House File 591 - Introduced HOUSE FILE BY SCHULTZ, DEYOE, PETTENGILL, ALONS, TYMESON, DE BOEF, KAUFMANN, DRAKE, TJEPKES, MAY, SWEENEY, and BAUDLER Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays Approved A BILL FOR 1 An Act providing for the establishment of a task force to study 2 the division of school districts with enrollments greater than 3 two thousand five hundred pupils. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 2357YH 83 6 kh/rj/5 PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION == TASK FORCE ON 1 2 OPTIMALLY SIZED SCHOOL DISTRICTS. 1 3 1. The department of education shall convene a task force 1 4 to study the advisability and practicability of dividing 1 5 school districts with enrollments of over two thousand five 1 6 hundred students to create optimally sized school districts to 1 7 improve student opportunity and achievement. 1 8 2. a. The director of the department of education shall 1 9 appoint members to the task force which shall include 1 10 education practitioners and stakeholders, including but not 1 11 limited to educational technology and school transportation 1 12 specialists, school business officials, and persons who 1 13 represent rural, urban, and suburban school districts 1 14 throughout Iowa; a professional with experience or expertise 1 15 in state and local taxation matters; and other stakeholders as 1 16 appropriate. 1 17 b. The task force shall select a chairperson from its 1 18 membership. A majority of the members of the task force shall 1 19 constitute a quorum. 1 20 3. The study shall include but not be limited to the 1 21 following: 1 22 a. A review of incentives intended to encourage large 1 23 school districts to divide to create optimally sized school 1 24 districts. 1 25 b. Determination of the costs and methods for implementing 1 26 the incentives identified. 1 27 c. A review of the barriers to dividing large school 1 28 districts to create optimally sized school districts, 1 29 including but not limited to athletic and community 1 30 identification and infrastructure deficits. 1 31 d. An analysis of the optimal school and school district 1 32 size, with consideration given to student transportation times 1 33 and costs, and where the boundaries of such optimally sized 1 34 school districts would be established on a proposed statewide 1 35 reorganization map. 2 1 e. An evaluation of the effect technology may have on 2 2 efforts to divide large school districts to create optimally 2 3 sized school districts. 2 4 f. An analysis of the trends that will affect the need for 2 5 and advisability of dividing large school districts to create 2 6 optimally sized school districts and sharing efforts over the 2 7 next five=year and ten=year time periods. 2 8 g. An analysis of the effect of dividing large school 2 9 districts to create optimally sized school districts on the 2 10 status of and federal funding to schools and school districts 2 11 under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Pub. L. 2 12 No. 107=110. 2 13 h. Identification of actions that may be taken by the 2 14 state, the department of education, area education agencies, 2 15 and stakeholders that have proven to assist large school 2 16 district efforts to divide into optimally sized school 2 17 districts. 2 18 4. The task force shall report its findings and 2 19 recommendations, including any recommendations for statutory 2 20 changes, to the state board of education and the general 2 21 assembly by January 15, 2010. 2 22 EXPLANATION 2 23 This bill directs the department of education to convene a 2 24 task force to study the advisability and practicability of 2 25 dividing school districts with enrollments of over 2,500 2 26 students to create optimally sized school districts to improve 2 27 student opportunity and achievement. 2 28 The director of the department is directed to appoint 2 29 members to the task force which shall include education 2 30 practitioners and stakeholders, including but not limited to 2 31 educational technology and school transportation specialists, 2 32 school business officials, and persons who represent rural, 2 33 urban, and suburban school districts throughout Iowa; a 2 34 professional with experience or expertise in state and local 2 35 taxation matters; and other stakeholders as appropriate. 3 1 The task force must submit its findings and recommendations 3 2 in a report to the state board of education and the general 3 3 assembly by January 15, 2010. 3 4 LSB 2357YH 83 3 5 kh/rj/5.1