House Study Bill 726
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 providing for the extension of a reduction in the
2 foundation property tax levy for reorganized or dissolved
3 districts, and the extension of the period during which
4 supplementary weighting may be received as a reorganization
5 incentive by school districts, and providing an effective
6 date.
7 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
8 TLSB 5592YC 81
9 rn/sh/8
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 257.3, subsection 2, paragraph d, Code
1 2 2005, is amended to read as follows:
1 3 d. For purposes of this section, a reorganized school
1 4 district is one which absorbs at least thirty percent of the
1 5 enrollment of the school district affected by a reorganization
1 6 or dissolved during a dissolution and in which action to bring
1 7 about a reorganization or dissolution is initiated by a vote
1 8 of the board of directors or jointly by the affected boards of
1 9 directors to take effect on or after July 1, 2002 2006, and on
1 10 or before July 1, 2006 2009. Each district which initiated,
1 11 by a vote of the board of directors or jointly by the affected
1 12 boards, action to bring about a reorganization or dissolution
1 13 to take effect on or after July 1, 2002 2006, and on or before
1 14 July 1, 2006 2009, shall certify the date and the nature of
1 15 the action taken to the department of education by January 1
1 16 of the year in which the reorganization or dissolution takes
1 17 effect.
1 18 Sec. 2. Section 257.11, subsection 2, paragraph c, Code
1 19 Supplement 2005, is amended by striking the paragraph and
1 20 inserting in lieu thereof the following:
1 21 c. Pupils attending class for all or a substantial portion
1 22 of a school day pursuant to a whole grade sharing agreement
1 23 executed under sections 282.10 through 282.12 shall be
1 24 eligible for supplementary weighting pursuant to this
1 25 subsection. A school district which executes a whole grade
1 26 sharing agreement and which adopts a resolution jointly with
1 27 the other affected boards to study the question of undergoing
1 28 a reorganization or dissolution to take effect on or before
1 29 July 1, 2009, shall receive a weighting of one=tenth of the
1 30 percentage of the pupil's school day during which the pupil
1 31 attends classes in another district, attends classes taught by
1 32 a teacher who is jointly employed under section 280.15, or
1 33 attends classes taught by a teacher who is employed by another
1 34 school district. A district shall be eligible for
1 35 supplementary weighting pursuant to this paragraph for a
2 1 maximum of three years. Receipt of supplementary weighting
2 2 for a second and third year shall be conditioned upon
2 3 submission of information resulting from the study to the
2 4 school budget review committee indicating progress toward the
2 5 objective of reorganization on or before July 1, 2009.
2 6 Sec. 3. Section 257.11A, Code 2005, is amended to read as
2 7 follows:
2 8 257.11A SUPPLEMENTARY WEIGHTING AND SCHOOL REORGANIZATION.
2 9 1. In determining weighted enrollment under section 257.6,
2 10 if the board of directors of a school district has approved a
2 11 contract for sharing pursuant to section 257.11 and the school
2 12 district has approved an action to bring about a
2 13 reorganization to take effect on and after July 1, 2002 2006,
2 14 and on or before July 1, 2006 2009, the reorganized school
2 15 district shall include, for a period of three years following
2 16 the effective date of the reorganization, additional pupils
2 17 added by the application of the supplementary weighting plan,
2 18 equal to the pupils added by the application of the
2 19 supplementary weighting plan in the year preceding the
2 20 reorganization. For the purposes of this subsection, the
2 21 weighted enrollment for the period of three years following
2 22 the effective date of reorganization shall include the
2 23 supplementary weighting in the base year used for determining
2 24 the combined district cost for the first year of the
2 25 reorganization. However, the weighting shall be reduced by
2 26 the supplementary weighting added for a pupil whose residency
2 27 is not within the reorganized district.
2 28 2. For purposes of this section, a reorganized district is
2 29 one in which the reorganization was approved in an election
2 30 pursuant to sections 275.18 and 275.20 and takes effect on or
2 31 after July 1, 2002 2006, and on or before July 1, 2006 2009.
2 32 Each district which initiates, by a vote of the board of
2 33 directors or jointly by the affected boards, action to bring
2 34 about a reorganization or dissolution to take effect on or
2 35 after July 1, 2002 2006, and on or before July 1, 2006 2009,
3 1 shall certify the date and the nature of the action taken to
3 2 the department of education by January 1 of the year in which
3 3 the reorganization or dissolution takes effect.
3 4 3. Notwithstanding subsection 1, a school district which
3 5 was participating in a whole grade sharing arrangement during
3 6 the budget year beginning July 1, 2001, and which received a
3 7 maximum of two years of supplementary weighting pursuant to
3 8 section 257.11, subsection 2, paragraph "c", shall include
3 9 additional pupils added by the application of the
3 10 supplementary weighting plan, equal to the pupils added by the
3 11 application of the supplementary weighting plan in the year
3 12 preceding the reorganization, for a period of four years
3 13 following the effective date of the reorganization.
3 14 4. 3. A school district shall be eligible for a combined
3 15 maximum total of six years of supplementary weighting under
3 16 the provisions of this section and section 257.11, subsection
3 17 2, paragraph "c".
3 18 4. If the board of directors of a school district approved
3 19 a contract for sharing pursuant to section 257.11 and the
3 20 school district approved an action to bring about a
3 21 reorganization to take effect on and after July 1, 2002, and
3 22 on or before July 1, 2006, the reorganized school district
3 23 shall include the additional pupils added by the application
3 24 of the supplementary weighting plan equal in amount and
3 25 duration to the supplementary weighting for which the school
3 26 district was eligible pursuant to the provisions of this
3 27 section in effect prior to July 1, 2006.
3 28 Sec. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of
3 29 immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.
3 30 EXPLANATION
3 31 This bill extends existing provisions relating to a reduced
3 32 foundation property tax levy, and to the receipt of
3 33 supplementary weighting, as reorganization incentives to
3 34 school districts.
3 35 The bill provides for an extension of current provisions
4 1 which reduce the level of the foundation property tax levy in
4 2 school districts which have undergone a reorganization or
4 3 dissolution. Currently, the reduction takes place if a school
4 4 district reorganizes or dissolves taking effect on or after
4 5 July 1, 2002, and on or before July 1, 2006. The bill changes
4 6 these dates to 2006 and 2009, respectively.
4 7 The bill extends the dates contained in Code section
4 8 257.11, subsection 2, paragraph "c", for a period of three
4 9 years. Currently, the paragraph provides that a specified
4 10 amount of supplementary weighting may be received by a school
4 11 district that has entered into a whole grade sharing agreement
4 12 pursuant to Code sections 282.10 through 282.12, for a maximum
4 13 of three years, if the school district adopts a resolution
4 14 jointly with the other affected boards to study the question
4 15 of undergoing a reorganization or dissolution to take effect
4 16 on or after July 1, 2001, and on or before July 1, 2006. The
4 17 paragraph also currently provides that a school district that
4 18 was not participating in a whole grade sharing agreement
4 19 during the budget year beginning July 1, 2000, and which
4 20 executes a whole grade sharing agreement in any succeeding
4 21 budget year through the budget year beginning July 1, 2005,
4 22 and that adopts a resolution jointly with the other affected
4 23 boards to study the question of undergoing a reorganization or
4 24 dissolution to take effect on or before July 1, 2006, shall
4 25 receive the supplementary weighting for a period of three
4 26 years. The bill changes the applicable dates so that the
4 27 supplementary weighting is now available to school districts
4 28 participating in a whole grade sharing agreement and studying
4 29 the question of reorganization or dissolution to take effect
4 30 for the school budget year beginning July 1, 2006, through the
4 31 budget year beginning July 1, 2009. The bill also eliminates
4 32 the provision making a distinction between receiving
4 33 supplementary weighting for two versus three years depending
4 34 on whether or not the school district had previously entered
4 35 into a whole grade sharing agreement, such that all school
5 1 districts entering into a whole grade sharing agreement
5 2 qualify for three years of supplementary weighting.
5 3 The bill makes corresponding date changes to Code section
5 4 257.11A, which provides an additional three years of
5 5 supplementary weighting for school districts that were
5 6 receiving it pursuant to Code section 257.11, subsection 2,
5 7 paragraph "c", and then went on to actually reorganize or
5 8 dissolve. Accordingly, the weighting will be available if a
5 9 board of directors of a school district has approved a
5 10 contract for sharing pursuant to Code section 257.11 and the
5 11 school district has approved an action to bring about a
5 12 reorganization to take effect on and after July 1, 2006, and
5 13 on or before July 1, 2009. Additionally, the bill provides
5 14 that school districts shall continue to receive the
5 15 supplementary weighting for which they qualified pursuant to
5 16 the current provisions of Code section 257.11A if the district
5 17 reorganized or dissolved prior to July 1, 2006.
5 18 The bill takes effect upon enactment.
5 19 LSB 5592YC 81
5 20 rn:rj/sh/8.1