House File 425
HOUSE FILE
BY STEVENS, WINCKLER, and
MASCHER
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act to include school nurses, school social workers,
2 counselors, and media specialists in the student achievement
3 and teacher quality program and eliminate a program
4 requirement for an educational license.
5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
6 TLSB 2877YH 80
7 kh/cl/14
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 284.2, subsections 1, 2, 3, and 12,
1 2 Code 2003, are amended to read as follows:
1 3 1. "Beginning teacher" means an individual serving under
1 4 an initial provisional license, issued by the board of
1 5 educational examiners under chapter 272, who is assuming a
1 6 position as a classroom teacher. For purposes of the
1 7 beginning teacher mentoring and induction program created
1 8 pursuant to section 284.5, "beginning "Beginning teacher" also
1 9 includes preschool teachers, school nurses, school social
1 10 workers, counselors, and media specialists who are licensed by
1 11 the board of educational examiners under chapter 272 or hold a
1 12 letter of authorization or statement of professional
1 13 recognition issued by the board of educational examiners, and
1 14 who are employed by serving a probationary period of
1 15 employment with a school district or area education agency.
1 16 2. "Classroom teacher" means an individual who holds a
1 17 valid practitioner's license and who is employed under a
1 18 contract issued by a board of directors under section 279.13
1 19 to provide classroom instruction to students, or as a
1 20 preschool teacher. "Classroom teacher" also includes school
1 21 nurses, school social workers, counselors, and media
1 22 specialists who are licensed by the board of educational
1 23 examiners under chapter 272 or hold a letter of authorization
1 24 or statement of professional recognition issued by the board
1 25 of educational examiners, and who are employed by a school
1 26 district or area education agency.
1 27 3. "Comprehensive evaluation" means a summative evaluation
1 28 of a beginning teacher conducted by an evaluator for purposes
1 29 of determining a beginning teacher's level of competency
1 30 relative to the Iowa teaching standards and for recommendation
1 31 for licensure based upon models the knowledge and skill
1 32 criteria developed pursuant to section 256.9, subsection 50,
1 33 and to determine whether the teacher's practice meets the
1 34 school district expectations for a career teacher.
1 35 12. "Teacher" means an individual holding a practitioner's
2 1 license issued under chapter 272, who is employed in a
2 2 nonadministrative position as a teacher, librarian, media
2 3 specialist, preschool teacher, school nurse, school social
2 4 worker, or counselor by a school district or area education
2 5 agency pursuant to a contract issued by a board of directors
2 6 under section 279.13. A teacher may be employed in both an
2 7 administrative and a nonadministrative position by a board of
2 8 directors and shall be considered a part=time teacher for the
2 9 portion of time that the teacher is employed in a
2 10 nonadministrative position. "Teacher" includes a licensed
2 11 individual employed on a less than full=time basis by a school
2 12 district through a contract between the school district and an
2 13 institution of higher education with a practitioner
2 14 preparation program in which the licensed teacher is enrolled.
2 15 Sec. 2. Section 284.5, subsection 8, Code 2003, is amended
2 16 to read as follows:
2 17 8. If the general assembly appropriates moneys for
2 18 purposes of this section, a school district or area education
2 19 agency is eligible to receive state assistance for up to two
2 20 years under this section for each teacher the school district
2 21 or area education agency employs who was formerly employed in
2 22 an accredited nonpublic school or in another state as a first=
2 23 year teacher. The school district or area education agency
2 24 employing the teacher shall determine the conditions and
2 25 requirements of a teacher participating in a program in
2 26 accordance with this subsection. The school district or area
2 27 education agency that employs the teacher shall recommend the
2 28 teacher for an educational license if the teacher, through a
2 29 comprehensive evaluation, is determined to demonstrate
2 30 competence in the Iowa teaching standards.
2 31 Sec. 3. Section 284.13, Code 2003, is amended by adding
2 32 the following new subsection:
2 33 NEW SUBSECTION. 5. For each fiscal year in which moneys
2 34 are appropriated by the general assembly for purposes of this
2 35 chapter, each school district and area education agency shall,
3 1 by July 1 annually, report to the department of education the
3 2 number of preschool teachers, librarians, media specialists,
3 3 school nurses, school social workers, and counselors who were
3 4 employed by the school district or area education agency on
3 5 the third Friday of September of the previous fiscal year.
3 6 Sec. 4. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance
3 7 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring
3 8 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall
3 9 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid
3 10 received by the school district under section 257.16. This
3 11 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed
3 12 to meet all the state funding=related requirements of section
3 13 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding shall be
3 14 necessary for the full implementation of this Act by and
3 15 enforcement of this Act against all affected school districts.
3 16 EXPLANATION
3 17 This bill includes school nurses, school social workers,
3 18 counselors, and media specialists in the student achievement
3 19 and teacher quality program and eliminates provisions that
3 20 base licensure beyond initial licensure as a beginning teacher
3 21 on the recommendations of a school district or area education
3 22 agency.
3 23 The program currently includes preschool teachers in the
3 24 beginning teacher mentoring and induction program, and defines
3 25 "teacher" to include librarians, media specialists, preschool
3 26 teachers, and counselors. The bill adds librarians, media
3 27 specialists, school nurses, school social workers, and
3 28 counselors to the beginning teacher mentoring and induction
3 29 program. The bill also adds school nurses and school social
3 30 workers to the definition of "teacher".
3 31 The effect of these changes is that school districts and
3 32 AEAs are required to include librarians, media specialists,
3 33 preschool teachers, and counselors in beginning teacher
3 34 mentoring and induction programs and to permit school
3 35 districts and AEAs to receive state assistance under the
4 1 program for including librarians, media specialists, preschool
4 2 teachers, and counselors in the two=year sequence of mentoring
4 3 and induction activities. By adding school nurses and school
4 4 social workers to the definition of "teacher", those
4 5 individuals will participate in the standards, performance
4 6 reviews, career development planning, and career path
4 7 compensation provided for under the program.
4 8 By July 1 annually, each school district and AEA must
4 9 report to the department the number of preschool and other
4 10 employees employed by the district or AEA on the third Friday
4 11 of September of the previous school year.
4 12 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code
4 13 section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of any
4 14 state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school
4 15 district from state school foundation aid received by the
4 16 school district under Code section 257.16. The specification
4 17 is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state
4 18 mandate funding=related requirements of Code section 25B.2.
4 19 The inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate
4 20 the requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any
4 21 state mandates included in the bill.
4 22 LSB 2877YH 80
4 23 kh/cl/14