House File 482 - Introduced HOUSE FILE BY MAY Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays Approved A BILL FOR 1 An Act relating to requests for approval for early school start 2 dates and year around schools. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 1363YH 82 5 kh/je/5 PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. Section 257.17, Code 2007, is amended to read 1 2 as follows: 1 3 257.17 AID REDUCTION FOR EARLY SCHOOL STARTS. 1 4 State aid payments made pursuant to section 257.16 for a 1 5 fiscal year shall be reduced by one one=hundred=eightieth for 1 6 each day of that fiscal year for which the school district 1 7 begins school before the earliest starting date specified in 1 8 section 279.10, subsection 1.However, this section does not 1 9 apply to a school district that has received approval from the 1 10 director of the department of education under section 279.10, 1 11 subsection 4, to commence classes for regularly established 1 12 elementary and secondary schools in advance of the starting 1 13 date established in section 279.10, subsection 1.1 14 Sec. 2. Section 279.10, subsection 2, Code 2007, is 1 15 amended to read as follows: 1 16 2. The board of directors shall hold a public hearing on 1 17 any proposal for a pilot program pursuant to subsection 3 1 18 prior to submittingita request to the department of 1 19 education for approval. 1 20 Sec. 3. Section 279.10, subsection 4, Code 2007, is 1 21 amended by striking the subsection. 1 22 EXPLANATION 1 23 This bill eliminates the department of education's 1 24 authority to waive the earliest school start date requirement 1 25 for school districts. The bill makes a conforming change to 1 26 section 257.17. 1 27 Currently, the school year can begin no sooner than a day 1 28 during the calendar week in which the first day of September 1 29 falls, or, if the first day of September falls on a Sunday, on 1 30 a day during the calendar week which immediately precedes the 1 31 first day of September. School districts currently are 1 32 granted waivers authorizing an earlier start date if the 1 33 director of the department of education determines that a 1 34 starting date on or after the earliest starting date would 1 35 have a significant negative educational impact. 2 1 The bill includes a technical correction. 2 2 LSB 1363YH 82 2 3 kh:nh/je/5.2