Senate Study Bill 3068
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 the statewide preschool program for
2 four=year=old children and funding associated with the program
3 and providing an effective date.
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
5 TLSB 5315XD 82
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PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 256C.3, subsection 1, Code Supplement
1 2 2007, is amended to read as follows:
1 3 1. ELIGIBLE CHILDREN. A child who is a resident of Iowa
1 4 and is four years of age by on or before September 15 of a
1 5 school year shall be eligible to enroll in the preschool
1 6 program under this chapter. If space and funding are
1 7 available, a school district approved to participate in the
1 8 preschool program may enroll a younger or older child in the
1 9 preschool program; however, the child shall not be counted for
1 10 state funding purposes.
1 11 Sec. 2. Section 256C.3, subsection 4, paragraph b, Code
1 12 Supplement 2007, is amended to read as follows:
1 13 b. Subject to implementation of chapter 28E written
1 14 agreements between a school district and community=based
1 15 providers of services to four=year=old children, a
1 16 four=year=old child who is enrolled in a child care center or
1 17 child development home licensed or registered under chapter
1 18 237A, or in an existing public or private preschool program,
1 19 shall be eligible for services provided by the school
1 20 district's local preschool program.
1 21 Sec. 3. Section 256C.4, subsection 1, Code Supplement
1 22 2007, is amended by adding the following new paragraph:
1 23 NEW PARAGRAPH. f. The receipt of funding by a school
1 24 district for the purposes of this chapter, the need for
1 25 additional funding for the purposes of this chapter, or the
1 26 enrollment count of eligible students under this chapter,
1 27 shall not be considered to be unusual circumstances, create an
1 28 unusual need for additional funds, or qualify under any other
1 29 circumstances that may be used by the school budget review
1 30 committee to grant supplemental aid to or establish modified
1 31 allowable growth for a school district under section 257.31.
1 32 Sec. 4. Section 256C.6, subsection 1, Code Supplement
1 33 2007, is amended to read as follows:
1 34 1. PHASE=IN. For the initial fiscal year in which a
1 35 school district participates in the preschool program pursuant
2 1 to an appropriation provided in subsection 2, the department
2 2 shall apply a modified set of the requirements of the
2 3 provisions of this chapter relating to preschool program
2 4 implementation, preschool enrollment reporting, and
2 5 distribution of funding as necessary to begin the distribution
2 6 in that fiscal year and additional program implementation in
2 7 the next fiscal year. For each month after September 1, in
2 8 the initial fiscal year that a school district approved to
2 9 participate in the preschool program begins programming, the
2 10 department shall reduce the preschool foundation aid payable
2 11 to the school district by one=tenth of the amount that would
2 12 otherwise have been payable to the school district for the
2 13 full school year.
2 14 Sec. 5. Section 284.13, subsection 1, paragraph g,
2 15 subparagraph (2), Code Supplement 2007, is amended to read as
2 16 follows:
2 17 (2) For the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007, and ending
2 18 June 30, 2008, the sum of one million dollars. From the
2 19 amount allocated under this subparagraph, an amount up to ten
2 20 thousand dollars shall be used for purposes of the
2 21 pay=for=performance commission's expenses, an amount up to one
2 22 hundred thousand dollars shall be used by the department for
2 23 oversight and administration of the planning pilots as
2 24 provided in sections 284.14 and 284.14A, and an amount up to
2 25 two hundred thousand dollars shall be used for the employment
2 26 of an external evaluator seven hundred fifteen thousand shall
2 27 be used for implementation of a statewide early childhood
2 28 professional development system through the area education
2 29 agencies that is designed to support the statewide preschool
2 30 program for four=year=old children under chapter 256C and to
2 31 the extent possible, other early childhood programs.
2 32 Sec. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of
2 33 immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.
2 34 EXPLANATION
2 35 This bill relates to the statewide preschool program for
3 1 four=year=old children and funding associated with the
3 2 program.
3 3 Code section 256C.3, relating to the program requirements,
3 4 is amended to specify that a child must be age four on or
3 5 before September 15 of a school year to enroll in the program.
3 6 In addition, the school district requirements for the program
3 7 involving community=based providers are amended to require
3 8 written agreements between the district and the providers
3 9 instead of a Code chapter 28E agreement.
3 10 Code section 256C.4, relating to the general funding
3 11 provisions for the program, is amended to provide that the
3 12 receipt of funding for purposes of the program, the need for
3 13 funding for the program, or the enrollment count of eligible
3 14 students cannot be used to grant supplemental aid to or
3 15 establish modified allowable growth for a school district.
3 16 Code section 256C.6, relating to phase=in of the program,
3 17 is amended to strike authority for monthly proration of
3 18 preschool foundation aid for school districts that are
3 19 approved to participate in the program, for each month after
3 20 September 1 that the programming begins.
3 21 Code section 284.11, relating to allocations of moneys
3 22 appropriated for the student achievement and teacher quality
3 23 program, is amended to reallocate and increase a fiscal year
3 24 2007=2008 amount designated for purposes of the
3 25 pay=for=performance program to an early childhood professional
3 26 development system.
3 27 The bill takes effect upon enactment.
3 28 LSB 5315XD 82
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