House Study Bill 529 



                                       SENATE/HOUSE FILE       
                                       BY  (PROPOSED DEPARTMENT OF
                                            EDUCATION BILL)


    Passed Senate, Date               Passed House,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act relating to student achievement and teacher quality
  2    program definitions and requirements and extending or changing
  3    program allocations.
  4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  5 TLSB 5334XD 82
  6 kh/rj/8

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 256.44, subsection 1, paragraph a, Code
  1  2 Supplement 2007, is amended to read as follows:
  1  3    a.  If a teacher registers for national board for
  1  4 professional teaching standards certification by December 31,
  1  5 2007, a A one=time initial reimbursement award in the amount
  1  6 of up to one=half of the registration fee paid by the teacher
  1  7 for registration for certification by the national board for
  1  8 professional teaching standards.  The teacher shall apply to
  1  9 the department within one year of registration, submitting to
  1 10 the department any documentation the department requires.  A
  1 11 teacher who receives an initial reimbursement award shall
  1 12 receive a one=time final registration award in the amount of
  1 13 the remaining national board registration fee paid by the
  1 14 teacher if the teacher notifies the department of the
  1 15 teacher's certification achievement and submits any
  1 16 documentation requested by the department.
  1 17    Sec. 2.  Section 256.44, subsection 1, paragraph b,
  1 18 subparagraph (2), unnumbered paragraph 1, Code Supplement
  1 19 2007, is amended to read as follows:
  1 20    If the teacher registers for national board for
  1 21 professional teaching standards certification between January
  1 22 1, 1999, and December 31, 2007, and achieves certification
  1 23 within the timelines and policies established by the national
  1 24 board for professional teaching standards, an An annual award
  1 25 in the amount of two thousand five hundred dollars upon
  1 26 achieving certification by the national board of professional
  1 27 teaching standards if the teacher achieves certification
  1 28 within the timelines and policies established by the national
  1 29 board for professional teaching standards.
  1 30    Sec. 3.  Section 256.44, subsection 6, Code Supplement
  1 31 2007, is amended by striking the subsection.
  1 32    Sec. 4.  Section 282.10, subsection 4, Code 2007, is
  1 33 amended to read as follows:
  1 34    4.  A whole grade sharing agreement shall be signed by the
  1 35 boards of the districts involved in the agreement not later
  2  1 than February 1 of the school year preceding the school year
  2  2 for which the agreement is to take effect.  The boards of the
  2  3 districts shall negotiate as part of the agreement the
  2  4 disposition teacher quality compensation funding provided
  2  5 under chapter 284.
  2  6    Sec. 5.  Section 284.2, subsection 11, Code Supplement
  2  7 2007, is amended to read as follows:
  2  8    11.  "Teacher" means an individual who holds a
  2  9 practitioner's license issued under chapter 272, or a
  2 10 statement of professional recognition issued under chapter 272
  2 11 who is employed in a nonadministrative position by a school
  2 12 district or area education agency pursuant to a contract
  2 13 issued by a board of directors under section 279.13.  A
  2 14 teacher may be employed in both an administrative and a
  2 15 nonadministrative position by a board of directors and shall
  2 16 be considered a part=time teacher for the portion of time that
  2 17 the teacher is employed in a nonadministrative position.
  2 18 "Teacher" includes a licensed individual employed on a less
  2 19 than full=time basis by a school district through a contract
  2 20 between the school district and an institution of higher
  2 21 education with a practitioner preparation program in which the
  2 22 licensed teacher is enrolled.
  2 23    Sec. 6.  Section 284.7, subsection 1, paragraph a,
  2 24 subparagraph (2), Code Supplement 2007, is amended to read as
  2 25 follows:
  2 26    (2)  Beginning July 1, 2007 2008, the minimum salary for a
  2 27 beginning teacher shall be twenty=six twenty=eight thousand
  2 28 five hundred dollars.
  2 29    Sec. 7.  Section 284.7, subsection 1, paragraph b,
  2 30 subparagraph (2), Code Supplement 2007, is amended to read as
  2 31 follows:
  2 32    (2)  Beginning July 1, 2007 2008, the minimum salary for a
  2 33 first=year career teacher shall be twenty=seven thirty
  2 34 thousand five hundred dollars and the minimum salary for all
  2 35 other career teachers shall be twenty=eight thousand five
  3  1 hundred dollars.
  3  2    Sec. 8.  Section 284.7, subsection 5, paragraph b, Code
  3  3 Supplement 2007, is amended to read as follows:
  3  4    b.  If, once the minimum salary requirements of this
  3  5 section have been met by the school district or area education
  3  6 agency, and the school district or area education agency
  3  7 receiving funds pursuant to section 284.13, subsection 1,
  3  8 paragraph "h" or "i", for purposes of this section, and the
  3  9 certified bargaining representative for the licensed employees
  3 10 have not reached an agreement for distribution of the funds
  3 11 remaining, in accordance with paragraph "a", the board of
  3 12 directors shall divide the funds remaining among full=time
  3 13 teachers employed by the district or area education agency
  3 14 whose regular compensation is equal to or greater than the
  3 15 minimum salary specified in this section.  The payment amount
  3 16 for teachers employed on less than a full=time basis shall be
  3 17 prorated.  For purposes of this paragraph, regular
  3 18 compensation means base salary plus any salary provided under
  3 19 chapter 294A.
  3 20    Sec. 9.  Section 284.8, subsection 1, Code Supplement 2007,
  3 21 is amended to read as follows:
  3 22    1.  A school district shall review a teacher's performance
  3 23 at least once every three years for purposes of assisting
  3 24 teachers in making continuous improvement, documenting
  3 25 continued competence in the Iowa teaching standards,
  3 26 identifying teachers in need of improvement, or to determine
  3 27 whether the teacher's practice meets school district
  3 28 expectations for career advancement in accordance with section
  3 29 284.7.  The review shall include, at minimum, classroom
  3 30 observation of the teacher, the teacher's progress, and
  3 31 implementation of the teacher's individual professional
  3 32 development plan, subject to the level of funding resources
  3 33 provided to implement the plan; and shall include supporting
  3 34 documentation from parents, students, and other evaluators,
  3 35 teachers, parents, and students.
  4  1    Sec. 10.  Section 284.13, subsection 1, paragraphs a and b,
  4  2 Code Supplement 2007, are amended to read as follows:
  4  3    a.  For each the fiscal year of the fiscal period beginning
  4  4 July 1, 2007 2008, and ending June 30, 2009, to the department
  4  5 of education, the amount of one two million eighty=seven two
  4  6 thousand five hundred dollars for the issuance of national
  4  7 board certification awards in accordance with section 256.44.
  4  8    (1)  Of the amount allocated under this paragraph "a", up
  4  9 to two hundred fifty thousand dollars may be used to support
  4 10 the implementation of a national board certification support
  4 11 program and not less than eighty=five thousand dollars shall
  4 12 be used to administer the ambassador to education position in
  4 13 accordance with section 256.45.
  4 14    (2)  Of the amount allocated under this paragraph "a", for
  4 15 the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007, and ending June 30,
  4 16 2008, not less than one million dollars shall be used to
  4 17 supplement the allocation of funds for market factor teacher
  4 18 incentives made pursuant to paragraph "f", subparagraph (1).
  4 19    b.  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2006 2008, and
  4 20 succeeding fiscal years, an amount up to four million six
  4 21 hundred fifty thousand dollars for first=year and second=year
  4 22 beginning teachers, to the department of education for
  4 23 distribution to school districts and area education agencies
  4 24 for purposes of the beginning teacher mentoring and induction
  4 25 programs.  A school district or area education agency shall
  4 26 receive one thousand three five hundred dollars per beginning
  4 27 teacher participating in the program.  If the funds
  4 28 appropriated for the program are insufficient to pay mentors,
  4 29 school districts, and area education agencies as provided in
  4 30 this paragraph, the department shall prorate the amount
  4 31 distributed to school districts and area education agencies
  4 32 based upon the amount appropriated.  Moneys received by a
  4 33 school district or area education agency pursuant to this
  4 34 paragraph shall be expended to provide each mentor with an
  4 35 award of five six hundred dollars per semester, at a minimum,
  5  1 for participation in the school district's or area education
  5  2 agency's beginning teacher mentoring and induction program; to
  5  3 implement the plan; and to pay any applicable costs of the
  5  4 employer's share of contributions to federal social security
  5  5 and the Iowa public employees' retirement system or a pension
  5  6 and annuity retirement system established under chapter 294,
  5  7 for such amounts paid by the district or area education
  5  8 agency.
  5  9    Sec. 11.  Section 284.13, subsection 1, paragraphs d and e,
  5 10 Code Supplement 2007, are amended to read as follows:
  5 11    d.  (1)  For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007 2008,
  5 12 and ending June 30, 2008 2009, up to twenty thirty million
  5 13 dollars to the department for use by school districts for
  5 14 professional development as provided in section 284.6.  Of the
  5 15 amount allocated under this paragraph, up to ten million
  5 16 dollars shall be provided to school districts for professional
  5 17 development related to the infusion and implementation of the
  5 18 model core curriculum prescribed in section 256.7, subsection
  5 19 26.  The department shall distribute funds allocated for the
  5 20 purpose of this paragraph based on the average per diem
  5 21 contract salary for each district as reported to the
  5 22 department for the school year beginning July 1, 2006 2007,
  5 23 multiplied by the total number of full=time equivalent
  5 24 teachers in the base year.  The department shall adjust each
  5 25 district's average per diem salary by the allowable growth
  5 26 rate established under section 257.8 for the fiscal year
  5 27 beginning July 1, 2007 2008.  The contract salary amount shall
  5 28 be the amount paid for their regular responsibilities but
  5 29 shall not include pay for extracurricular activities.  These
  5 30 funds shall not supplant existing funding for professional
  5 31 development activities.  Notwithstanding any provision to the
  5 32 contrary, moneys received by a school district under this
  5 33 paragraph shall not revert but shall remain available for the
  5 34 same purpose in the succeeding fiscal year.  A school district
  5 35 shall submit a report to the department in a manner determined
  6  1 by the department describing its use of the funds received
  6  2 under this paragraph.  The department shall submit a report on
  6  3 school district use of the moneys distributed pursuant to this
  6  4 paragraph to the general assembly and the legislative services
  6  5 agency not later than January 15 of the fiscal year for which
  6  6 moneys are allocated for purposes of this paragraph.
  6  7    (2)  From moneys available under subparagraph (1) for the
  6  8 fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007 2008, and ending June 30,
  6  9 2008 2009, the department shall allocate to area education
  6 10 agencies an amount per teacher employed by an area education
  6 11 agency that is approximately equivalent to the average per
  6 12 teacher amount allocated to the districts.  The average per
  6 13 teacher amount shall be calculated by dividing the total
  6 14 number of teachers employed by school districts and the
  6 15 teachers employed by area education agencies into the total
  6 16 amount of moneys available under subparagraph (1).
  6 17    e.  For the each fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007, and
  6 18 ending June 30, 2008 in which funds are appropriated for
  6 19 purposes of this chapter, an amount up to one million eight
  6 20 hundred forty=five thousand dollars to the department for the
  6 21 establishment of teacher development academies in accordance
  6 22 with section 284.6, subsection 10.  A portion of the funds
  6 23 allocated to the department for purposes of this paragraph may
  6 24 be used for administrative purposes.
  6 25                           EXPLANATION
  6 26    This bill makes changes to the student achievement and
  6 27 teacher quality program.
  6 28    The bill eliminates the award deadlines for national board
  6 29 for professional teaching standards certification registration
  6 30 and certification achievement, as well as an obsolete
  6 31 provision, and increases the allocation for the program by
  6 32 $915,000 for FY 2008=2009 and allows up to $250,000 of those
  6 33 funds to be used for implementation of a national board
  6 34 certification support program.
  6 35    The bill requires that school districts entering into a
  7  1 whole grade sharing agreement include the disposition of
  7  2 student achievement and teacher quality program moneys
  7  3 received in the agreement, changes the definition of teacher
  7  4 for purposes of the program, raises the minimum beginning and
  7  5 first=year career teacher salaries, defines regular
  7  6 compensation, raises beginning teacher mentoring and induction
  7  7 awards to mentors, allocates $10 million to school districts
  7  8 for professional development related to implementation of the
  7  9 model core curriculum, and extends program allocations for
  7 10 professional development for school district and area
  7 11 education agency teachers and for teacher development
  7 12 academies through FY 2008=2009.
  7 13    The bill changes the definition of teacher to eliminate
  7 14 language related to individuals who are part=time teachers
  7 15 under a contract between a school district and a practitioner
  7 16 preparation program.
  7 17    The bill increases the minimum beginning teacher's salary
  7 18 to $28,000 from $26,500, and increases the minimum first=year
  7 19 career teacher's salary to $30,000 from $27,500.  The bill
  7 20 also eliminates language setting the minimum salary for all
  7 21 other career teachers at $28,500.
  7 22    When the school district or area education agency and the
  7 23 certified bargaining representative for the institution's
  7 24 licensed employees have not reached an agreement for purposes
  7 25 of distributing teacher salary funding, the bill defines
  7 26 "regular compensation" as the base salary plus any salary
  7 27 moneys provided under the educational excellence program.
  7 28    Currently, a school district must review a teacher's
  7 29 performance at least once every three years.  The bill
  7 30 replaces the language that limits the review to certain areas
  7 31 subject to the level of funding provided, to instead make the
  7 32 limitation subject to the level of resources provided.  The
  7 33 bill also eliminates a requirement that the review include
  7 34 supporting documentation from other evaluators.
  7 35    The bill eliminates obsolete language related to market
  8  1 factor teacher incentives.
  8  2    The bill increases the amount the state provides to school
  8  3 districts and area education agencies for each beginning
  8  4 teacher participating in a beginning teacher mentoring and
  8  5 induction program to $1,500 per beginning teacher; an increase
  8  6 of $200 over previous years.  The bill requires that the
  8  7 additional dollars be paid to mentors, increasing mentor
  8  8 awards from $500 to $600 per semester.
  8  9 LSB 5334XD 82
  8 10 kh/rj/8