EDUCATION

SENATE FILE 172 - Public Charter Schools - Pilot Project
SENATE FILE 173 - Professional Education Associations - Payroll Deduction - VETOED BY THE GOVERNOR
SENATE FILE 201 - Education Practitioner Licensing Examination - Statistical Information
SENATE FILE 211 - School Finance - Allowable Growth
SENATE FILE 386 - School Health Insurance - Study
SENATE FILE 445 - Local Sales and Services Taxes - School Infrastructure Funding or Property Tax Relief
HOUSE FILE 175 - School Finance - Use of Physical Plant and Equipment Levy Moneys
HOUSE FILE 180 - Elementary and Secondary Education - Character Education and Service Learning
HOUSE FILE 341 - Community College Personnel
HOUSE FILE 549 - Education - Administration, Regulation, and Other Related Matters
HOUSE FILE 577 - Whole-Grade Sharing Agreements Between Public School Districts - Deadlines - Exceptions

RELATED LEGISLATION

SENATE FILE 155 - Substantive Code Corrections

SEE STATE GOVERNMENT. This Act contains statutory corrections that include changes relating to employee training and retraining programs, increases in the number of directors on a school board, and student achievement improvement cash awards to school districts.

SENATE FILE 272 - County, City, and School Contracts - Prohibited Interest Exceptions

SEE LOCAL GOVERNMENT. This Act relates to conflicts of interest involving public contracts by persons who hold certain public offices or employment, such as members of school boards, and city and county officers and employees.

SENATE FILE 352 - Certified Law Enforcement Officer Training - Applicants

SEE LOCAL GOVERNMENT. This Act relates to the training of an individual who intends to become certified as a law enforcement officer through a short course of study program.

SENATE FILE 433 - Appropriations - Economic Development

SEE APPROPRIATIONS. This Act makes appropriations and transfers from the General Fund of the State to the University of Iowa, the University of Northern Iowa, and Iowa State University and reduces the standing limited appropriation for the School-to-Career Program employer refunds.

SENATE FILE 439 - Appropriations - Justice System

SEE APPROPRIATIONS. This Act includes an extension of the lease of the Fire Service Institute at Iowa State University to the Department of Public Safety until July 1, 2010.

SENATE FILE 453 - State and Local Government Financial and Regulatory Matters - Miscellaneous Provisions

SEE APPROPRIATIONS. This Act addresses state and local government financial and regulatory matters. Legislators referred to this legislation as the "Government Reinvention Bill" during debate and discussion. The Act includes provisions reducing area education agency funding and revising funding provisions for educational programs for children placed at state institutions.

SENATE FILE 458 - Miscellaneous Appropriations, Reductions, Revenue Adjustments, and Other Matters

SEE APPROPRIATIONS. Division IV of this Act extends through FY 2003-2004 the $30 million appropriation for Early Intervention Block Grants, reduces the maximum amount of tax credits under the Accelerated Career Education Program, and provides a standing appropriation for the Iowa Mathematics and Science Coalition. Division V relates to compensation and benefits paid to state employees and specifies that the amount appropriated to the State Board of Regents is allocated only to fund increases at the State School for the Deaf and the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School. Division VII specifies that under the school aid formula a minimum of 10 additional pupils are to be awarded as additional weighting to a school district if it has established a regional academy that provides both advanced-level courses and vocational-technical courses, requires that Iowa's accredited postsecondary institutions offer options to a student called to active state or federal duty, including a withdrawal from registration with full refund, course grades be given or incomplete grades be given for all courses, or course grades be given or incomplete grades be given for only some courses; makes changes in the allocation of Phase III moneys under the Educational Excellence Program; and repeals programs at Iowa State University relating to hazardous waste technical research and to the laboratory for the manufacture and distribution of certain drugs and vaccines.

HOUSE FILE 472 - Federal Block Grant Appropriations

SEE APPROPRIATIONS. This Act appropriates federal block grant and other nonstate moneys to state agencies for the federal fiscal year beginning October 1, 2003, and ending September 30, 2004, including funding made available to the state for a number of education programs.

HOUSE FILE 648 - State Archives and Records

SEE STATE GOVERNMENT. This Act creates new Code Chapter 304B, the State Archives and Records Act. The Act modifies and reorganizes multiple levels of duties and responsibilities of the State Records Commission, Department of Cultural Affairs, and state agency heads in the creation, organization, maintenance, use, and final disposition of government records by destruction or permanent preservation.

HOUSE FILE 662 - Appropriations - Education

SEE APPROPRIATIONS. This Act appropriates moneys for FY 2003-2004 from the General Fund of the State to the College Student Aid Commission, the Department for the Blind, the Department of Cultural Affairs, the Department of Education, and the State Board of Regents and its institutions; and provides for related statutory matters.

HOUSE FILE 667 - Appropriations - Health and Human Services

SEE APPROPRIATIONS. This Act makes appropriations for purposes of health and human services to the Department of Elder Affairs, Iowa Department of Public Health, Department of Inspections and Appeals, Department of Human Services, and Commission of Veterans Affairs. Division III of the Act provides that the school attendance requirements for children participating in FIP (known as the "Learnfare" initiative) are suspended for FY 2003-2004.

HOUSE FILE 683 - Miscellaneous Appropriations and Revisions, Sales and Use Tax Revisions, Criminal Code Revisions, and Other Changes

SEE APPROPRIATIONS. This Act appropriates moneys for financial assistance for institutions of higher learning under the control of the State Board of Regents and for accredited private institutions for certain types of economic development facilities, appropriates moneys to each university under the control of the State Board of Regents under the University-Based Research Utilization Program, and appropriates moneys to the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education Fund. In addition, the requirements for distribution of local option sales tax funding for schools are revised.

HOUSE FILE 692 - Taxation, Economic Growth and Development, and Other Changes - Liability Reform, Workers' and Unemployment Compensation, and Financing Charges

SEE TAXATION. Divisions IX and XIII of this Act relate to commercialization of research issues and create a University-Based Research Utilization Program.

EDUCATION

SENATE FILE 172 - Public Charter Schools - Pilot Project (full text of bill)
BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act strikes from S.F. 348 (2002 Iowa Acts, Chapter 1124) language that provided for the conditional effectiveness of the Act, which caused the U.S. Department of Education to disapprove Iowa's application for a federal grant for the planning, program design, and initial implementation of public charter schools.

The charter school provisions become applicable on the date on which the department initiates implementation of the charter school pilot program. The Act directs the State Board of Education to apply for the federal grant and requires the Iowa Department of Education to initiate and implement the program.

The Act takes effect April 28, 2003.

SENATE FILE 173 - Professional Education Associations - Payroll Deduction - VETOED BY THE GOVERNOR (full text of bill)
BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This bill would have authorized school districts, upon the written request of a teacher or administrator, to pay through payroll deduction the teacher's or administrator's dues or membership fees in any not-for-profit, professional education association. Under the bill, if a request were granted, all other requests for the same association must also be granted. The Act defined "professional education association" as an association in which the majority of members are licensed practitioners.

SENATE FILE 201 - Education Practitioner Licensing Examination - Statistical Information (full text of bill)
BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act extends the date, from December 1, 2003, to January 15, 2004, by which the Board of Educational Examiners is required to submit a report to members of the General Assembly and the State Board of Education regarding the results of Praxis II examinations administered by the Board of Educational Examiners to individuals applying for an initial, provisional teaching license. The Praxis II examination measures an individual's knowledge of pedagogies and content area. The Act provides for the repeal of the Code subsection requiring the report effective June 30, 2004.

SENATE FILE 211 - School Finance - Allowable Growth (full text of bill)
BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act sets the state percent of growth under the State School Foundation Program at 2 percent for the school budget year beginning July 1, 2004, and is applicable for computing state aid for the school budget year beginning July 1, 2004.

SENATE FILE 386 - School Health Insurance - Study (full text of bill)
BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act requires the Insurance Division of the Department of Commerce to conduct a study to review health insurance coverage for school districts and their employees, including availability, ratings practices, continuity of coverage, and the fairness and efficiency of the marketplace as it relates to such health insurance; compare health insurance coverage that is offered to school district employees, to other public employees, and to employees in the private sector; and examine the feasibility of establishing a premium rating system, basic or standard health benefit plans, uniform coverage plans, restrictions on premium rates and rate increases, and a health reinsurance program for school districts and their employees.

The Commissioner of Insurance is directed to select members of the School Health Insurance Reform Team including the following: representatives of small, medium and large school districts, the Iowa Association of School Boards, a collective bargaining organization that represents school district employees, a health insurance carrier, a health care provider, an area education agency, and others who have expertise that would assist the team.

The Act directs the commissioner to submit a report to the General Assembly on or before January 15, 2004, regarding the team's findings and recommendations.

SENATE FILE 445 - Local Sales and Services Taxes - School Infrastructure Funding or Property Tax Relief (full text of bill)
BY COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS. This Act amends the current local option sales and services tax for school infrastructure purposes, Code Chapter 422E, by establishing a shared financing program. Specifically, the Act provides that counties that impose the local option sales and services tax on or after April 1, 2003, will have their tax collections placed in a "Secure an Advanced Vision for Education" Fund created in the Act. Each school district within such counties will receive from this fund the amount per pupil collected in its county not to exceed the school district's guaranteed per pupil amount. If the amount of the per pupil amount collected is less than the guaranteed per pupil amount, the school district would receive a supplemental amount per pupil equal to the difference. School districts located in counties that have imposed the tax prior to April 1, 2003, would also have their tax collections deposited into the fund but would receive all of the tax collected in the county without limitation by the guaranteed per pupil amount. However, a school district that receives less than its guaranteed per pupil amount would also receive a supplemental amount per pupil equal to the difference. A school district's guaranteed per pupil amount equals the amount per pupil that a statewide one cent local option sales and services tax would raise, if the school district has imposed the full one cent tax for the entire fiscal year. If the tax is imposed for less than one cent or for less than the entire fiscal year, a proportional amount would be the guaranteed per pupil amount. However, Division III of H.F. 683 (see Appropriations) amends new Code provisions created by S.F. 445 to provide for distribution from the fund, and Division XII of H.F. 683 appropriates moneys to the fund from the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund and the General Fund of the State.

The Act provides for the school districts to file a revenue purpose statement that would indicate how much may be used for infrastructure purposes and how much may be used for property tax relief. This statement must be approved by the electorate and can be part of the ballot proposition on the question of the imposition of the tax. If such a statement is not voted on or if any moneys remain after using revenue for the purposes indicated on the statement, the moneys received or in excess are to be used to reduce property tax levies. These levies and the order to be reduced are: bond levies, physical plant and equipment levy, public educational and recreational levy, and schoolhouse levy.

The Act prohibits school districts of 250 pupils or less, or with less than 100 pupils in high school, from using any moneys received that are in excess of their guaranteed per pupil amount for new construction without receiving a certificate of need for such new construction from the Department of Education.

The Act provides for the repeal of all local option taxes for school infrastructure purposes on December 31, 2022.

The Act takes effect May 30, 2003.

HOUSE FILE 175 - School Finance - Use of Physical Plant and Equipment Levy Moneys (full text of bill)
BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act is concerned with the permissible uses for physical plant and equipment levy revenue and the elimination of conflicting or duplicative language. The Act eliminates an apparent conflict created by legislation enacted in 2002 Iowa Acts, Chapter 1118, by placing provisions relating to the acquisition of buildings, or equipment or technology, into two separate subsections of Code Section 298.3, and by removing the reference to equipment exceeding $5,000 per single unit. The Act takes effect April 9, 2003.

HOUSE FILE 180 - Elementary and Secondary Education - Character Education and Service Learning (full text of bill)
BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act requires school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to consider recommendations from their school improvement advisory committees to infuse character education into the educational program, and permits public and nonpublic schools to require a certain number of service learning units as a condition of high school graduation or for inclusion as a service learning endorsement on a student's diploma.

The Act defines "service learning" as a method of teaching and learning that engages students in solving problems and addressing issues in their school or community as part of the academic curriculum.

HOUSE FILE 341 - Community College Personnel (full text of bill)
BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act provides that Code provisions regulating elementary and secondary education teaching and administrator contracts, teacher probationary periods, evaluation criteria and procedures, and procedures for the discharge of teachers and administrators also cover community college instructors, other than adjunct instructors; librarians, including learning resource specialists and media specialists; counselors; and instructional administrators.

HOUSE FILE 549 - Education - Administration, Regulation, and Other Related Matters (full text of bill)
BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act relates to the duties and operations of the Department of Education, school districts, area education agencies (AEAs), and the State Board of Regents, as follows:

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERSHIP. Code provisions requiring that state boards and commissions be gender balanced and bipartisan are made ineffective by the Act for purposes of the appointment of the nonvoting student member to the state board.

"MODEL" STANDARDS AND CRITERIA. The Act removes references to "model" core knowledge and skill criteria that S.F. 476, enacted in 2001, required the Director of the Department of Education to develop and the State Board of Education to adopt. Schools participating in the program must use the criteria the state board has since adopted in developing a beginning teacher mentoring and induction plan, determining teacher evaluation plans, and, by July 1, 2005, for purposes of conducting performance reviews for teachers other than beginning teachers. A district may develop standards and criteria in addition to the statewide standards and criteria.

DEPARTMENT SYSTEMS AND SCHOOL DISTRICT REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. The Act requires the Director of the Department of Education to create a comprehensive management information system and permits the director to establish a uniform coding and reporting system, including a statewide uniform student identification system.

PHASE III ELIMINATION. The Act eliminates Phase III of the Educational Excellence Program and makes a number of conforming changes. The purpose of Phase III is to enhance the quality and effectiveness of teachers through the utilization of performance pay. Senate File 458 (see Appropriations) reduces the standing, limited appropriation for the Educational Excellence Program from $80 million to $56 million.

EARLY INTERVENTION BLOCK GRANT SUNSET EXTENSION. The Act extends until July 1, 2004, the repeal of the chapter establishing the Early Intervention Block Grant Program. Senate File 458 (see Appropriations) extends the standing, limited appropriation of $30 million for the program for FY 2003-2004. This provision takes effect May 30, 2003.

TAX FOR REORGANIZED AND DISSOLVED DISTRICTS. The Act provides for changes relating to school reorganization incentives for specified school districts by allowing a school district with a certified enrollment of 600 pupils or greater to qualify for a reduced foundation property tax rate if the district meets the requirements of Code section 257.3, subsection 2. Currently, this subsection enables a school district with a certified enrollment of fewer than 600 pupils to qualify for a foundation property tax rate of $4.40 per $1,000 of assessed value on all taxable property which, in the year preceding a reorganization, was within a school district affected by a reorganization or dissolution taking effect on or after July 1, 2002, and on or before July 1, 2006. The subsection also provides that the reduced rate shall be increased in subsequent years on a graduated basis of $4.90 per $1,000 of assessed valuation the first succeeding year, $5.15 per $1,000 of assessed valuation the second succeeding year, and $5.40 per $1,000 of assessed valuation the third succeeding year and each year thereafter.

The Act makes the reduced rates available to a school district with a certified enrollment of 600 pupils or greater if that district enters into a reorganization or dissolution with a school district with a certified enrollment of fewer than 600 pupils. The Act additionally provides that the amount of property tax reduction for a school district with a certified enrollment of 600 pupils or greater shall not exceed the reduction amount received by a school district with a certified enrollment of fewer than 600 pupils with which the larger school district is involved in a reorganization or dissolution. This provision takes effect May 30, 2003.

WHOLE-GRADE SHARING INCENTIVE EXTENSION. The Act increases by two years the amount of time during which a school district that was not participating in a whole-grade sharing arrangement during the 2000-2001 budget year may begin receiving a whole-grade sharing incentive, by providing that a school district which executes a whole-grade sharing agreement beginning July 1, 2002, July 1, 2003, July 1, 2004, or July 1, 2005, and adopts a resolution jointly with the other affected boards to study the question of undergoing a reorganization or dissolution to take effect on or before July 1, 2006, shall receive a weighting of one-tenth of the percentage of the pupil's school day during which the pupil attends classes in another district, attends classes taught by a teacher jointly employed with another district, or attends classes taught by a teacher who is employed by another school district.

STATE BOARD OF REGENTS/UNIFORM PROTECTION. The Act requires the State Board of Regents to develop a policy, which each of its universities must adopt, that prohibits the harassment or intimidation of a person on campus who is wearing a uniform of the armed forces of the United States.

SEXUAL EXPLOITATION BY A SCHOOL EMPLOYEE. The Act creates a criminal offense of sexual exploitation by a school employee; provides a penalty; requires the Board of Educational Examiners to disqualify an applicant for licensure or revoke the license of any person who entered a plea of guilty to, or has been found guilty of, the sexual abuse offense of sexual exploitation by a school employee; and requires school boards, school superintendents, AEA administrators, and nonpublic school authorities to report to the Board of Educational Examiners the nonrenewal or termination, for reasons of alleged or actual misconduct, of a practitioner, and the resignation of a practitioner resulting from or following an incident or allegation of misconduct that, if proven, would constitute a violation of board rules relating to sexual abuse offenses when the board or reporting official has a good faith belief that the incident occurred or the allegation is true.

The Act prohibits a school employee from engaging in any sexual conduct with a student who is enrolled at a public or nonpublic elementary or secondary school, or who was enrolled at a public or nonpublic elementary or secondary school within 30 days of any violation of this Act, for the purpose of arousing the sexual desires of either of them. The Act defines "school employee" to mean a licensed practitioner.

The Act provides that a school employee commits a class "D" felony if the employee engages in a pattern or practice or scheme of conduct to engage in such sexual conduct with a student. A school employee commits an aggravated misdemeanor if the employee engages in such sexual conduct with a student. A class "D" felony is punishable by confinement for no more than five years and a fine of at least $750 but not more than $7,500. An aggravated misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for no more than two years and a fine of at least $500 but not more than $5,000.

"Sexual conduct" is defined to include, but is not limited to, kissing; touching of the clothed or unclothed inner thigh, breast, groin, buttock, anus, pubes, or genitals; or a sex act. Sexual exploitation by a school employee does not include touching that is necessary in the performance of the school employee's duties while acting within the scope of employment.

Information submitted to the board is privileged and confidential. The board must review the information to determine whether a complaint should be initiated.

ADMINISTRATOR QUALIFICATIONS. The Act requires the Board of Educational Examiners to adopt criteria for administrative endorsements that allow a person to serve as an elementary or secondary principal without regard to the grade level at which the person accrued teaching experience. The Act also permits a superintendent to serve as a secondary principal in the same school or school district. Under current law, a superintendent can only dually serve as an elementary principal.

STUDENT TEACHING REQUIREMENTS. The Act requires that a student teaching experience include opportunities for the student to become knowledgeable about the Iowa Teaching Standards, including a mock evaluation performed by the cooperating teacher.

MENTORING AND INDUCTION. The Act eliminates language requiring that a teacher from an accredited nonpublic school or from outside of the state document three years of successful teaching within the past five years, though they still must document three years of successful teaching experience.

LICENSURE DESIGNATIONS. To match licensure designations used by other states and used under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the Board of Educational Examiners changed the name of the license it issues to individuals seeking licensure as a beginning teacher from "provisional" to "initial," and the license issued to teachers beyond their probationary periods from "educational" to "standard."

ELECTION OF AEA DIRECTORS. The Act requires that AEA directors be elected by a vote of the members of the boards of directors of the school districts located within the director districts. Currently, local board directors elect AEA directors at director district conventions. Under the Act, a convention need only be called if no candidate files, if a vacancy occurs, or when a board is elected for a newly reorganized AEA. Under the Act, notice regarding a convention must be published 30 days prior to the convention. The current Code requires a 45-day notice.

AEA REORGANIZATION NOTIFICATION. The Act directs an AEA that must notify school districts and other AEAs of state board approval of its reorganization plan or proposal to do so by certified mail and to submit a copy of the notice to the Department of Education. The Act requires an initial AEA board to call a director district convention for the purpose of electing a new board by January 15. Boards contemplating reorganization must, under the Act, transmit their plans to the state board by July 15, rather than by the current Code deadline of November 1. The Act also advances the date for state board approval or return of the plan to September 30, rather than February 1, and moves the deadline for resubmission of a contingently approved plan to October 30.

The Act also establishes a 45-day deadline for school districts to petition to join an AEA when the district is affected by reorganization. The district's board and the appropriate AEA board must act within 45 days of the filing of the school district's petition.

SCHOOL BOARD STAFF. The Act abolishes the one-year term of appointment for school board secretaries and treasurers.

TEMPORARY CONTRACTS FOR MILITARY LEAVE. The Act permits school districts to issue temporary contracts to teachers and administrators to fill vacancies created by a leave of absence granted to a practitioner ordered by proper authority to state active duty, active state service, or federal service.

SCHOOL BOARD RETIREMENT INCENTIVES. The Act extends the date by which a school employee must retire in order for the district to include the cost of the retirement incentive program in the district management levy. Currently, employees must retire by June 30 of the next following school year. The Act extends the deadline to the start of the next following school calendar.

DESEGREGATION PLANS. Under the Act, the superintendent of a school district cannot deny a request for open enrollment if the request is submitted to the district in a timely manner prior to the adoption of a desegregation plan by the district. Also, the State Board of Education is directed to adopt rules establishing, by July 1, 2004, guidelines and a review process for school districts that adopt voluntary desegregation plans. School districts have until July 1, 2006, to comply with the guidelines. This provision takes effect May 30, 2003, and applies retroactively to July 1, 2002, for open enrollment transfer requests received by a school district on or after July 1, 2002.

"COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION" DEFINITION CHANGE. The Act changes the definition of "comprehensive evaluation," provided in Code Chapter 284, to strike references to the Iowa Teaching Standards and to the "model" core knowledge and skill criteria. Beginning teachers are comprehensively evaluated, while a performance review is conducted for experienced teachers; therefore, the Act also replaces references to the comprehensive evaluation wherever necessary when the content indicates that the term "performance evaluation" is appropriate.

CONTRACT DAYS. The Act delays until a school district's fifth year of participation in the Student Achievement and Teacher Quality Program the requirements that the district add two additional contract days to the school year for additional teacher career development.

ADMINISTRATIVE FEES FOR OWI OFFENDERS. The Act permits the Department of Education to establish reasonable fees to defray the expense of forwarding to the courts enrollment, attendance, and course completion data for out-of-state persons ordered to enroll, attend, and successfully complete a course for drinking drivers.

DISTRICT TEACHER CAREER DEVELOPMENT PLANS. The Act provides that a district must adopt a districtwide teacher career development plan and, for each individual teacher, a teacher career development plan.

TEACHER CAREER DEVELOPMENT PLAN. A teacher must meet annually with an evaluator to review the teacher's progress in meeting career development goals in the plan, review collaborative work with other staff, and modify as necessary the teacher's individual plan to reflect the individual teacher's and the school district's needs. Under the current Code, the teacher's supervisor reviews, modifies or accepts modifications made to the teacher's individual plan. The Act requires that both the evaluator and the supervisor will review, modify or accept the modifications to the plan.

INTENSIVE ASSISTANCE. The Act extends for one year, until July 1, 2005, the date by which all school districts must be prepared to offer an intensive assistance program for teachers who do not meet district expectations and state teaching standards and criteria.

TEAM-BASED VARIABLE PAY PILOT PROGRAM. Division VII of S.F. 458 (see Appropriations) renews the Team-Based Variable Pay Pilot Program by providing two more years of funding for the program, which otherwise expired July 1, 2002. This Act adds language establishing that the program is to compare student achievement gains in participating and nonparticipating school districts. The Act also directs the Department of Education to provide technical assistance in the areas of goal setting and student assessments to participating school districts and gives preference to school districts that participated in the program in FY 2000-2001.

SCHOOL BUSES. The Act strikes language that requires separate bids for school bus bodies and chassis. The Act permits an insulin-dependent diabetic to qualify as a school bus driver if a person identified by federal and state law as authorized to perform physical examinations provides a signed statement indicating that the individual is physically able to perform the required functions despite insulin dependency. The school district or school employing the insulin-dependent diabetic bus driver must monitor the bus driver and the driver must be in compliance with requirements as specified by the Act.

MINIMUM TEACHER SALARIES 2003-2004. The Act makes an exception to current law regarding minimum teacher salaries to provide that the minimum salary amount a school district or AEA must pay to a first-year beginning teacher for FY 2003-2004 is the amount the district or AEA paid, or would have paid, a first-year beginning teacher in the 2001-2002 school year. The minimum career teacher salary paid in FY 2003-2004 to a career teacher who was a beginning teacher in the 2001-2002 school year must be $1,000 greater than the minimum amount paid to a first-year beginning teacher in the 2001-2002 school year, unless the minimum career salary paid by the district or AEA exceeds $30,000.

THE GOVERNOR ITEM VETOED THE FOLLOWING:

1. A provision directing the State Board of Education to develop and adopt rules incorporating the reporting of student achievement into the standards and accreditation process, and requiring the director to develop and implement a statewide program of educational assessment reporting. The provision also required that the department maintain an Internet site reporting Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and Iowa Tests of Educational Development scores for each school district and public school attendance center in a manner allowing for comparisons between schools, and required that the department approve the use of a single value-added system to calculate annually the amount of academic growth for each student, school, and school district in core academic areas.
2. A provision that would have excluded substitute and part-time bus drivers from the Code requirement that all bus drivers for school-owned equipment be under contract with the school board.
3. A provision that would have established for the 2003-2004 school year a reading instruction pilot program in a district with an enrollment of at least 600 K-12 pupils; or in two or more school districts, each with enrollments of less than 600 K-12 pupils, but with a combined enrollment of at least 600 K-12 pupils. The program, to be administered by the Department of Education, would provide training and ongoing support for the participating teachers and involve the implementation of systematic intensive phonics reading instruction and direct instruction for students up to and including the eighth grade. The provision required participating school districts to submit a report to the department regarding the impact of the program on student achievement. The department was required, under the provision, to submit a report summarizing the results and comparing the results to student academic achievement gains in similar, nonparticipating school districts to the chairpersons and ranking members of the Senate and House Standing Committees on Education by December 15, 2004. This provision would have taken effect May 20, 2003.

HOUSE FILE 577 - Whole-Grade Sharing Agreements Between Public School Districts - Deadlines - Exceptions (full text of bill)
BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION. This Act provides that the Department of Education may, prior to July 1, 2003, and at the department's discretion, waive requirements relating to deadlines for school districts being able to enter into whole-grade sharing agreements. The option of a waiver shall be available if one of the school districts which is a party to a whole-grade sharing agreement has an enrollment of less than 300 pupils and has formed a dissolution commission to prepare a proposal for dissolving the school district.

The Act takes effect May 23, 2003.