unnumbered paragraph 2, Code 1999,
  5  1 is amended to read as follows:
  5  2    A majority of the licensed practitioner members shall be
  5  3 nonadministrative practitioners.  Four of the members shall be
  5  4 administrators.  Membership of the board shall comply with the
  5  5 requirements of sections 69.16 and 69.16A.  A quorum of the
  5  6 board shall consist of six seven members.  The director of the
  5  7 department of education shall serve as the chairperson of the
  5  8 board.  Members, except for the director of the department of
  5  9 education, shall be appointed by the governor and the
  5 10 appointments are subject to confirmation by the senate.
  5 11    Sec. 7.  Section 272.4, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 1999,
  5 12 is amended to read as follows:
  5 13    Members, except for the director of the department of
  5 14 education, shall be appointed to serve staggered terms of four
  5 15 years.  A member shall not serve more than two consecutive
  5 16 terms, except for the director of the department of education,
  5 17 who shall serve until the director's term of office expires.
  5 18 A member of the board, except for the two four public members,
  5 19 shall hold a valid practitioner's license during the member's
  5 20 term of office.  A vacancy exists when any of the following
  5 21 occur:
  5 22    Sec. 8.  DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STUDY.  The director of
  5 23 the department of education shall appoint a task force to
  5 24 study the issues and feasibility of establishing a volunteer
  5 25 program to encourage retired teachers and administrators to
  5 26 return to education as mentors and aides in school districts.
  5 27 The chairperson of the task force shall be the director of the
  5 28 department of education, or the director's designee.  The task
  5 29 force shall report its findings and recommendations to the
  5 30 chairpersons and the ranking members of the senate and house
  5 31 standing committees on education by January 15, 2000.
  5 32    Sec. 9.  FINDINGS.  The general assembly finds that the
  5 33 state suffers severe teacher shortages in certain fields, and
  5 34 is concerned that within five years, the nation will face an
  5 35 overall shortage of teachers.  The general assembly therefore
  6  1 encourages school districts to ensure their future ability to
  6  2 hire qualified professional practitioners by establishing
  6  3 future teacher associations and by supporting teachers and
  6  4 secondary school students who participate in these
  6  5 associations.
  6  6    Sec. 10.  STUDY REQUEST.  The general assembly hereby
  6  7 requests the Iowa association of colleges of teacher education
  6  8 to study and report its findings to the standing senate
  6  9 committee on education and house committee on education by
  6 10 January 15, 2000, on the following:  field experiences,
  6 11 including the current number of hours required by each of the
  6 12 approved practitioner programs within the state, whether the
  6 13 institutions expect to increase or decrease the required
  6 14 hours, and the characteristics of the experiences provided;
  6 15 the method of collaboration between approved practitioner
  6 16 preparation programs and local school districts, and between
  6 17 approved practitioner preparation programs and other content
  6 18 area-related colleges within their institutions; and faculty
  6 19 interaction, including the current number of contact hours
  6 20 with school districts and beginning teachers that each of the
  6 21 approved practitioner programs within the state requires of
  6 22 its faculty members, whether the institutions expect to
  6 23 increase or decrease the required hours, and the
  6 24 characteristics of the professional contact.  
  6 25                           EXPLANATION
  6 26    This bill is largely based upon the recommendations of the
  6 27 teacher preparation study committee, which met during the 1998
  6 28 legislative interim.
  6 29    The bill includes the following:
  6 30    Code section 256.9, subsections 49 and 50:  Increases the
  6 31 duties of the director of education by requiring the director
  6 32 to conduct an ongoing study, in consultation with the board of
  6 33 educational examiners, to enable the director to project
  6 34 future practitioner shortage areas; and to develop, in
  6 35 consultation with the area education agencies, a statewide
  7  1 assistance support network to provide school districts with
  7  2 assistance in identifying, encouraging, and facilitating
  7  3 future teachers.
  7  4    Code section 256.17:  Establishes a professional
  7  5 development and planning time pilot project under the control
  7  6 of the department of education, subject to an appropriation of
  7  7 sufficient funds by the general assembly.
  7  8    Under this provision, the board of directors of a school
  7  9 district may request approval from the state board of
  7 10 education for a pilot project that extends the school year by
  7 11 20 days to provide professional educators and administrators
  7 12 employed by the district more opportunities and time for
  7 13 professional development and planning.  The application must
  7 14 describe the anticipated additional costs to the school
  7 15 district and the benefits to be gained from extending the
  7 16 school calendar to a 200-day minimum.  Students would not be
  7 17 required to attend school more than 180 days or the equivalent
  7 18 each school year.  Participation does not modify provisions of
  7 19 a master contract negotiated between a school district and a
  7 20 certified bargaining unit unless mutually agreed to by the
  7 21 parties.
  7 22    Code section 261.114:  Establishes, subject to an
  7 23 appropriation of sufficient funds by the general assembly, a
  7 24 teacher shortage area forgivable loan program to be
  7 25 administered by the college student aid commission.  The
  7 26 program will be available to Iowa residents who are enrolled
  7 27 in approved practitioner preparation programs in a designated
  7 28 area in which teacher shortages are anticipated, at a regents
  7 29 university or an accredited private institution.
  7 30    The bill requires the director of the department of
  7 31 education to annually designate the areas in which teacher
  7 32 shortages are anticipated.
  7 33    Forgivable loans to eligible students shall not become due
  7 34 until after the student graduates or leaves school.  The
  7 35 individual's total loan amount, including principal and
  8  1 interest, shall be reduced by 20 percent for each year in
  8  2 which the individual remains an Iowa resident and is employed
  8  3 by a school district or an accredited nonpublic school as a
  8  4 teacher in the area for which the loan was approved.  If the
  8  5 commission determines that the person does not meet the
  8  6 criteria for forgiveness of the principal and interest
  8  7 payments, the commission shall establish a plan for repayment
  8  8 of the principal and interest over a 10-year period.  If a
  8  9 person required to make the repayment does not make the
  8 10 required payments, the commission shall provide for payment
  8 11 collection.
  8 12    The amount of a teacher shortage area forgivable loan shall
  8 13 not exceed $3,000 annually, or the amount of the student's
  8 14 established financial need, whichever is less.  The interest
  8 15 rate for the forgivable loan shall be equal to the interest
  8 16 rate collected by an eligible lender under the Iowa guaranteed
  8 17 student loan program for the year in which the forgivable loan
  8 18 is made.
  8 19    A teacher shortage area forgivable loan repayment fund is
  8 20 created for deposit of payments made by forgivable loan
  8 21 recipients who do not fulfill the conditions of the forgivable
  8 22 loan program.  Moneys deposited in the forgivable loan
  8 23 repayment fund shall not revert to the general fund of the
  8 24 state at the end of any fiscal year.
  8 25    Code section 272.2:  Directs the board of educational
  8 26 examiners to adopt rules requiring candidates for initial Iowa
  8 27 licensure as secondary school teachers to successfully
  8 28 complete content area reading coursework, and to adopt rules
  8 29 for the alternative licensure of content area specialists in
  8 30 subject or service shortage areas.
  8 31    Code sections 272.3, unnumbered paragraphs 1 and 2, and
  8 32 272.4, unnumbered paragraph 1:  Increases from 11 to 13 the
  8 33 membership of the board of educational examiners.  One new
  8 34 member will be a person from a list of nominees submitted to
  8 35 the governor by the state board of regents, and the other will
  9  1 be a person from a list of nominees submitted to the governor
  9  2 by the Iowa association of independent colleges and
  9  3 universities.
  9  4    The bill also includes session law requiring or requesting,
  9  5 as appropriate, the following:
  9  6    DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TASK FORCE.  The director of the
  9  7 department of education to appoint a task force to study the
  9  8 issues and feasibility of establishing a volunteer program to
  9  9 encourage retired teachers and administrators to return to
  9 10 education as mentors and aides in school districts.  The task
  9 11 force is to report its findings and recommendations to the
  9 12 chairpersons and the ranking members of the senate and house
  9 13 standing committees on education by January 15, 2000.
  9 14    FINDINGS.  The bill includes the findings of the general
  9 15 assembly and its concerns relating to current severe teacher
  9 16 shortages in certain fields and a future overall shortage of
  9 17 teachers.  The general assembly encourages school districts to
  9 18 ensure their future ability to hire qualified professional
  9 19 practitioners by establishing future teacher associations and
  9 20 by supporting teachers and secondary school students who
  9 21 participate in these associations.
  9 22    STUDY REQUEST.  The Iowa association of colleges of teacher
  9 23 education is requested to study and report its findings to the
  9 24 standing senate committee on education and house committee on
  9 25 education by January 15, 2000, on the following:  field
  9 26 experiences; the method of collaboration between approved
  9 27 practitioner preparation programs and local school districts,
  9 28 and between approved practitioner preparation programs and
  9 29 other content area-related colleges within their institutions;
  9 30 and faculty interaction.  
  9 31 LSB 2091YC 78
  9 32 kh/sc/14
     

Text: HSB00154                          Text: HSB00156
Text: HSB00100 - HSB00199               Text: HSB Index
Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index

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