House Study Bill 725
HOUSE FILE
BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON
EDUCATION BILL BY
CHAIRPERSON TYMESON)
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act relating to the minimum hours of instructional school time
2 in a school year for grades one through twelve for school
3 districts, charter schools, and accredited nonpublic schools.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
5 TLSB 5131YC 81
6 kh/je/5
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 256.7, subsection 19, Code Supplement
1 2 2005, is amended by striking the subsection.
1 3 Sec. 2. Section 256F.4, subsection 5, Code 2005, is
1 4 amended to read as follows:
1 5 5. A charter school shall provide instruction for at least
1 6 the number of days hours required by section 279.10,
1 7 subsection 1, or shall provide at least the equivalent number
1 8 of total hours.
1 9 Sec. 3. Section 279.10, subsections 1 and 2, Code 2005,
1 10 are amended to read as follows:
1 11 1. The school year shall begin on the first day of July
1 12 and each regularly established elementary and secondary school
1 13 shall begin no sooner than a day during the calendar week in
1 14 which the first day of September falls but no later than the
1 15 first Monday in December. However, if the first day of
1 16 September falls on a Sunday, school may begin on a day during
1 17 the calendar week which immediately precedes the first day of
1 18 September. School shall continue for at least one hundred
1 19 eighty days, except as provided in subsection 3, and may be
1 20 maintained during the entire calendar year. However, if the
1 21 board of directors of a district extends the school calendar
1 22 because inclement weather caused the district to temporarily
1 23 close school during the regular school calendar, the A school
1 24 district may excuse shall require a graduating senior who has
1 25 met district or school to meet the same requirements for
1 26 graduation from attendance during the extended school calendar
1 27 as those required of any other class of students enrolled at
1 28 the secondary level in the school district. The minimum hours
1 29 of instructional time in a school year for grades one through
1 30 six shall be nine hundred ninety hours. The minimum hours of
1 31 instructional time in a school year for grades seven through
1 32 twelve shall be one thousand eighty hours. A school
1 33 corporation may begin employment of personnel for in=service
1 34 training and development purposes before the date to begin
1 35 elementary and secondary school.
2 1 2. The board of directors shall hold a public hearing on
2 2 any proposal request authorized under subsection 4 prior to
2 3 submitting it to the department of education for approval.
2 4 Sec. 4. INSTRUCTIONAL TIME DEFINITION RECOMMENDATIONS.
2 5 The department of education shall make legislative and
2 6 administrative recommendations defining instructional time for
2 7 students enrolled in Iowa school districts in a report which
2 8 shall be submitted to the standing senate and house of
2 9 representatives committees on education by December 1, 2006.
2 10 The department shall include a description of instruction,
2 11 activities, or other school experiences that are currently
2 12 counted as instructional time by school districts. The
2 13 recommendations shall include an implementation timeline for
2 14 any proposed definition of instructional time.
2 15 EXPLANATION
2 16 This bill replaces the current 180=day school calendar,
2 17 which converts to a required 990 hours of instructional school
2 18 time at 5.5 hours per day, with a requirement that the school
2 19 calendar include 990 hours of instructional time for grades
2 20 1==6 and 1,080 hours of instructional time for grades 7==12.
2 21 The bill strikes a Code provision directing the state board
2 22 of education to define the minimum school day and allowing the
2 23 minimum hours to include early dismissals or late arrivals for
2 24 inclement weather or emergency health factors and staff
2 25 development.
2 26 The bill eliminates a provision that authorizes a school
2 27 district to excuse a graduating senior from attendance on days
2 28 added to the school calendar to make up for days lost due to
2 29 inclement weather. The bill requires that graduating seniors
2 30 meet the same attendance requirements as those required of any
2 31 other class of students at the secondary level.
2 32 The bill also specifies that a school district must hold a
2 33 public hearing on a request to change the school start date
2 34 prior to submitting the request to the department.
2 35 The bill requires the department of education to make
3 1 recommendations defining instructional time in a report to the
3 2 senate and house standing education committees by December 1,
3 3 2006.
3 4 LSB 5131YC 81
3 5 kh:rj/je/5.3