House File 319 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY 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 2302HH 81
7 kh/sh/8
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 284.2, subsections 1, 2, 3, and 12,
1 2 Code 2005, are amended to read as follows:
1 3 1. "Beginning teacher" means an individual serving under
1 4 an initial license, issued by the board of educational
1 5 examiners under chapter 272, who is assuming a position as a
1 6 classroom teacher. For purposes of the beginning teacher
1 7 mentoring and induction program created pursuant to section
1 8 284.5, "beginning teacher" also includes preschool teachers,
1 9 school nurses, school social workers, counselors, and media
1 10 specialists who are licensed by the board of educational
1 11 examiners under chapter 272 or hold a letter of authorization
1 12 or statement of professional recognition issued by the board
1 13 of educational examiners, and who are employed by serving a
1 14 probationary period of employment with a school district or
1 15 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, for
1 30 recommendation for licensure based upon the Iowa teaching
1 31 standards, and to determine whether the teacher's practice
1 32 meets the school district expectations for a career teacher.
1 33 12. "Teacher" means an individual holding a practitioner's
1 34 license issued under chapter 272, who is employed in a
1 35 nonadministrative position as a teacher, librarian, media
2 1 specialist, preschool teacher, school nurse, school social
2 2 worker, or counselor by a school district or area education
2 3 agency pursuant to a contract issued by a board of directors
2 4 under section 279.13. A teacher may be employed in both an
2 5 administrative and a nonadministrative position by a board of
2 6 directors and shall be considered a part=time teacher for the
2 7 portion of time that the teacher is employed in a
2 8 nonadministrative position. "Teacher" includes a licensed
2 9 individual employed on a less than full=time basis by a school
2 10 district through a contract between the school district and an
2 11 institution of higher education with a practitioner
2 12 preparation program in which the licensed teacher is enrolled.
2 13 Sec. 2. Section 284.5, subsection 8, Code 2005, is amended
2 14 to read as follows:
2 15 8. If the general assembly appropriates moneys for
2 16 purposes of this section, a school district or area education
2 17 agency is eligible to receive state assistance for up to two
2 18 years under this section for each teacher the school district
2 19 or area education agency employs who was formerly employed in
2 20 an accredited nonpublic school or in another state as a first=
2 21 year teacher. The school district or area education agency
2 22 employing the teacher shall determine the conditions and
2 23 requirements of a teacher participating in a program in
2 24 accordance with this subsection. The school district or area
2 25 education agency that employs the teacher shall recommend the
2 26 teacher for an educational license if the teacher, through a
2 27 comprehensive evaluation, is determined to demonstrate
2 28 competence in the Iowa teaching standards.
2 29 Sec. 3. Section 284.13, Code 2005, is amended by adding
2 30 the following new subsection:
2 31 NEW SUBSECTION. 4. For each fiscal year in which moneys
2 32 are appropriated by the general assembly for purposes of this
2 33 chapter, each school district and area education agency shall,
2 34 by July 1 annually, report to the department of education the
2 35 number of preschool teachers, librarians, media specialists,
3 1 school nurses, school social workers, and counselors who were
3 2 employed by the school district or area education agency on
3 3 the third Friday of September of the previous fiscal year.
3 4 Sec. 4. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance
3 5 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring
3 6 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall
3 7 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid
3 8 received by the school district under section 257.16. This
3 9 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed
3 10 to meet all the state funding=related requirements of section
3 11 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding shall be
3 12 necessary for the full implementation of this Act by and
3 13 enforcement of this Act against all affected school districts.
3 14 EXPLANATION
3 15 This bill includes school nurses, school social workers,
3 16 counselors, and media specialists in the student achievement
3 17 and teacher quality program and eliminates provisions that
3 18 base licensure beyond the initial license as a beginning
3 19 teacher on the recommendations of a school district or area
3 20 education agency.
3 21 The program currently includes preschool teachers in the
3 22 beginning teacher mentoring and induction program, and defines
3 23 "teacher" to include librarians, media specialists, preschool
3 24 teachers, and counselors. The bill adds school nurses, media
3 25 specialists, school social workers, and counselors to the
3 26 beginning teacher mentoring and induction program. The bill
3 27 also adds school nurses and school social workers to the
3 28 definition of "teacher".
3 29 The effect of these changes is that school districts and
3 30 area education agencies (AEAs) are required to include school
3 31 nurses, media specialists, school social workers, and
3 32 counselors in beginning teacher mentoring and induction
3 33 programs and to permit school districts and AEAs to receive
3 34 state assistance under the program for including school
3 35 nurses, media specialists, school social workers, and
4 1 counselors in the two=year sequence of mentoring and induction
4 2 activities. By adding school nurses and school social workers
4 3 to the definition of "teacher", those individuals will
4 4 participate in the standards, performance reviews, career
4 5 development planning, and career path compensation provided
4 6 for under the program.
4 7 By July 1 annually, each school district and AEA must
4 8 report to the department the number of preschool teachers,
4 9 school nurses, school social workers, media specialists, and
4 10 counselors 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 2302HH 81
4 23 kh:nh/sh/8