HOUSE FILE 234

BY  CHAMBERS

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to teacher salary supplement requirements for professional development and providing for repayment of teacher salary supplement funds under certain conditions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

   Section 1.  Section 284.4, subsection 1, paragraph e, Code 2011, is amended to read as follows:
   e.  Adopt a teacher evaluation plan that, at minimum, requires a performance review of teachers in the district at least once every three years based upon the Iowa teaching standards and individual professional development plans, requires that each individual professional development plan include at least ten full days of professional development, and requires administrators to complete evaluator training in accordance with section 284.10.  A school district or area education agency that receives funds calculated and paid for professional development pursuant to section 257.10, subsection 9, and section 257.37A, subsection 2, shall repay the state of Iowa as follows under the following conditions:
   (1)  If the school district or area education agency does not make available quality professional development opportunities for at least ten additional contract days or the equivalent thereof for professional development, the school district or area education agency shall repay to the state of Iowa, by July 1 of the school year following the school year in which the funds were received, an amount equivalent to the difference between the number of contract days for professional development required pursuant to this lettered paragraph and the number of contract days offered by the school district or area education agency during the school year.
   (2)  If the school district or area education agency does not require that each individual professional development plan include at least ten full days of professional development in accordance with this lettered paragraph, the school district or area education agency shall repay to the state of Iowa, by July 1 of the school year following the school year in which the funds were received, the full amount of the funds calculated and paid to the school district or area education agency for professional development pursuant to section 257.10, subsection 9, and section 257.37A, subsection 2, for the prior school year.
   Sec. 2.
  STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED.
  In accordance with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid received by the school district under section 257.16. This specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed to meet all of the state funding-related requirements of section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act by and enforcement of this Act against all affected school districts.
EXPLANATION
   This bill requires school districts and area education agencies that receive state funds calculated and paid for professional development to require that individual teacher professional development plans include at least 10 full days of professional development.
   If the school district or area education agency does not provide quality professional development opportunities for at least 10 contract days, the school district or area education agency must repay the state, by July 1 of the school year following the school year in which the funds were received, an amount equivalent to the difference between the number of contract days for professional development required and the number of contract days offered during the school year. If the school district or area education agency does not require that individual teacher professional development plans include at least 10 full days of professional development, the school district or area education agency must repay the state, by July 1 of the school year following the school year in which the funds were received, the full amount of the funds calculated and paid to the school district or area education agency for professional development.
   This bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of any state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid received by the school district under Code section 257.16. The specification is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state mandate funding-related requirements of Code section 25B.2. The inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state mandates included in the bill.