Text: HSB00154 Text: HSB00156 Text: HSB00100 - HSB00199 Text: HSB Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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 ofeleven4 23 thirteen members.TwoFour must be members of the general 4 24 public and the remaining nine must be licensed practitioners. 4 25One of the publicPublic members shallalso beinclude the 4 26 director of the department of education, or the director's 4 27 designee.,The other public member shall bea 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 ofsixseven 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 thetwofour 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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