House Study Bill 671 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS BILL BY CHAIRPERSON SANDS) A BILL FOR An Act relating to early school start date provisions, 1 establishing a waiver application fee, and including 2 effective date and applicability provisions. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 6111YC (2) 84 kh/rj

H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 257.17, Code 2011, is amended to read as 1 follows: 2 257.17 Aid reduction for early school starts. 3 State aid payments made pursuant to section 257.16 for a 4 fiscal year shall be reduced by one one-hundred-eightieth for 5 each day of that fiscal year for which the school district 6 begins school before the earliest starting date specified in 7 section 279.10, subsection 1 . However, this section does 8 not apply to a school district that has received approval 9 from the director of the department of education under for 10 a pilot program for an innovative school year in accordance 11 with section 279.10, subsection 4 3 , or to commence classes 12 for regularly established elementary and secondary schools in 13 advance of the starting earliest start date established in 14 accordance with section 279.10, subsection 1 4 . 15 Sec. 2. Section 279.10, subsections 1, 2, and 4, Code 2011, 16 are amended to read as follows: 17 1. The school year shall begin on the first day of July 18 and each regularly established elementary and secondary school 19 shall begin no sooner than a day during the calendar week in 20 which the first day of September falls 1, but no later than 21 the first Monday in December . However, if the first day of 22 September falls on a Sunday, school may begin on a day during 23 the calendar week which immediately precedes the first day of 24 September , unless the school district has received approval 25 from the department of education for a pilot program for an 26 innovative school year in accordance with subsection 3 or for 27 an early start date pursuant to subsection 4 . The earliest 28 start date specified in this section shall not apply to a 29 school district that maintains a year around three-semester 30 school year. School shall continue for at least one hundred 31 eighty days, except as provided in subsection 3 , and may be 32 maintained during the entire calendar year. However, if the 33 board of directors of a district extends the school calendar 34 because inclement weather caused the district to temporarily 35 -1- LSB 6111YC (2) 84 kh/rj 1/ 3

H.F. _____ close school during the regular school calendar, the district 1 may excuse a graduating senior who has met district or school 2 requirements for graduation from attendance during the extended 3 school calendar. A school corporation may begin employment 4 of personnel for in-service training and development purposes 5 before the date to begin elementary and secondary school. 6 2. The board of directors shall hold a public hearing on 7 any proposal for a pilot program for an innovative school year 8 prior to submitting it such a request to the department of 9 education for approval pursuant to subsection 3 . 10 4. The director of the department of education may grant 11 a request made by a board of directors of a school district 12 stating its desire to waive the start day restriction in 13 subsection 1, and to commence classes for regularly established 14 elementary and secondary schools prior to the earliest starting 15 start date specified in subsection 1 , but the earliest start 16 date granted shall be no earlier than the fourth Monday of 17 August . A request shall be based upon the determination that a 18 starting date on or after the earliest starting date specified 19 in subsection 1 would have a significant negative educational 20 impact. The department shall charge one hundred dollars as a 21 waiver application fee. The fees collected by the department 22 shall be deposited in the general fund of the state. 23 Sec. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect July 1, 2013. 24 Sec. 4. APPLICABILITY. This Act is applicable to school 25 years beginning on or after July 1, 2013. 26 EXPLANATION 27 This bill changes the earliest school start date to 28 September 1 and limits the authority of the department of 29 education to grant a school district’s request to commence 30 classes prior to the earliest start date allowed to a date no 31 earlier than the fourth Monday of August. The bill requires 32 the department to charge a waiver application fee of $100, 33 which the department must deposit in the general fund of the 34 state. 35 -2- LSB 6111YC (2) 84 kh/rj 2/ 3

H.F. _____ Currently the earliest start date is a day during the 1 calendar week in which the first day of September falls or, 2 if the first day of September falls on a Sunday, a day during 3 the prior week, and the earliest start date the department 4 is authorized to grant is unspecified. School districts 5 that maintain a year around three-semester school year or 6 an innovative school year pilot program are exempt from the 7 earliest start date requirements. 8 The bill makes conforming changes to modify a provision 9 that provides for a reduction in school foundation aid when 10 school districts implement early school starts. The bill also 11 includes a technical correction. 12 The bill takes effect July 1, 2013, for school years 13 beginning on or after July 1, 2013. 14 -3- LSB 6111YC (2) 84 kh/rj 3/ 3