HF 2440 (LSB 2520HV (4) 83)

HOUSE FILE 2440

BY  COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

(SUCCESSOR TO HF 620)

A BILL FOR

An Act establishing market factor teacher incentives for school district attendance centers located in areas that have high rates of crime.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  284.11  Market factor teacher incentives —— legislative intent.
   1.  The general assembly finds that Iowa school districts need to be more competitive in recruiting and retaining talented professionals into the teaching profession. To ensure that school districts with attendance centers located in areas that have high rates of crime have the ability to attract highly qualified teachers, it is the intent of the general assembly to encourage school districts to provide incentives for these hard-to-staff attendance centers. If moneys are appropriated for such purpose, this section provides for state assistance to allow school districts to add a market factor incentive paid by the school districts.
   2.  A school district with one or more attendance centers that the department, in collaboration with the division of criminal and juvenile justice and planning of the department of human rights, has determined are located in an area or areas that have high rates of crime shall be paid annually, if the general assembly appropriates moneys for purposes of market factor incentives, an amount of state assistance to create market factor incentives for classroom teachers in the school district. If the general assembly does not appropriate moneys sufficient for purposes of market factor teacher incentives, the board of directors of a school district is encouraged to determine an appropriate revenue source to support market factor teacher incentives. Market factor incentives may include but are not limited to salaries, educational opportunities and support, moving expenses, and housing expenses for the recruitment and retention needs of the school district in the hard-to-staff attendance centers, improving the racial or ethnic diversity on local teaching staffs, funding to prepare a teacher to attain a license or endorsement in a shortage area, or funds to support educational support personnel in pursuing a license in a shortage area. The teacher quality committee established pursuant to section 284.4, subsection 1, paragraph “c”, shall make recommendations to the school board and the certified bargaining representative regarding the awarding of market factor incentives.
   3.  The allocations to a school district shall be made in one payment on or about October 15 of the fiscal year for which the appropriation is made, taking into consideration the relative budget and cash position of the state resources. Moneys received under this section shall not be commingled with state aid payments made under section 257.16 to a school district and shall be accounted for by the local school district separately from state aid payments. Payments made to school districts under this section are miscellaneous income for purposes of chapter 257. A school district shall maintain a separate listing within its budget for payments received and expenditures made pursuant to this section. A school district shall certify to the department of education how the school district allocated the funds and how the moneys received under this section were used.
   4.  The department shall include market factor incentives when reporting in the annual condition of education report on the use of funds allocated for purposes of this section. The department shall review the use and effectiveness of the use of funds allocated for purposes of this section and shall submit its findings and recommendations in a report to the general assembly by January 15, 2011, and each succeeding fiscal year following a fiscal year in which funds were appropriated for purposes of this section. It is the intent of the general assembly to appropriate funds in future fiscal years for purposes of this section based upon the department’s findings and recommendations.
   5.  Market factor teacher incentives shall not be utilized to displace a teacher or to alter teaching assignments without the approval of the affected teachers.
EXPLANATION
   This bill establishes market factor teacher incentives for school district attendance centers located in areas that have high rates of crime. If the general assembly does not appropriate sufficient funds for incentives, the bill encourages school districts to determine an appropriate revenue source to support incentives. Incentives may include educational opportunities and support, moving expenses, and housing expenses; and funding to prepare education personnel to attain a license or endorsement in a shortage area.
    Incentives cannot be used to displace a teacher or to alter teaching assignments without the approval of the affected teachers.
   The bill requires the teacher quality committee to make recommendations to the school board and collective bargaining representative regarding the awarding of market factor incentives. The bill also requires the department to submit a report on the use and effectiveness of the funds allocated for incentives, and states a legislative intent to reevaluate future appropriations for the incentives based on the report.