House File 873 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY GIPP and MURPHY
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to recommendations of the education subcommittee
2 of the governor's committee on local governance by providing
3 for the development of a school sharing and efficiencies in
4 operations process, the referral of certain issues to
5 legislative standing committees for further review and
6 consideration, and a study by the department of education
7 concerning certain barriers to effective structure and
8 delivery models that promote optimum student achievement.
9 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
10 TLSB 3547YH 81
11 kh/cf/24
PAG LIN
1 1 DIVISION I
1 2 Section 1. SCHOOL SHARING AND EFFICIENCIES IN OPERATIONS
1 3 PROCESS.
1 4 1. Not later than September 15, 2005, the department of
1 5 education and the boards of directors of the area education
1 6 agencies, in consultation with other appropriate education
1 7 stakeholders as necessary, shall collaboratively develop a
1 8 uniform structured conversation process, including specific
1 9 categories of discussion, to facilitate discussion between
1 10 school district leaders in order to identify and realize
1 11 sharing and efficiency of operations efforts with other school
1 12 districts, educational partners, and governmental
1 13 subdivisions, which will result in reductions in the costs of
1 14 operations and create additional resource availability for the
1 15 support of rigorous and relevant student programming and
1 16 efforts to increase student achievement. The process shall
1 17 provide a framework for a consistent regional plan for use by
1 18 area education agencies pursuant to subsection 3.
1 19 2. The department of education and the area education
1 20 agencies shall facilitate a series of meetings, using the
1 21 process developed pursuant to subsection 1, between area
1 22 education agency personnel and school district leaders from
1 23 every school district located within each area education
1 24 agency. Prior to the initial meeting, which shall be held not
1 25 later than January 13, 2006, school district leaders
1 26 designated to attend the meeting shall identify areas of
1 27 potential sharing and efficiency, efforts that are already
1 28 occurring, and existing barriers to increased sharing and
1 29 efficiency of operations. As meeting facilitators, area
1 30 education agency personnel may provide at the initial meeting
1 31 a list of available efficiency services, which may include
1 32 those services offered by the area education agencies. The
1 33 process shall include a discussion regarding the use of the
1 34 additional resources, made available through the proposed
1 35 sharing or efficiency efforts, in enhancing program
2 1 implementation and student achievement. After the initial
2 2 meeting, other appropriate education stakeholders and
2 3 representatives from governmental subdivisions or private
2 4 entities may be consulted or invited to participate in future
2 5 meetings. Discussion topics at the series of meetings shall
2 6 include, but not be limited to, operational efficiencies,
2 7 shared programming, transportation sharing, expansion of area
2 8 education agency cooperatives, common schedules for school
2 9 districts and community colleges, energy, insurance, effective
2 10 structure and delivery models that promote optimum student
2 11 achievement, graduation requirements, and a rigorous, relevant
2 12 curriculum.
2 13 3. At the conclusion of the process, each area education
2 14 agency shall develop a regional plan that identifies, using
2 15 the consistent regional plan framework developed under
2 16 subsection 1, the existing, new, or expanded opportunities for
2 17 school district sharing or efficiency of operations determined
2 18 as a result of completing the uniform structured conversation
2 19 process. The plan shall provide for long=term measures that
2 20 identify money or time saved as a result of the sharing or
2 21 efficiency of operations efforts, list the cooperative
2 22 partners in specific sharing or efficiency of operations
2 23 efforts, describe effective structure and delivery models that
2 24 promote optimum student achievement, and include provisions
2 25 for making educational stakeholders aware of the sharing and
2 26 efficiency in operations opportunities available in each
2 27 region. Each area education agency shall submit its plan to
2 28 the department of education not later than June 1, 2006.
2 29 4. The department of education shall compile and review
2 30 the plans submitted by the area education agencies pursuant to
2 31 subsection 3, identify barriers to potential sharing and
2 32 efficiency in operations efforts, recommend penalties related
2 33 to a reduction in funding for noncompliance with this section,
2 34 and submit its findings and recommendations to the general
2 35 assembly not later than January 1, 2007.
3 1 5. For purposes of this section, "school district leaders"
3 2 includes superintendents, administrators, central office
3 3 staff, educators, and school board members, though a school
3 4 district may designate one school district leader to represent
3 5 the school district regularly at the meetings held pursuant to
3 6 subsection 2.
3 7 DIVISION II
3 8 STANDING COMMITTEE ISSUE REFERRALS
3 9 Sec. 2. GOVERNOR'S COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNANCE ==
3 10 EDUCATION SUBCOMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS == STANDING COMMITTEE
3 11 REFERRAL.
3 12 1. The following recommendations of the education
3 13 subcommittee of the governor's committee on local governance
3 14 are referred to the standing committees on education in the
3 15 senate and the house of representatives for further review and
3 16 consideration:
3 17 a. Eliminate or modify the rule of statutory construction
3 18 commonly referred to as "Dillon's rule" as it applies to
3 19 school districts, pursuant to a constitutional amendment,
3 20 resulting in increased school district home rule authority and
3 21 power not inconsistent with the laws of the general assembly,
3 22 to be innovative in providing program supports and eliminating
3 23 barriers to school district collaboration and innovation.
3 24 b. Convert statutory requirements relating to the required
3 25 minimum number of days of classroom instruction per school
3 26 year to a required minimum number of hours of direct classroom
3 27 instruction per school year, at least equivalent to the
3 28 current number of hours of classroom instruction provided by a
3 29 school district, in order to encourage more creativity and
3 30 flexibility in the delivery of instruction.
3 31 c. Evaluate the impact of combining the funding sources
3 32 for phase I and phase II of the educational excellence
3 33 program.
3 34 2. The following recommendations of the education
3 35 subcommittee of the governor's committee on local governance
4 1 are referred to the standing committees on ways and means in
4 2 the senate and the house of representatives for further review
4 3 and consideration:
4 4 a. Consolidate existing local school district property tax
4 5 and income surtax levies into two primary property tax levies,
4 6 one board=approved and one voter=approved, in order to
4 7 increase flexibility and maintain and expand current areas of
4 8 levy coverage.
4 9 b. Examine the impact of the development of a statewide
4 10 local option sales tax for school infrastructure, including
4 11 replacement of the five hundred seventy=five dollar statewide
4 12 tax revenue per student calculation with a statewide rolling
4 13 average calculation and establishment of a hold harmless
4 14 provision for districts experiencing a tax increase as a
4 15 result of legislation.
4 16 c. Include school districts in tax increment financing
4 17 approval requirements.
4 18 DIVISION III
4 19 SHARED ACTIVITIES AND ATHLETIC PROGRAMS STUDY
4 20 Sec. 3. GOVERNOR'S COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNANCE ==
4 21 EDUCATION SUBCOMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS == SHARED ACTIVITIES
4 22 AND ATHLETIC PROGRAMS STUDY. The department of education, in
4 23 collaboration with education stakeholder groups,
4 24 organizations, associations, and parent organizations, to be
4 25 determined by the department, shall conduct a study and review
4 26 of existing regulations relating to shared activities and
4 27 athletic programs, and the impact of such regulations on the
4 28 ability of school districts to achieve effective structure and
4 29 delivery models that promote optimum student achievement. The
4 30 department shall submit a report of its findings, containing
4 31 recommendations and a proposed timeline for implementation, to
4 32 the members of the standing committees on education in the
4 33 senate and the house of representatives by December 1, 2005.
4 34 EXPLANATION
4 35 This bill relates to recommendations of the education
5 1 subcommittee of the governor's committee on local governance.
5 2 Division I of the bill directs the department of education
5 3 and the boards of directors of the area education agencies
5 4 (AEAs), in consultation with other appropriate education
5 5 stakeholders, to develop a uniform structured conversation
5 6 process to facilitate discussion between school district
5 7 leaders in order to identify and realize sharing and
5 8 efficiency of operations efforts with other school districts,
5 9 educational partners, and governmental subdivisions, which
5 10 will result in reductions in the costs of operations and
5 11 create additional resource availability for the support of
5 12 rigorous and relevant student programming and efforts to
5 13 increase student achievement.
5 14 The department and the AEAs are directed to facilitate a
5 15 series of meetings between AEA personnel and school district
5 16 leaders from every school district in every AEA. The process
5 17 shall include a discussion regarding the use of the additional
5 18 resources, made available through the proposed sharing or
5 19 efficiency efforts, in enhancing program implementation and
5 20 student achievement. After the initial meeting, other
5 21 appropriate education stakeholders and representatives from
5 22 governmental subdivisions or private entities may be consulted
5 23 or invited to participate in future meetings.
5 24 At the conclusion of the process, each AEA must develop a
5 25 regional plan that identifies existing, new, or expanded
5 26 opportunities for school district sharing or efficiency of
5 27 operations, and shall submit its plan to the department of
5 28 education not later than June 1, 2006.
5 29 The department of education must compile and review the
5 30 plans, identify barriers to potential sharing and efficiency
5 31 in operations efforts, and submit its findings and
5 32 recommendations to the general assembly not later than January
5 33 1, 2007.
5 34 Division II of the bill refers specified issues relating to
5 35 education and taxation identified by the education
6 1 subcommittee of the governor's committee on local governance
6 2 to the education and ways and means standing committees for
6 3 further review and consideration.
6 4 The division provides for referral of three issues to the
6 5 standing committees on education. The division refers an
6 6 issue relating to the elimination or modification of a rule of
6 7 statutory construction commonly referred to as "Dillon's rule"
6 8 as it applies to school districts, pursuant to a
6 9 constitutional amendment. The result would be increased
6 10 school district home rule authority and power not inconsistent
6 11 with the laws of the general assembly, with the goal of
6 12 increasing innovation in providing program supports and
6 13 eliminating barriers to school district collaboration and
6 14 innovation. The division also refers an issue regarding
6 15 conversion of statutory requirements relating to the required
6 16 minimum number of days of direct classroom instruction per
6 17 school year to a required minimum number of hours of classroom
6 18 instruction per school year, at least equivalent to the
6 19 current number of hours of classroom instruction provided by a
6 20 school district, with the goal of encouraging more creativity
6 21 and flexibility in the delivery of instruction. The division
6 22 additionally refers an issue regarding evaluation of the
6 23 impact of combining the funding sources for phase I and phase
6 24 II of the educational excellence program.
6 25 The division also provides for referral of three issues to
6 26 the standing committees on ways and means. The division
6 27 refers an issue relating to consolidation of existing local
6 28 school district property tax and income surtax levies into two
6 29 primary property tax levies, one board=approved and one voter=
6 30 approved, in order to increase flexibility and maintain and
6 31 expand current areas of levy coverage. The division also
6 32 refers an issue regarding examining the impact of the
6 33 development of a statewide local option sales tax for school
6 34 infrastructure. The statewide tax would involve replacing the
6 35 $575 statewide tax revenue per student calculation currently
7 1 specified in statute with a statewide rolling average
7 2 calculation, and establishing a hold harmless provision for
7 3 districts experiencing a tax increase as a result of
7 4 legislation. The division additionally refers an issue
7 5 regarding inclusion of school districts in tax increment
7 6 financing approval requirements.
7 7 Division III of the bill contains another recommendation by
7 8 the education subcommittee, providing that the department of
7 9 education, in collaboration with education stakeholder groups,
7 10 organizations, associations, and parent organizations, to be
7 11 determined by the department, shall conduct a study and review
7 12 of existing regulations relating to shared activities and
7 13 athletic programs, and the impact of such regulations on the
7 14 ability of school districts to achieve effective structure and
7 15 delivery models that promote optimum student achievement. The
7 16 division provides that the department shall submit a report of
7 17 its findings, recommendations, and a proposed implementation
7 18 timeline to the members of the standing committees on
7 19 education in the senate and the house of representatives by
7 20 December 1, 2005.
7 21 LSB 3547YH 81
7 22 kh:nh/cf/24.2