SF 423 (LSB 2122SV (5) 85)

SENATE FILE 423

BY  COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

(SUCCESSOR TO SSB 1228)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to and providing for education reform involving student, teacher, and administrator programs and activities under the purview of the department of education, the state board of education, college student aid commission, school districts and accredited nonpublic schools; establishing a fee; and including effective date and applicability provisions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

DIVISION I

INSTRUCTIONAL HOURS
    Section 1.  Section 256.7, subsection 19, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   19.  Define the minimum school day as a day consisting of five and one-half hours of instructional time for grades one through twelve. The minimum hours
 
as time that shall be exclusive of the lunch period, but may include passing time between classes. Time spent on parent-teacher conferences shall be considered instructional time. A school or school district may record a day of school with less than the minimum instructional hours as a minimum school day if any of the following apply:
   a.  If emergency health or safety factors require the late arrival or early dismissal of students on a specific day.
   b.  If the total hours of instructional school time for grades one through twelve for any five consecutive school days equal a minimum of twenty-seven and one-half hours, even though any one day of school is less than the minimum instructional hours because of a staff development opportunity provided for the professional instructional staff or because parent-teacher conferences have been scheduled beyond the regular school day. Furthermore, if the total hours of instructional time for the first four consecutive days equal at least twenty-seven and one-half hours because parent-teacher conferences have been scheduled beyond the regular school day, a school or school district may record zero hours of instructional time on the fifth consecutive school day as a minimum school day.
    Sec. 2.  Section 256F.4, subsection 5, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   5.  A charter school or innovation zone school shall provide instruction for at least the number of days
 
hours required by section 279.10, subsection 1, or shall provide at least the equivalent number of total hours.
    Sec. 3.  Section 279.10, subsection 1, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   1.  The school year
 
for each school district and accredited nonpublic school shall begin on the first day of July
 
1 and each regularly established elementary and secondary school shall begin no sooner than a day during the calendar week in which the first day of September falls but no later than the first Monday in December. However, if the first day of September falls on a Sunday, school may begin on a day during the calendar week which immediately precedes the first day of September. School shall continue for at least one hundred eighty days, except as provided in subsection 3, and may be maintained
 
The school calendar shall include not less than one thousand eighty hours of instruction during the entire calendar year. However, if
 
The board of directors of a school district and the authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school shall set the number of hours of required attendance for the school year as provided in section 299.1, subsection 2, but the board of directors of a school district shall hold a public hearing on any proposed school calendar prior to adopting the school calendar. If the board of directors of a district
 
or the authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school extends the school calendar because inclement weather caused the
 
school district
 
or accredited nonpublic school to temporarily close school during the regular school calendar, the
 
school district
 
or accredited nonpublic school may excuse a graduating senior who has met district or school requirements for graduation from attendance during the extended school calendar. A school corporation may begin employment of personnel for in-service training and development purposes before the date to begin elementary and secondary school.
    Sec. 4.  Section 279.10, subsection 2, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   2.  The board of directors shall hold a public hearing on any proposal
 
relating to the school calendar prior to submitting it to the department of education for approval.
    Sec. 5.  Section 299.1, subsection 2, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   2.  The board of directors of a public school district or the governing body of an accredited nonpublic school shall set the number of days
 
hours of required attendance for the schools under its control. The board of directors of a public school district or the governing body of an accredited nonpublic school may, by resolution, require attendance for the entire time when the schools are in session in any school year and adopt a policy or rules relating to the reasons considered to be valid or acceptable excuses for absence from school.
    Sec. 6.  Section 299.4, subsection 1, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   1.  The parent, guardian, or legal custodian of a child who is of compulsory attendance age, who places the child under competent private instruction under either section 299A.2 or 299A.3, not in an accredited school or a home school assistance program operated by a school district or accredited nonpublic school, shall furnish a report in duplicate on forms provided by the public school district, to the district by the earliest starting date specified in section 279.10, subsection 1

September 1 of the school year in which the child will be under competent private instruction. The secretary shall retain and file one copy and forward the other copy to the district’s area education agency. The report shall state the name and age of the child, the period of time during which the child has been or will be under competent private instruction for the year, an outline of the course of study, texts used, and the name and address of the instructor. The parent, guardian, or legal custodian of a child, who is placing the child under competent private instruction for the first time, shall also provide the district with evidence that the child has had the immunizations required under section 139A.8, and, if the child is elementary school age, a blood lead test in accordance with section 135.105D. The term “outline of course of study” shall include subjects covered, lesson plans, and time spent on the areas of study.
    Sec. 7.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This division of this Act takes effect July 1, 2014.

DIVISION II

IOWA ONLINE INITIATIVE —— FEES
    Sec. 8.  Section 256.42, Code 2013, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  8.
  a.  Beginning July 1, 2016, the department shall establish fees payable by school districts and accredited nonpublic schools participating in the initiative. Fees collected pursuant to this subsection shall be deposited in the general fund of the state and shall be established so as not to exceed the cost of administering this section. 
   b.  Costs of administering this section include the costs of providing professional development necessary to prepare teachers to participate in the initiative, providing supervision of usage of the initiative by licensed teachers, acquiring and maintaining equipment and services necessary for use of the initiative, facilitating access to the initiative by school districts and accredited nonpublic schools, and necessary recordkeeping and accounting. Costs of administering this section do not include any of the following:
   (1)  Costs of course development.
   (2)  Costs of purchasing access to course materials unless such costs are charged on the basis of usage.

DIVISION III

TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT OF TEACHERS
    Sec. 9.  NEW SECTION.  256.96  Online state job posting system.
   1.  The department shall provide for the operation of an online state job posting system. The system shall be designed and implemented for the online posting of job openings offered by school districts, charter schools, area education agencies, the department, and accredited nonpublic schools. The system shall be accessible via the department’s internet site. The system shall include a mechanism for the electronic submission of job openings for posting on the system as provided in subsection 2. The system and each job posting on the system shall include a statement that an employer submitting a job opening for posting on the system will not discriminate in hiring on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, age, physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, marital status, or status as a veteran. The department may contract for, or partner with another entity for, the use of an existing internet site to operate the online state job posting system if the existing internet site is more effective and economical than the department’s internet site. 
   2.  A school district, charter school, or area education agency shall submit all of its job openings to the department for posting on the system. The department shall post all of its job openings on the system. An accredited nonpublic school may submit job openings to the department for posting on the system.
   3.  This section shall not be construed to do any of the following:
   a.  Prohibit any employer from advertising job openings and recruiting employees independently of the system.
   b.  Prohibit any employer from using another method of advertising job openings or another applicant tracking system in addition to the system.
   c.  Provide the department with any regulatory authority in the hiring process or hiring decisions of any employer other than the department.
    Sec. 10.  NEW SECTION.  261.110  Teach Iowa scholar program.
   1.  Contingent on a specific appropriation for these purposes, a teach Iowa scholar program is established to provide teach Iowa scholar grants to selected high-caliber teachers. The commission shall administer the program in consultation with the department of education.

   2.  An Iowa resident applicant shall be eligible for a teach Iowa scholar grant if the applicant meets all of the criteria specified under, or established in accordance with, subsection 3.
   3.  Criteria for eligibility shall be established by the commission and shall include but are not limited to the following:
   a.  The applicant was in the top twenty-five percent academically of students exiting a teacher preparation program approved by the state board of education pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 3, or a similar teacher preparation program in another state, had earned other comparable academic credentials, or had achieved comparable assessment scores.
   b.  The applicant is preparing to teach in fields including but not limited to science, technology, engineering, or mathematics; English as a second language or special education instruction; or is preparing to teach in a hard-to-staff subject as identified by the department. The department shall take into account the varying regional needs in the state for teachers in these subject areas when applying the criterion of this paragraph. The department shall annually identify and designate hard-to-staff subjects for the purpose of this paragraph.
   4.  A selected applicant who meets all of the eligibility requirements of this section shall be eligible for a teach Iowa scholar grant for each year of full-time employment completed in this state as a teacher for a school district, charter school, area education agency, or accredited nonpublic school. A teach Iowa scholar grant shall not exceed four thousand dollars per year per recipient. Grants awarded under this section shall not exceed a total of twenty thousand dollars per recipient over a five-year period.
   5.  The commission shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to administer this section. The rules shall include but shall not be limited to a process for use by the commission to determine which eligible applicants will receive teach Iowa scholar grants.
   6.  A teach Iowa scholar fund is established in the state treasury. The fund shall be administered by the commission and shall consist of moneys appropriated by the general assembly and any other moneys received by the commission for deposit in the fund.

DIVISION IV

TEACHER AND ADMINISTRATOR MATTERS
    Sec. 11.  Section 256.9, subsection 51, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   51.  Develop, and periodically review and revise as necessary, with significant input from Iowa administrators, Iowa standards for school administrators, including knowledge and skill criteria, and develop, based on the Iowa standards for administrators, mentoring and induction, evaluation processes, and professional development plans pursuant to chapter 284A.

The standards shall align with nationally accepted school administrator standards, and be designed specifically for purposes of chapters 272 and 284A. The criteria shall further define the characteristics of quality administrators as established by the Iowa standards for school administrators.
    Sec. 12.  Section 256.9, Code 2013, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  63.
  a.  Develop and implement a coaching and support system for teachers aligned with the Iowa teacher career path model established pursuant to section 284.7 and the framework and comparable career path and compensation systems approved as provided in section 284.15.
   b.  Develop and implement a coaching and support system for administrators aligned with the beginning administrator mentoring and induction program created pursuant to section 284A.5.
    Sec. 13.  Section 284.8, subsection 1, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   1.
  a.  A school district shall provide for an annual review of each teacher’s performance for purposes of assisting teachers in making continuous improvement,
 
developing skills to enrich a teacher’s professional life while increasing student learning, documenting continued competence in the Iowa teaching standards, identifying teachers in need of improvement, or to determine
 
determining whether the teacher’s practice meets school district expectations for career advancement in accordance with section 284.7. The review shall include, at minimum, classroom observation of the teacher, the teacher’s progress, and implementation of the teacher’s individual professional development plan, subject to the level of resources provided to implement the plan; and shall include supporting documentation from parents, students, and other teachers.
   b.  The first and second year of review shall be conducted by a peer group of
 
at least three but not more than six teachers
 
selected by the building principal in consultation with teachers and the building’s certified bargaining representative, if any.

Each teacher shall be assigned to a peer group and shall receive adequate training prior to conducting a peer group review. A teacher who participates in a peer group review shall be provided release time for the training and for the time spent in conducting the peer group review. If the process requires that a participating teacher work beyond regular hours, the teacher shall be paid the teacher’s per diem rate. The peer group shall be established to reflect common grade level, subject matter expertise, curriculum, and proximity or other previously established grouping of individuals employed to provide instruction to students. The peer group shall review all of the peer group members. Peer group reviews shall be
 
supportive and formative and shall be conducted on an informal,
 
confidential, collaborative basis that is focused on assisting each peer group member in achieving the goals of the teacher’s individual professional development plan.

If a conflict develops between persons participating in a peer group review, an effort shall be made to mediate the conflict.
   c.  Peer group reviews shall not be the basis for recommending that a teacher participate in an intensive assistance program, and shall not be used to determine the compensation, promotion, layoff, or termination of a teacher, or any other determination affecting a teacher’s employment status. However, as a result of a peer group review, a teacher may elect to participate in an intensive assistance program.
   d.  Members of the peer group shall be reviewed every third year by at least one evaluator certified in accordance with section 284.10.
   e.  The teacher who is the subject of a peer review shall have exclusive right to all documentation created as a result of the peer group review process. Content of a peer group review shall not be incorporated into a summative evaluation.

DIVISION V

IOWA TEACHER CAREER AND COMPENSATION MATTERS
    Sec. 14.  Section 257.1, subsection 2, paragraph b, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   b.  For the budget year commencing July 1, 1999, and for each succeeding budget year the regular program foundation base per pupil is eighty-seven and five-tenths percent of the regular program state cost per pupil. For the budget year commencing July 1, 1991, and for each succeeding budget year the special education support services foundation base is seventy-nine percent of the special education support services state cost per pupil. The combined foundation base is the sum of the regular program foundation base, the special education support services foundation base, the total teacher salary supplement district cost, the total professional development supplement district cost, the total early intervention supplement district cost,
 
the total teacher leadership supplement district cost, the total area education agency teacher salary supplement district cost, and the total area education agency professional development supplement district cost.
    Sec. 15.  Section 257.1, subsection 3, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   3.  Computations rounded.  In making computations and payments under this chapter, except in the case of computations relating to funding of special education support services, media services, and educational services provided through the area education agencies, and the teacher salary supplement, the professional development supplement, and the early intervention supplement,
 
and the teacher leadership supplement, the department of management shall round amounts to the nearest whole dollar.
    Sec. 16.  Section 257.4, subsection 1, paragraph a, Code 2013, is amended by adding the following new subparagraph:
   NEW SUBPARAGRAPH.  (8)  The total teacher leadership supplement district cost.
    Sec. 17.  Section 257.8, subsection 2, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   2.  Categorical state percent of growth.  The categorical state percent of growth for the budget year beginning July 1, 2010, is two percent. The categorical state percent of growth for the budget year beginning July 1, 2012, is two percent. The categorical state percent of growth for each budget year shall be established by statute which shall be enacted within thirty days of the submission in the year preceding the base year of the governor’s budget under section 8.21. The establishment of the categorical state percent of growth for a budget year shall be the only subject matter of the bill which enacts the categorical state percent of growth for a budget year. The categorical state percent of growth may include state percents of growth for the teacher salary supplement, the professional development supplement, and the early intervention supplement, and the teacher leadership supplement.
    Sec. 18.  Section 257.9, Code 2013, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  11.  Teacher leadership supplement state cost per pupil.  For the budget year beginning July 1, 2014, the teacher leadership supplement state cost per pupil shall be four hundred dollars payable to the school districts implementing an Iowa teacher career path model or compensation system approved by the department of education as provided in section 284.15. The teacher leadership supplement state cost per pupil for the budget year beginning July 1, 2015, and succeeding budget years, shall be the teacher leadership supplement state cost per pupil for the base year plus an allowable growth amount that is equal to the teacher leadership supplement categorical state percent of growth, pursuant to section 257.8, subsection 2, for the budget year, multiplied by the teacher leadership supplement state cost per pupil for the base year.
    Sec. 19.  Section 257.10, subsection 8, paragraph a, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   a.  Combined district cost is the sum of the regular program district cost per pupil multiplied by the weighted enrollment, the special education support services district cost, the total teacher salary supplement district cost, the total professional development supplement district cost, and the total early intervention supplement district cost,
 
and the total teacher leadership supplement district cost, plus the sum of the additional district cost allocated to the district to fund media services and educational services provided through the area education agency, the area education agency total teacher salary supplement district cost and the area education agency total professional development supplement district cost.
    Sec. 20.  Section 257.10, Code 2013, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  12.  Teacher leadership supplement cost per pupil and district cost.

   a.  For the budget year beginning July 1, 2014, the teacher leadership supplement district cost per pupil shall be four hundred dollars. For the budget year beginning July 1, 2015, and succeeding budget years, the teacher leadership supplement district cost per pupil for each school district for a budget year is the teacher leadership supplement program district cost per pupil for the base year plus the teacher leadership supplement state allowable growth amount for the budget year.
   b.  For the budget year beginning July 1, 2015, and succeeding budget years, if the department of management determines that the unadjusted teacher leadership supplement district cost of a school district for a budget year is less than one hundred percent of the unadjusted teacher leadership supplement district cost for the base year for the school district, the school district shall receive a budget adjustment for that budget year equal to the difference.
   c.
  (1)  The unadjusted teacher leadership supplement district cost is the teacher leadership supplement district cost per pupil for each school district for a budget year multiplied by the budget enrollment for that school district.
   (2)  The total teacher leadership supplement district cost is the sum of the unadjusted teacher leadership supplement district cost plus the budget adjustment for that budget year.
   d.  For the budget year beginning July 1, 2014, and succeeding budget years, the use of the funds calculated under this subsection shall comply with the requirements of chapter 284 and shall be distributed to teachers pursuant to section 284.15.
    Sec. 21.  Section 257.16, subsection 4, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   4.  Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, if the governor orders budget reductions in accordance with section 8.31, the teacher salary supplement district cost, the professional development supplement district cost, and the early intervention supplement district cost, and the teacher leadership supplement district cost as calculated under section 257.10, subsections 9, 10, and 11,
 
and 12, and the area education agency teacher salary supplement district cost and the area education agency professional development supplement district cost as calculated under section 257.37A, subsections 1 and 2, shall be paid in full as calculated and the reductions in the appropriations provided in accordance with this section shall be reduced from the remaining moneys appropriated pursuant to this section and shall be distributed on a per pupil basis calculated with the weighted enrollment determined in accordance with section 257.6, subsection 5.
    Sec. 22.  Section 284.2, subsection 1, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   1.  “Beginning teacher” means an individual serving under an initial or intern license, issued by the board of educational examiners under chapter 272, who is assuming a position as a teacher.

“Beginning teacher” includes an individual who is an initial teacher. For purposes of the beginning teacher mentoring and induction program created pursuant to section 284.5, “beginning teacher” also includes preschool teachers who are licensed by the board of educational examiners under chapter 272 and are employed by a school district or area education agency. “Beginning teacher” does not include a teacher whose employment with a school district or area education agency is probationary unless the teacher is serving under an initial or teacher intern license issued by the board of educational examiners under chapter 272.
    Sec. 23.  Section 284.3, subsection 2, paragraph a, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   a.  For purposes of comprehensive evaluations for, standards and criteria which measure a beginning teachers required to allow beginning teachers to progress to career teachers, standards and criteria that are
 
teacher’s performance against the Iowa teaching standards specified in subsection 1, and the criteria for the Iowa teaching standards developed by the department in accordance with section 256.9, subsection 46, to determine whether the teacher’s practice meets the requirements specified for a career teacher. These standards and criteria shall be set forth in an instrument provided by the department. The comprehensive evaluation and instrument are not subject to negotiations or grievance procedures pursuant to chapter 20 or determinations made by the board of directors under section 279.14. A local school board and its certified bargaining representative may negotiate, pursuant to chapter 20, evaluation and grievance procedures for beginning teachers that are not in conflict with this chapter. If, in accordance with section 279.19, a beginning teacher appeals the determination of a school board to an adjudicator under section 279.17, the adjudicator selected shall have successfully completed training related to the Iowa teacher standards, the criteria adopted by the state board of education in accordance with subsection 3, and any additional training required under rules adopted by the public employment relations board in cooperation with the state board of education.
    Sec. 24.  Section 284.3A, subsection 2, paragraph a, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   a.  For the school budget year beginning July 1, 2010, and each succeeding school year, school districts and area education agencies shall combine payments made to teachers under sections 257.10 and 257.37A with regular wages to create a combined salary. The teacher contract issued under section 279.13 must include the combined salary. If a school district or area education agency uses a salary schedule, a combined salary schedule shall be used for regular wages and for distribution of payments under sections 257.10 and 257.37A, incorporating the salary minimums required in section 284.7
 
or 284.15. The combined salary schedule must use only the combined salary and cannot differentiate regular salaries and distribution of payments under sections 257.10 and 257.37A.
    Sec. 25.  Section 284.5, subsection 4, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   4.  Each school district and area education agency shall develop an initial beginning teacher mentoring and induction
 
a plan
 
for the program. A school district shall include its plan in the school district’s comprehensive school improvement plan submitted pursuant to section 256.7, subsection 21. The beginning teacher mentoring and induction plan shall, at a minimum, provide for a two-year sequence of induction program content and activities to support the Iowa teaching standards and beginning teacher professional and personal needs; mentor training that includes, at a minimum, skills of classroom demonstration and coaching, and district expectations for beginning teacher competence on Iowa teaching standards; placement of mentors and beginning teachers; the process for dissolving mentor and beginning teacher partnerships; district organizational support for release time for mentors and beginning teachers to plan, provide demonstration of classroom practices, observe teaching, and provide feedback; structure for mentor selection and assignment of mentors to beginning teachers; a district facilitator; and program evaluation.

In addition, for beginning prekindergarten through grade three teachers, the plan shall provide that such a teacher shall be mentored in the teacher’s classroom by a skilled mentor, and the plan for mentoring such teachers shall incorporate any recommendations offered by the Iowa reading research center established pursuant to section 256.9, subsection 53, paragraph “c”.
    Sec. 26.  Section 284.6, subsection 8, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   8.  For each year in which a school district receives funds calculated and paid to school districts for professional development pursuant to section 257.10, subsection 10, or section 257.37A, subsection 2, the school district shall create quality professional development opportunities. Not less than thirty-six hours in the school calendar, held outside of the minimum school day, shall be set aside during nonpreparation time or designated professional development time to allow practitioners to collaborate with each other to deliver educational programs and assess student learning, or to engage in peer
 
group review pursuant to section 284.8, subsection 1. The goal for the use of the funds is to provide one additional contract day or the equivalent thereof for professional development and use of the funds is limited
 
may be used to providing
 
provide professional development to teachers, including additional salaries for time beyond the normal negotiated agreement; pay for substitute teachers, professional development materials, speakers, and professional development content; and costs associated with implementing the individual professional development plans. The use of the funds shall be balanced between school district, attendance center, and individual professional development plans, making every reasonable effort to provide equal access to all teachers.
    Sec. 27.  Section 284.7, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   284.7  Iowa teacher career path
 
model.
   1. To promote continuous improvement in Iowa’s quality teaching workforce and to give Iowa teachers the opportunity for career recognition that reflects the various roles teachers play as educational leaders, an Iowa teacher career path model is established for teachers employed by school districts. A
 
If a school district is approved pursuant to section 284.15 to implement a model that meets the criteria established in this section and section 284.15, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, the school district shall use funding calculated and paid pursuant to section 257.10, subsection
 
subsections 9, to raise teacher salaries to meet the requirements of this section
 
and 12 for such purpose. The Iowa teacher career path model and the model’s salary minimums are as follows:
   1.  The following career path levels are established and shall be implemented in accordance with this chapter:

   a.  Beginning teacher.
   (1)  A beginning teacher is a teacher who meets the following requirements:
   (a)  Has successfully completed an approved practitioner preparation program as defined in section 272.1 or holds an intern teacher license issued by the board of educational examiners under chapter 272.
   (b)  Holds an initial or intern teacher license issued by the board of educational examiners.
   (c)  Participates in the beginning teacher mentoring and induction program as provided in this chapter.
   (2)  Beginning July 1, 2008
 
2014, the minimum salary for a beginning teacher shall be twenty-eight
 
thirty-five thousand dollars.
   b.  Career teacher.
   (1)  A career teacher is a teacher who holds a statement of professional recognition issued by the board of educational examiners under chapter 272 or who meets the following requirements:
   (a)  Has successfully completed the beginning teacher mentoring and induction program and has successfully completed a comprehensive evaluation as provided in this chapter.
   (b)  Is reviewed by the school district as demonstrating the competencies of a career teacher.
   (c)  Holds a valid license issued by the board of educational examiners.
   (d)  Participates in teacher professional development as set forth in this chapter and demonstrates continuous improvement in teaching.
   (2)  Beginning July 1, 2008
 
2014, the minimum salary for a first-year career teacher shall be thirty
 
thirty-seven thousand dollars.
   2.  It is the intent of the general assembly to establish and require the implementation of and provide for the implementation of the following additional career path levels:
   a.

c.  Career II teacher.
   (1)  A career II teacher is a teacher who meets the requirements of subsection 1, paragraph “b”, has met the requirements established by the school district that employs the teacher, and is evaluated by the school district as demonstrating the competencies of a career II teacher. The teacher shall have successfully completed a performance review in order to be classified as a career II teacher.
   (2)  It is the intent of the general assembly that the participating district shall establish a minimum salary for a career II teacher that is at least five thousand dollars greater than the minimum career teacher salary. It is further intended that the district shall adopt a plan that facilitates the transition of a career teacher to a career II level.

Beginning July 1, 2014, the minimum salary for a first-year career II teacher shall be forty-two thousand dollars.
   (3)  The contract term for a career II teacher shall exceed the contract term issued to a career teacher under section 279.13 by an additional five days. Approximately twenty-five percent of the career II teacher’s total contract time shall be spent on noninstructional duties, which may include but not be limited to time spent mentoring beginning and career teachers and supervising student teachers who are participating in a field experience pursuant to section 272.25. Allocation of the career II teacher’s time shall be mutually agreed to by the teacher and the school district.
   (4)  As an alternative to the twenty-five percent noninstructional time requirement of subparagraph (3), a career II teacher may spend at least five hours per week as a peer coach. Compensation for peer coaching duties shall be computed using the career II teacher’s hourly rate of compensation for the additional duties, which shall be performed during normal, noninstructional contract time. For purposes of this subparagraph, “peer coaching” means additional guidance in one or more aspects of the teaching profession provided to a teacher. Assignment as a peer coach shall be based on either a request from a principal or from an individual teacher upon approval of a principal. Peer coaching shall include detailed preliminary discussions as to areas in which the teacher being coached desires to improve; formulation of an action plan to bring about such improvement; in-class supervision by the peer coach; postclass discussion of strengths, weaknesses, and strategies for improvement; dialogue between the peer coach and students and school officials regarding the teacher being coached; and documentation of progress of the peer coaching. A peer coach shall coordinate peer coaching activities relating to training and professional development with an area education agency where appropriate.
   b.

d.  Advanced teacher.
   (1)  An advanced teacher is a teacher who meets the following requirements:
   (a)  Receives the recommendation of the review panel that the teacher possesses superior teaching skills and that the teacher should be classified as an advanced teacher.
   (b)  Holds a valid license from the board of educational examiners.
   (c)  Participates in teacher professional development as outlined in this chapter and demonstrates continuous improvement in teaching.
   (d)  Possesses the skills and qualifications to assume leadership roles.
   (2)  It is the intent of the general assembly that the participating district shall establish a minimum salary for an advanced teacher that is at least thirteen thousand five hundred dollars greater than the minimum career teacher salary.

Beginning July 1, 2014, the minimum salary for a first-year advanced teacher shall be fifty thousand five hundred dollars. In conjunction with the development of the review panel pursuant to section 284.9, the department shall make recommendations to the general assembly by January 1, 2002
 
2015, regarding the appropriate district-to-district recognition for advanced teachers and methods that facilitate the transition of a teacher to the advanced level.
   (3)  The contract term for an advanced teacher shall exceed the contract term issued to a career teacher under section 279.13 by an additional ten days. The goal of the contract shall be that at least fifty percent of the advanced teacher’s total contract time be spent on noninstructional duties, which may include but not be limited to time spent mentoring beginning and career teachers and supervising student teachers who are participating in a field experience pursuant to section 272.25; developing, planning, and organizing professional development; organizing peer review groups; and selecting course materials. Allocation of the advanced teacher’s time shall be mutually agreed to by the teacher and the school district.
   (4)  An advanced teacher may engage in peer coaching under the conditions specified in paragraph “c”, and if so, shall receive the stipend set out in paragraph “c”.
   2.  Each school district approved under section 284.15 to implement the model in accordance with this section shall meet the following staffing goals:
   a.  Employ at least one career II teacher in each elementary school.
   b.  Employ at least one advanced teacher for every three career II teachers employed.
   c.  Employ at least one career II teacher for each of the following subject areas taught in grades seven through twelve: English, mathematics, science, and social studies.
   3.  A teacher shall be promoted one level at a time and a teacher promoted to the next career level shall remain at that level for at least one year before requesting promotion to the next career level.
   4.  A teacher employed in a district shall not receive less compensation in that district than the teacher received in the school year preceding participation, as set forth in section 284.4 due to implementation of
 
the first year of compliance with this chapter
 
section occurring on or after July 1, 2014. A teacher who achieves national board for professional teaching standards certification and meets the requirements of section 256.44 shall continue to receive the award as specified in section 256.44 in addition to the compensation set forth in this section.
   5.  A school district that is unable to meet the provisions of subsection 1 with funds calculated and paid to the school district pursuant to section 257.10, subsection 9, may request a waiver from the department to use funds calculated and paid under section 257.10, subsection 11, to meet the provisions of subsection 1 if the difference between the funds calculated and paid pursuant to section 257.10, subsection 9, and the amount required to comply with subsection 1 is not less than ten thousand dollars. The department shall consider the average class size of the school district, the school district’s actual unspent balance from the preceding year, and the school district’s current financial position.
    Sec. 28.  NEW SECTION.  284.11  State supplemental assistance for teachers in high-need schools.
   1.  Findings and intent.  The general assembly finds that Iowa school districts need to be more competitive in recruiting and retaining talented teachers to teach in high-need schools. Therefore, it is the intent of the general assembly to encourage school districts to provide supplemental assistance to teachers to teach in high-need schools. This section provides for state assistance to allow school districts to provide supplemental assistance to motivate teachers to teach in high-need schools.
   2.  Department’s responsibilities.  Contingent on a specific appropriation for these purposes, the department shall do the following:
   a.  Collect relevant data and establish a list of high-need schools eligible for state supplemental assistance. The department shall establish a process and criteria to determine which schools are placed on the list and the department shall revise the list annually. Criteria for the determination of which high-need schools shall be placed on the list shall be based upon factors that include but are not limited to the socioeconomic status of the students enrolled in the school, the percentage of the school’s student body who are limited English proficient students, student academic growth, certified instructional staff attrition, and geographic balance. The department may approve or disapprove requests for revision of the list, which a school district submits pursuant to subsection 3. 
   b.  Develop a standardized process for distributing any moneys appropriated for supplemental assistance for high-need schools. In determining the process for distribution of such moneys, the department shall take into consideration the amount of moneys appropriated for supplemental assistance for teachers in high-need schools for the given year and the minimal amount of moneys needed per teacher to provide an incentive for a teacher to accept a teaching position in a high-need school. A school district receiving moneys pursuant to this section shall certify annually to the department how the moneys distributed to the school district pursuant to this section were used by the school district. 
   c.  Review the use and effectiveness of the funds distributed to school districts for supplemental assistance for teachers in high-need schools under this section. The department shall submit its findings and recommendations in a report to the general assembly by January 15 annually.
   3.  School district request for approval.  A school district may request on an annual basis approval from the department for additions to the list of high-need schools the department maintains pursuant to subsection 2 based upon the unique local conditions and needs of the school district. The criteria used to determine the placement of high-need schools on the list in accordance with subsection 2, does not restrict the department from adding a high-need school to the list as requested by a school district on the basis of unique local conditions and needs pursuant to this subsection. 
   4.  Eligibility.  Teachers of all subjects taught in a school included in the department’s list of high-need schools shall be eligible to receive supplemental assistance offered in accordance with this section. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the department’s determination of state supplemental assistance for teachers in high-need schools is not subject to appeal.
    Sec. 29.  NEW SECTION.  284.15  Iowa teacher career path model, framework, and comparable models and systems of career paths, leadership roles, and compensation.
   1.  Iowa teacher career path model, framework, and comparable models and systems.  An Iowa teacher career path model as provided in section 284.7 and subsection 1, or a framework or comparable model or system may be developed and implemented by a school district upon receiving approval pursuant to this section.
   a.  Minimum requirements.  Any Iowa teacher career path model, framework, or comparable model or system specified in section 284.7 or this section and approved pursuant to this section shall include, at a minimum, the following components:
   (1)  A minimum salary and a residency as provided in subsection 2, paragraph “b”, subparagraph (1).
   (2)  Additional levels of compensation for differentiated teacher roles, which shall not be less than the per diem rate established for regular teaching duties at the specified level prior to implementation of the comparable system.
   (3)  Multiple, differentiated teacher leadership roles beyond the initial teacher and career teacher levels, with a goal of making such levels available to at least twenty-five percent of the teacher workforce. Compensation at the differentiated levels shall be commensurate with the additional responsibilities of teachers who accept leadership roles.
   (4)  A rigorous selection process that involves teachers in determining placement in, and retention of, teacher leadership positions. The process shall include the following components:
   (a)  Site-based selection committees for districts with certified enrollments of six hundred or more students, or district-based selection committees for districts with certified enrollments of less than six hundred students.
   (b)  A requirement that a teacher chosen for a leadership role have not less than three years of experience in the school district.
   (c)  Exclusion of a teacher in a leadership role from supervisory duties.
   (d)  A requirement that teacher leaders be responsible for modeling best instructional practice, mentoring initial teachers, acting as liaisons with families, and helping colleagues prepare for peer group reviews and evaluations conducted pursuant to section 284.8. Teacher leaders shall not be responsible for purely administrative duties.
   (e)  Authorization for teacher leaders to participate in a peer group review under section 284.8.
   (5)  A professional development system facilitated by teachers and aligned with the Iowa professional development model adopted by the state board.
   (6)  Hiring permanent professional staff, including but not limited to retired teachers, at competitive rates, in order for an attendance center or school district to give teacher leaders time to focus on leadership duties.
   b.  Instructional coach and curriculum and professional development leader model.  The instructional coach and curriculum and professional development leader model shall include, at a minimum, the following components:
   (1)  The beginning teacher and career teacher levels specified in section 284.7, subsection 1, paragraphs “a” and “b”, and the residency requirement for an initial teacher as provided in subsection 2, paragraph “b”, subparagraph (1), subparagraph division (b).
   (2)  An instructional coach, who at a minimum meets the requirements specified for a career teacher in section 284.7, subsection 1, paragraph “b”, and who engages full-time in instructional coaching. For purposes of this subparagraph, “instructional coaching” means additional guidance in one or more aspects of the teaching profession provided to teachers. Assignment as an instructional coach shall be based on either a request from a principal or from an individual teacher upon approval of a principal. Instructional coaching shall include detailed preliminary discussions as to areas in which the teacher being coached desires to improve; formulation of an action plan to bring about such improvement; in-class supervision by the instructional coach; postclass discussion of strengths, weaknesses, and strategies for improvement; dialogue between the instructional coach and students and school officials regarding the teacher being coached; and documentation of progress of the instructional coaching. An instructional coach shall coordinate instructional coaching activities relating to training and professional development with an area education agency where appropriate. An instructional coach shall receive a stipend of not less than five thousand nor more than seven thousand dollars annually in addition to the teacher’s salary as a career teacher. A school district in compliance with this paragraph “b” shall employ one instructional coach at each attendance center or at least one instructional coach for every five hundred students enrolled in an attendance center, whichever number is greater.
   (3)  A curriculum and professional development leader, who at a minimum meets the requirements specified for a model teacher in subsection 2, paragraph “b”, shall receive additional training at the expense of the school district, during the summer. While receiving training pursuant to this subparagraph (3), the teacher shall be paid an additional salary amount for time beyond the school district’s normal teaching contract. The contract term for a curriculum and professional development leader shall exceed the contract term issued to a model teacher under section 279.13 by an additional fifteen days, and the curriculum and professional development leader shall receive a stipend of not less than ten thousand nor more than twelve thousand dollars annually in addition to the teacher’s salary as a model teacher. A curriculum and professional development leader shall do the following:
   (a)  Provide and demonstrate teaching on an ongoing basis.
   (b)  Routinely work strategically with teachers in planning, monitoring, reviewing, and implementing best instructional practices.
   (c)  Daily observe and coach teachers in effective instructional practices.
   (d)  Plan, facilitate, and routinely schedule literacy team meetings, professional study groups, and staff development sessions in best instructional practices.
   (e)  Routinely use sustained coaching cycles to support teacher growth and reflective practices.
   (f)  Work with and train classroom teachers to provide interventions aligned by subject area.
   (g)  If assigned by the district, work in a new model classroom, or provide daily support to existing model classroom teachers’ implementation efforts.
   (h)  Assist the building principal in developing and implementing a professional development plan.
   (i)  Meet weekly with the building principal and the building’s guidance counselors.
   (j)  Support instruction and learning through the use of technology.
   (k)  Actively participate in collaborative problem solving and reflective practices which include but are not limited to professional study groups, peer observations, grade level planning, and weekly team meetings.
   2.  Framework.
   a.  To promote continuous improvement in Iowa’s quality teaching workforce and to give Iowa teachers the opportunity for career recognition that reflects the various roles teachers play as educational leaders, a framework for Iowa teacher career paths, leadership roles, and compensation is established for teachers employed by school districts. A teacher employed by an area education agency may be included in a framework established by a school district if the area education agency and the school district enter into a contract for such purpose. The framework is designed to accomplish the following goals:
   (1)  To attract able and promising new teachers by offering competitive starting salaries and offering short-term and long-term professional development and leadership opportunities.
   (2)  To retain effective teachers by providing enhanced career opportunities.
   (3)  To promote collaboration by developing and supporting opportunities for teachers in schools and school districts statewide to learn from each other.
   (4)  To reward professional growth and effective teaching by providing pathways for career opportunities that come with increased leadership responsibilities and involve increased compensation.
   (5)  To improve student achievement by strengthening instruction.
   b.  The Iowa teacher career paths, leadership roles, and compensation requirements under the framework shall be as follows:
   (1)  Initial teacher.
   (a)  The salary for an initial teacher who has successfully completed an approved practitioner preparation program as defined in section 272.1 or holds an initial or intern teacher license issued under chapter 272, and who participates in the initial teacher mentoring and induction program as provided in this chapter, shall be at least thirty-five thousand dollars, which shall also constitute the minimum salary for an Iowa teacher.
   (b)  An initial teacher shall complete a teacher residency during the first year of employment that has all of the following characteristics:
   (i)  Intensive supervision or mentoring by a mentor teacher or lead teacher.
   (ii)  Sufficient collaboration time for the initial teacher in the residency year to be able to observe and learn from more experienced teachers, mentor teachers, and lead teachers employed by school districts located in this state.
   (iii)  A teaching load of not more than seventy-five percent student instruction to allow the initial teacher time for observation and learning. 
   (iv)  A teaching contract issued under section 279.13 that establishes an employment period which is five days longer than that required for career teachers employed by the school district of employment. The five additional contract days shall be used to strengthen instructional leadership in accordance with this subsection.
   (v)  Frequent observation, evaluation, and professional development opportunities.
   (2)  Career teacher. A career teacher is a teacher who meets the requirements of section 284.7, subsection 1, paragraph “b”. Beginning July 1, 2014, the minimum salary for a first-year career teacher shall be thirty-seven thousand dollars.
   (3)  Model teacher. A model teacher is a teacher who meets the requirements of subparagraph (2), has met the requirements established by the school district that employs the teacher, is evaluated by the school district as demonstrating the competencies of a model teacher, has participated in a rigorous review process, and has been recommended for a one-year assignment as a model teacher by a site-based or district-based review council appointed pursuant to paragraph “d”. A school district shall set as a goal the designation of at least ten percent of its teachers as model teachers, though the district may enter into an agreement with one or more other districts or an area education agency to meet this goal through a collaborative arrangement. The terms of the teaching contracts issued under section 279.13 to model teachers shall exceed by five days the terms of teaching contracts issued under section 279.13 to career teachers, and the five additional contract days shall be used to strengthen instructional leadership in accordance with this subsection. A model teacher shall receive annually a salary supplement of at least two thousand dollars.
   (4)  Mentor teacher. A mentor teacher is a teacher who is evaluated by the school district as demonstrating the competencies and superior teaching skills of a mentor teacher, and has been recommended for a one-year assignment as a mentor teacher by a site-based or district-based review council appointed pursuant to paragraph “d”. In addition, a mentor teacher shall hold a valid license issued under chapter 272, participate in teacher professional development as outlined in this chapter, demonstrate continuous improvement in teaching, and possess the skills and qualifications to assume leadership roles. A mentor teacher shall have a teaching load of not more than seventy-five percent student instruction to allow the teacher to mentor other teachers. A school district shall set as a goal the designation of at least ten percent of its teachers as mentor teachers, though the district may enter into an agreement with one or more other districts or an area education agency to meet this goal through a collaborative arrangement. The terms of the teaching contracts issued under section 279.13 to mentor teachers shall exceed by ten days the terms of teaching contracts issued under section 279.13 to career teachers, and the ten additional contract days shall be used to strengthen instructional leadership in accordance with this subsection. A mentor teacher shall receive annually a salary supplement of at least five thousand dollars.
   (5)  Lead teacher. A lead teacher is a teacher who holds a valid license issued under chapter 272 and has been recommended for a one-year assignment as a lead teacher by a site-based or district-based review council appointed pursuant to paragraph “d”. The recommendation from the council must assert that the teacher possesses superior teaching skills and the ability to lead adult learners. A lead teacher shall assume leadership roles that may include but are not limited to the planning and delivery of professional development activities designed to improve instructional strategies; the facilitation of an instructional leadership team within the lead teacher’s building, school district, or other school districts; the mentoring of other teachers; and participation in the evaluation of student teachers. A lead teacher shall have a teaching load of not more than fifty percent student instruction to allow the lead teacher to spend time on co-teaching; co-planning; peer reviews; observing career teachers, model teachers, and mentor teachers; and other duties mutually agreed upon by the superintendent and the lead teacher. A school district shall set as a goal the designation of at least five percent of its teachers as lead teachers, though the district may enter into an agreement with one or more other districts or an area education agency to meet this goal through a collaborative arrangement. The terms of the teaching contracts issued under section 279.13 to lead teachers shall exceed by fifteen days the terms of teaching contracts issued under section 279.13 to career teachers, and the fifteen additional contract days shall be used to strengthen instructional leadership in accordance with this subsection. A lead teacher shall receive annually a salary supplement of at least ten thousand dollars.
   3.  Salary supplements and appeal.  The salary supplement received by teachers in leadership roles pursuant to section 257.10, subsection 12, shall fully cover the salary costs of the additional contract days required of teachers in leadership roles. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the determinations of salary supplements paid pursuant to this section are not subject to appeal.
   4.  Review councils.  The school board shall appoint a site-based review council if the school district has a certified enrollment of six hundred or more students, or a district-based selection council if the school district has a certified enrollment of less than six hundred students.
   a.  Each council shall be comprised of equal numbers of teachers and administrators. Teacher members shall include teachers who have been nominated by the certified employee organization that represents the school district’s teachers, if such organization exists, or, if such organization does not exist, by a teacher quality committee.
   b.  The council shall accept and review applications submitted to the school’s or the school district’s administration for assignment or reassignment as a model, mentor, or lead teacher, and shall make recommendations regarding the applications to the superintendent of the school district. In developing recommendations, the council shall utilize measures of teacher effectiveness and professional growth, consider the needs of the school district, and review the performance and professional development of the applicants. Any teacher recommended for assignment or reassignment as a model, mentor, or lead teacher shall have demonstrated to the council’s satisfaction competency on the Iowa teaching standards as set forth in section 284.3.
   5.  Leadership role assignment.  An assignment to a teacher leadership role pursuant to this chapter shall be subject to review by the school’s or the school district’s administration at least annually. The review shall include peer feedback on the effectiveness of the teacher’s performance of duty specific to the teacher’s career path. A teacher who completes the time period of assignment in a teacher leadership role may apply to the school’s or the school district’s administration for assignment in a new role if appropriate or for reassignment.
   6.  Status quo.  A teacher employed in a school district shall not receive less compensation in that district than the teacher received in the school year preceding participation, as set forth in section 284.4, due to implementation of this section. A teacher who achieves national board for professional teaching standards certification and meets the requirements of section 256.44 shall continue to receive the award as specified in section 256.44 in addition to the compensation set forth in this section.
   7.  Early implementation.  Prior to July 1, 2016, a school district may apply to the commission on educator leadership and compensation for early implementation of the Iowa teacher career path model, the framework, or a comparable model or system of career paths and compensation for teachers that contains differentiated multiple leadership roles.
   8.  Implementation.  On or after July 1, 2016, contingent on a specific appropriation for these purposes, each school district shall implement the Iowa teacher career path model, framework, or comparable model or system for which the school district received approval pursuant to this section. Compliance with this subsection shall be determined by the accreditation team authorized pursuant to section 256.11. A school district shall not be required to fully implement the Iowa teacher career path model, a framework, or comparable model or system pursuant to this section if implementation costs exceed the state school foundation aid, including the moneys received under section 257.10, subsections 9 and 12, the school receives. However, if a school district’s implementation costs exceed the state school foundation aid received pursuant to this subsection, the school district shall implement as much of the approved framework, model, or system, as reasonably possible, and shall, at a minimum, meet the minimum salary requirements for an Iowa teacher as provided in subsection 2, paragraph “b”, subparagraph (1).
   9.  Approval.  The department shall establish criteria and a process for application of the framework established under subsection 2, and for comparable models and systems, which a school district may implement pursuant to subsection 7, or shall implement in accordance with subsection 8.
   10.  Teachers emeritus.  A school district is encouraged to utilize appropriately licensed teachers emeritus in the implementation of this section.
   11.  Attendance center applicability.  The framework or comparable system approved and implemented by a school district in accordance with this section shall be applicable to teachers in every attendance center operated by the school district.
   12.  Planning grants.  Contingent on a specific appropriation for these purposes, a school district may apply to the department for a planning grant to design an implementation strategy for the Iowa teacher career path model under section 284.7 and this section, and the framework or a comparable model or system that contains differentiated multiple leadership roles. The planning grant shall be used to facilitate a local decision-making process that includes representation of administrators, teachers, and parents and guardians of students. The department shall establish and make available an application for the awarding of planning grants for purposes of this subsection.
   13.  Commission on educator leadership and compensation.  The department shall establish, and provide staffing and administrative support for a commission on educator leadership and compensation. The commission shall monitor with fidelity the implementation of the Iowa teacher career path model, the framework, and comparable models and systems by school districts approved pursuant to this subsection. The commission shall evaluate the applications submitted for approval pursuant to this section and shall approve or disapprove such applications. An application shall only be approved if the school district receives state school foundation aid, including the moneys received under section 257.10, subsections 9 and 12, in an amount that will cover the costs of the framework, model, or system approved pursuant to this section. If the commission disapproves an application, the commission shall specify the reasons for disapproval. A school district that receives approval to implement a framework, model, or system under this chapter is eligible to receive funds under section 257.10, subsection 12. In addition, the commission shall review the use and effectiveness of the funds distributed to school districts for supplemental assistance to teachers in high-need schools under section 284.11.
   a.  The commission shall be comprised of the following:
   (1)  Five teachers selected by the Iowa state education association.
   (2)  Three administrators selected by the school administrators of Iowa.
   (3)  Two school board members selected by the Iowa association of school boards.
   (4)  Each president or president’s designee of the Iowa state education association, the school administrators of Iowa, and the Iowa association of school boards.
   (5)  The director or the director’s designee.
   b.  Members shall be appointed to staggered three-year terms which shall begin and end as provided in section 69.19. Appointments shall comply with sections 69.16, 69.16A, and 69.16C. Vacancies on the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. A person appointed to fill a vacancy shall serve only for the unexpired portion of the term. Members are entitled to reimbursement of actual expenses incurred in performance of their official duties.
   c.  By December 15 annually, the commission shall submit its findings and any recommendations, including but not limited to any recommendations for changes to this section or section 284.7, and for changes to section 284.11 relating to state supplemental assistance to teachers in high-need schools, in a report to the director, the state board, the governor, and the general assembly.
   14.
  a.  Teacher leadership supplement foundation aid calculated under section 257.10, subsection 12, shall be paid as part of the state aid payments made to school districts in accordance with section 257.16. 
   b.  Notwithstanding section 284.3A, teacher leadership supplement foundation aid shall not be combined with regular wages to create a combined salary. 
   c.  The teacher leadership supplement district cost as calculated under section 257.10, subsection 12, is not subject to a uniform reduction in accordance with section 8.31.
   d.  Except as otherwise provided by law for a fiscal year, of the amount appropriated statewide for that fiscal year for payment of the teacher leadership supplement pursuant to section 257.10, subsection 12, the department may use an amount not to exceed five hundred thousand dollars to provide administration and oversight of the Iowa teacher career path model, framework, and comparable models and systems approved and implemented pursuant to this chapter and to fund up to two full-time equivalent positions which shall be in addition to the number of positions authorized for the fiscal year.
    Sec. 30.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  The following provision or provisions of this division of this Act take effect July 1, 2014:
   1.  The section of this Act amending section 284.7.

DIVISION VI

MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
    Sec. 31.  Section 256.9, subsection 53, paragraph c, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   Establish
 
in collaboration with the state board of regents, subject to an appropriation of funds by the general assembly
 
contingent on a specific appropriation for such purpose, an Iowa reading research center. 
    Sec. 32.  Section 256.9, subsection 53, paragraph c, subparagraph (3), Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   (3)  The center shall submit a report of its activities to the general assembly by January 15 annually.

By January 15, 2015, the annual report shall include but not be limited to recommendations regarding the following measures to support schools in implementing chapter 284 with regard to the prekindergarten through grade three years:
   (a)  Tools and strategies for assessing early elementary school teachers to determine whether they have the skills and abilities to serve as mentor or lead teachers to other early elementary school teachers.
   (b)  Specific training and professional development to support the mentoring responsibilities of mentor teachers and lead teachers.
   (c)  Assessment tools to identify struggling readers and evidence-based measures designed to respond to the needs of such students.
   (d)  Resources, guides, and informational materials which parents and teachers may share to promote early literacy.
    Sec. 33.  NEW SECTION.  256.24  Competency-based education grant program.
   1.  Contingent on a specific appropriation for these purposes, the department shall establish a competency-based education grant program to award grants to not more than ten school districts annually for purposes of developing, implementing, and evaluating competency-based education pilot and demonstration projects.
   2.  The department shall develop grant application, selection, and evaluation criteria.
   3.  Each pilot or demonstration project shall be conducted for a minimum of one year, but may be conducted for multiple school years as proposed by the applicant and approved by the department.

   4.  Grant moneys shall be distributed to selected school districts by the department no later than December 1, 2013. Grant amounts shall be distributed as determined by the department.
   5.  The department shall submit progress reports analyzing the status and preliminary findings of the projects to the state board, the governor, and the general assembly by January 15 annually. The department shall summarize the projects’ findings, including student achievement results, and submit the summary and any recommendations in a final report to the state board, the governor, and the general assembly by January 15, 2019.
    Sec. 34.  NEW SECTION.  256.27  Economically challenged schools grant program.
   1.  Contingent on a specific appropriation for these purposes, the department shall establish an economically challenged schools grant program to award funds to school district attendance centers to create pilot projects designed to meet the needs of prekindergarten through grade twelve students who are not proficient in reading or mathematics and to involve the students’ parents in supporting project activities. Pilot project activities may include but are not limited to establishing a longer school day, longer school calendar, summer school, or intensive reading and mathematics programs for such students.
   2.  The department shall develop grant application, selection, and evaluation criteria. The priorities for the grant funds shall include applications from school districts with high percentages of students who are below grade level in proficiency, or who are eligible for free or reduced price meals under the federal National School Lunch Act and the federal Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. § 1751-1785, and shall include providing project services on a voluntary basis to students deemed at risk of not succeeding in reading or mathematics. The department shall make every reasonable effort to equitably distribute grant funds geographically among rural and urban areas.
   3.  Each pilot project shall be conducted for a minimum of one year, but may be conducted for multiple school years as proposed by the applicant and approved by the department.
   4.  The department shall submit progress reports analyzing the status and preliminary findings of the projects to the state board, the governor, and the general assembly by January 15 annually. The department shall summarize the projects’ findings, including student achievement results, and submit the summary and any recommendations in a final report to the state board, the governor, and the general assembly by January 15, 2019.
   5.  This section is repealed effective June 30, 2018.
    Sec. 35.  NEW SECTION.  256.34  World language education pilot project.
   1.  Contingent on a specific appropriation for these purposes, the department shall establish a world language education pilot project to enhance foreign language education in Iowa schools. The department shall administer the pilot project in partnership with the university of northern Iowa and up to three school districts. The department shall establish criteria for the selection of school districts to participate in the pilot project.
   2.  The department shall establish a world language education administrative team to be composed of school administrators from school districts participating in the pilot project. Team members shall conduct fact finding visits to schools in the United States and at least one foreign school that exemplify best practices for world class foreign language education delivery models. A fact finding visit to a foreign school pursuant to this section shall not be funded with state moneys. Team members shall work with the department and university of northern Iowa to develop standards and benchmarks based on the latest edition of the national standards for foreign language learning, to develop a written and verbal assessment system that measures foreign language competencies, and to support participating school districts in the development of curricula based on the latest edition of the national standards for foreign language learning.
   3.  Each school district participating in the pilot project, in coordination with the department, shall compare on an annual basis its results under the pilot project with state data to determine the outcomes of the pilot project for student learning.
   4.  The world language education administrative team, in coordination with the department and the university of northern Iowa, shall submit its findings and recommendations regarding the pilot project and foreign language education in this state in a report to the general assembly by December 19, 2014.
    Sec. 36.  Section 256C.4, subsection 1, paragraph e, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   e.  Preschool foundation aid funding shall not be used for the costs of constructing a facility in connection with an approved local program.

Preschool foundation aid funding may be used by approved local programs and community providers for professional development for preschool teachers, for instructional equipment, for material and equipment designed to develop pupils’ large and small motor skills, and for other direct costs. Preschool foundation aid funding received by an approved local program that remain unexpended or unobligated at the end of a fiscal year shall be used to build the approved local program’s preschool program capacity in the next succeeding fiscal year.
    Sec. 37.  Section 257.11, Code 2013, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  7A.  Economically challenged schools grant program.  Pupils who are eligible for free and reduced price meals under the federal National School Lunch Act and the federal Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. § 1751-1785, and who are enrolled in a school district that is approved to create a pilot project pursuant to section 256.27 shall receive a supplemental weighting of one-tenth of one pupil. This subsection is repealed effective June 30, 2018.
    Sec. 38.  Section 272.2, subsection 13, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   13.  Adopt rules to provide for nontraditional preparation options for licensing persons who hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, who
 
but do not meet other requirements for licensure.

However, prior to issuing licenses pursuant to this subsection, the board shall recommend licensing criteria to the general assembly. Licenses shall not be issued under this subsection except pursuant to statutory licensing criteria enacted pursuant to such recommendations.
    Sec. 39.  Section 279.9, Code 2013, is amended to read as follows:
   279.9  Use of tobacco, alcoholic beverages, or controlled substances.
   1.  The rules shall prohibit the use of tobacco, including nicotine products, and the use or possession of alcoholic liquor, wine, or beer or any controlled substance as defined in section 124.101, subsection 5, by any student of the schools and the, or by anyone on school grounds, is prohibited. A school board may suspend or expel a student for a violation of a rule under this section.

For violation of this section, a school board may remove a person from school grounds and may bar the person’s future presence on school grounds.
   2.  As used in this section, “nicotine product” means any product containing nicotine or any other preparation of tobacco not described in section 453A.1, and any product or formulation of matter containing biologically active amounts of nicotine that is manufactured, sold, offered for sale, or otherwise distributed with the expectation that the product or matter will be introduced into the human body. “Nicotine product” does not include any cessation product specifically approved by the United States food and drug administration for use in reducing, treating, or eliminating nicotine or tobacco dependence.
    Sec. 40.  Section 279.60, subsections 1 and 2, Code 2013, are amended to read as follows:
   1.  Each school district shall administer a kindergarten readiness
 
the teaching strategies gold early childhood assessment prescribed by the department of education to every resident prekindergarten or four-year-old child whose parent or guardian enrolls the child in the district, and to every kindergarten student enrolled in the district not later than the date specified in section 257.6, subsection 1. The assessment shall be aligned with state early learning standards and preschool programs shall be encouraged to administer the assessment at least at the beginning and end of the preschool program, with the assessment information entered into the statewide longitudinal data system. The department shall work to develop agreements with head start programs to incorporate similar information about four-year-old children served by head start into the statewide longitudinal data system.
   2.
  a.  Each school district shall administer the dynamic indicators of basic early literacy skills kindergarten benchmark assessment or other kindergarten benchmark assessment adopted by the department of education in consultation with the early childhood Iowa state board to every kindergarten student enrolled in the district not later than the date specified in section 257.6, subsection 1. The school district shall also collect information from each parent, guardian, or legal custodian of a kindergarten student enrolled in the district, including but not limited to whether the student attended preschool, factors identified by the early childhood Iowa office pursuant to section 256I.5, and other demographic factors. Each school district shall report the results of the
 
community strategies employed during the prior school year pursuant to section 279.68, subsection 4, paragraph “a”, the assessment
 
administered pursuant to subsection 1, and the preschool information collected to the department of education in the manner prescribed by the department not later than January 1 of that school year. The early childhood Iowa office in the department of management shall have access to the raw data. The department shall review the information submitted pursuant to this section and shall submit its findings and recommendations annually in a report to the governor, the general assembly, the early childhood Iowa state board, and the early childhood Iowa area boards.
   b.  This subsection is repealed July 1, 2013.
    Sec. 41.  REPEAL.  Section 256D.9, Code 2013, is repealed.
    Sec. 42.  COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS.  Contingent on a specific appropriation for these purposes, the department of education shall implement the recommendations of the competency-based education task force established pursuant to 2012 Iowa Acts, chapter 1119, section 2, relating to the development of model competencies, to investigating and providing examples of templates that will effectively and efficiently record and report student achievement in a competency-based environment, to developing the assessment validation rubric and model assessments aligned to the competencies, and to creating opportunities for professional development for preservice and in-service for practitioners.
    Sec. 43.  SCHOOL DISTRICT REPORTING REQUIREMENT TASK FORCE —— STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
   1.
  a.  A reporting requirement review task force is established consisting of five members who shall be appointed by the director of the department of education as follows:
   (1)  One member from nominees submitted by an organization representing the boards of Iowa school districts.
   (2)  One member from nominees submitted by an organization representing Iowa school administrators.
   (3)  One member from nominees submitted by the largest statewide certified employee organization representing Iowa teachers.
   (4)  One member representing the department of education.
   (5)  One member representing the general public.
   b.  The member representing the department of education shall convene the initial meeting, at which the members shall elect a chairperson.
   2.  The department of education shall compile a list of reports that school districts are required to submit to the department biennially or more frequently. The department shall submit the list to the reporting requirement review task force by September 3, 2013.
   3.  The task force shall review the list submitted by the department pursuant to subsection 2. For each reporting requirement listed, the task force shall produce written justification for continuing, modifying, or eliminating the requirement. The task force shall compile its written justifications in a report the task force shall submit to the state board of education and to the general assembly by December 2, 2013.
   4.  The state board of education shall review the report submitted pursuant to subsection 3, and shall determine which of the task force recommendations for modifying or eliminating requirements may be accomplished by administrative rule and which must be accomplished by statute. The state board shall submit its findings and recommendations, including plans for board action relating to administrative rules and board recommendations for specific statutory changes, in a report to the general assembly by February 3, 2014.
    Sec. 44.  SCHOOL YEAR-LONG STUDENT TEACHING FIELD EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT —— STUDY.
   1.
  a.  Each practitioner preparation program offered at an institution of higher learning governed by the state board of regents shall convene a study committee of education faculty members to study the feasibility of establishing professional development schools for preservice teacher candidates in collaboration with school districts, and the feasibility of requiring students enrolled in practitioner preparation programs to complete a field experience lasting one full school year.
   b.  Each study committee shall evaluate for its institution the following issues relating specifically to a proposed professional development school and relating specifically to a proposed full school year of student teaching field experience:
   (1)  The impact on the likelihood a student will graduate within four years, including but not limited to consideration of the cost to a student, student debt load, and class scheduling.
   (2)  The impact on university faculty and the need to employ more faculty, including the need to deliver coursework and supervision to student teachers in the field.
   (3)  The availability of an adequate number of placements in prekindergarten through grade twelve schools and the impact on a school district, including but not limited to the district’s cost to compensate cooperating teachers.
   (4)  The likely impact on the abilities and performance of a student teacher and whether the benefits outweigh the costs.
   (5)  The likely impact on student achievement of students in the student teacher’s classroom.
   c.  The study committees convened pursuant to paragraph “a” shall submit their findings and recommendations in a report to the state board of regents, the department of education, the board of educational examiners, the governor, and the general assembly by December 2, 2013.
   2.  The Iowa association of independent colleges is encouraged to form a study committee comprised of education faculty members with duties similar to those provided for in subsection 1 for its member institutions which offer approved practitioner preparation programs, and to submit any resulting findings and recommendations to the general assembly by December 2, 2013.
    Sec. 45.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  The following provision or provisions of this division of this Act take effect June 30, 2013:
   1.  The section of this division of this Act amending section 279.60, subsection 2, paragraph “b”.
    Sec. 46.  EFFECTIVE UPON ENACTMENT.  The following provision or provisions of this division of this Act, being deemed of immediate importance, take effect upon enactment:
   1.  The section of this division of this Act repealing section 256D.9.
   2.  The section of this division of this Act amending section 272.2.

DIVISION VII

STATE SCHOOL FOUNDATION PROGRAM
    Sec. 47.  Section 257.8, subsections 1 and 2, Code 2013, are amended to read as follows:
   1.  State percent of growth.  The state percent of growth for the budget year beginning July 1, 2010, is two percent. The state percent of growth for the budget year beginning July 1, 2012, is two percent.

The state percent of growth for the budget year beginning July 1, 2013, is four percent. The state percent of growth for the budget year beginning July 1, 2014, is four percent. The state percent of growth for each subsequent budget year shall be established by statute which shall be enacted within thirty days of the submission in the year preceding the base year of the governor’s budget under section 8.21. The establishment of the state percent of growth for a budget year shall be the only subject matter of the bill which enacts the state percent of growth for a budget year.
   2.  Categorical state percent of growth.  The categorical state percent of growth for the budget year beginning July 1, 2010, is two percent. The categorical state percent of growth for the budget year beginning July 1, 2012, is two percent.

The categorical state percent of growth for the budget year beginning July 1, 2013, is four percent. The categorical state percent of growth for the budget year beginning July 1, 2014, is four percent. The categorical state percent of growth for each budget year shall be established by statute which shall be enacted within thirty days of the submission in the year preceding the base year of the governor’s budget under section 8.21. The establishment of the categorical state percent of growth for a budget year shall be the only subject matter of the bill which enacts the categorical state percent of growth for a budget year. The categorical state percent of growth may include state percents of growth for the teacher salary supplement, the professional development supplement, and the early intervention supplement.
    Sec. 48.  CODE SECTION 257.8 —— IMPLEMENTATION.  The requirements of section 257.8, subsections 1 and 2, regarding the enactment of bills establishing the regular program state percent of growth and the categorical state percent of growth within thirty days of the submission in the year preceding the base year of the governor’s budget and regarding the subject matter limitation of such bills do not apply to this division of this Act.
    Sec. 49.  EFFECTIVE UPON ENACTMENT.  This division of this Act, being deemed of immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.
    Sec. 50.  APPLICABILITY.  This division of this Act is applicable for computing state aid under the state school foundation program for the school budget years beginning July 1, 2013, and July 1, 2014, as appropriate.
EXPLANATION
   DIVISION I —— INSTRUCTIONAL HOURS. This bill strikes language requiring accredited schools to provide at least 180 instructional days in a school year and specifying what does and what does not constitute instructional time. The bill replaces the language requiring a 180-day school calendar with a requirement that accredited schools provide at least 1,080 instructional hours during the school calendar in a school year.
   The school districts and accredited nonpublic schools set the number of hours of required attendance for the school year, but school districts must hold a public hearing on a proposed school calendar prior to adopting the school calendar.
   The bill modifies a provision requiring the state board of education to define the minimum school day. Under the bill, instructional time for grades 1 through 12 is still exclusive of the lunch period but may include passing time between classes. The bill strikes language that permits a school or school district to record a day of school with less than the minimum instructional hours as a minimum school day for emergency health or safety factors and for staff development opportunities.
   The bill makes conforming changes, including giving a parent, whose child is under competent private instruction, until September 1 to furnish a report providing information about the child and the competent private instruction to the school district of residence.
   This division of this bill takes effect July 1, 2014.
   DIVISION II —— IOWA LEARNING ONLINE INITIATIVE —— FEES.  The bill directs the department of education to establish fees payable by school districts and accredited nonpublic schools participating in the Iowa learning online initiative established by Code section 256.42, beginning July 1, 2016. The bill provides that fees collected pursuant to the bill shall be deposited in the general fund of the state and cannot exceed the costs of administering the initiative. The bill specifies matters that can and cannot be considered costs of administering the initiative.
   DIVISION III —— TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT OF TEACHERS. The bill requires the department of education to establish an online state job posting system. The system must be accessible via the department’s internet site, although the department may contract for or partner with another entity for use of an existing internet site, and must include a mechanism for the electronic submission of job openings for posting on the system. The system and each job posting on the system must include a statement that an employer submitting a job opening for posting on the system will not engage in discrimination in hiring.
   The bill requires school districts, charter schools, and area education agencies to submit all of their job openings to the department of education for posting on the system. The bill requires the department to post all of its job openings on the system. The bill provides that accredited nonpublic schools may, but are not required to, submit job openings to the department for posting on the system.
   The establishment of the online state job posting system is not to be construed to prohibit any employer from advertising job openings and recruiting employees independently of the system, to prohibit any employer from using another method of advertising job openings or another applicant tracking system in addition to the system, or to provide the department of education with any regulatory authority in the hiring process or hiring decisions of any employer other than the department itself.
   Contingent on a specific appropriation for such purposes, the bill establishes a teach Iowa scholar program within the college student aid commission to provide teach Iowa scholar grants to selected high-caliber teachers. The commission is required to administer the program in consultation with the department. 
   The bill directs the commission to establish eligibility criteria for teach Iowa scholar grants that at a minimum requires that an Iowa resident applicant must have been in the top 25 percent academically of students exiting a state-approved teacher preparation program, have earned other comparable academic credentials, or have achieved comparable assessment scores; and be preparing to teach in fields including but not limited to science, technology, engineering, mathematics, English as a second language or special education instruction, or a hard-to-staff subject as identified annually by the department. 
   A selected applicant who has successfully completed an approved practitioner preparation program is eligible for a teach Iowa scholar grant for each year of full-time employment completed in Iowa as a teacher for a school district, charter school, area education agency, or accredited nonpublic school. The bill provides that a teach Iowa scholar grant cannot exceed $4,000 per year per recipient, and cannot exceed $20,000 total per recipient over a five-year period.
   The bill establishes a teach Iowa scholar fund in the state treasury to be administered by the commission.
   DIVISION IV —— TEACHER AND ADMINISTRATOR MATTERS. The bill provides for a coaching and support system for teachers, and provides for changes relating to peer group review requirements for teachers and changes relating to administrator standards.
   DIRECTOR’S DUTIES. Current law directs the director of the department of education to develop Iowa standards for school administrators, which the bill amends to charge the director with also reviewing and revising the standards as necessary.
   The director is also charged with developing and implementing a coaching and support system for teachers aligned with the Iowa teacher career paths and compensation systems established by the bill; and with developing and implementing a coaching and support system for administrators aligned with the beginning administrator mentoring and induction program that is established in Code section 284A.5.
   PEER GROUP REVIEWS. The bill adds to the purposes for which a school district must provide an annual review of a teacher’s performance, and provides that a teacher who is the subject of a peer group review has exclusive right to all documentation created in the peer review process. Under the bill, the first and second year of review must be conducted by a peer group of at least three but not more than six teachers who shall be selected by the building principal in consultation with teachers and the building’s certified bargaining representative, if any. Each participant must receive adequate training and a per diem if the review process goes beyond normal school hours, and must receive release time for the training and for the time spent in conducting the review.
   The peer group must reflect common grade level, subject matter expertise, curriculum, and proximity or other previously established grouping of individuals employed to provide instruction to students. Peer group reviews must be supportive and confidential. If a conflict develops between participants, an effort shall be made to mediate the conflict. The content of a peer review shall not be incorporated into a summative evaluation.
   DIVISION V —— IOWA TEACHER CAREER AND COMPENSATION MATTERS. This bill establishes a framework for Iowa teacher career paths, leadership roles, and compensation for school districts; modifies and establishes new minimum salaries for the Iowa teacher career path model; specifies components for comparable systems of career paths and compensation; amends the state school foundation program to provide a teacher leadership supplement to school districts; provides for an annual allocation to the department of education so that it may provide technical assistance to school districts and AEAs for design and implementation of the models and systems; provides for the establishment of a commission on educator leadership and compensation; and makes other related changes to Code chapter 284, which establishes the student achievement and teacher quality program.
   TEACHER LEADERSHIP SUPPLEMENT. Code section 257.1, providing for the state school foundation program, is amended to add the teacher leadership supplement to the combined foundation base to provide that the district cost for total teacher leadership supplement is funded entirely through state aid, and to add the teacher leadership supplement to the funding sources whose amounts should not be rounded to the nearest whole dollar when computations are made.
   Code section 257.9 is amended to establish a state and district cost per pupil of $400 beginning with the school budget year beginning July 1, 2014, for the teacher leadership supplement. Code section 257.10 is amended to provide that the district cost of the total teacher leadership supplement shall be added to a school district’s combined district cost. 
   For the budget year beginning July 1, 2015, and succeeding budget years, the teacher leadership supplement district cost per pupil for each school district for a budget year is the teacher leadership supplement program district cost per pupil for the base year plus the teacher leadership supplement state allowable growth amount for the budget year. Beginning July 1, 2015, if the department of management determines that the unadjusted teacher leadership supplement district cost of a school district for a budget year is less than 100 percent of the unadjusted teacher leadership supplement district cost for the base year for the school district, the school district shall receive a budget adjustment for that budget year equal to the difference. The bill also provides that the use of the funds calculated for the supplement shall comply with the requirements of the student achievement and teacher quality program and shall be distributed to teachers pursuant to the Code section under which the Iowa teacher career path model, the framework, and comparable models and systems are approved.
   The teacher leadership supplement district cost is not subject to a uniform reduction that may be implemented when the governor determines that estimated budget resources for a fiscal year are insufficient to pay all appropriations in full.
   The bill exempts teacher leadership supplement foundation aid from a requirement that state aid for teacher compensation be combined with regular wages to create a combined salary.
   MENTORING AND INDUCTION. The school district plan for beginning teacher mentoring and induction shall provide that beginning prekindergarten through grade three teachers shall be mentored in the teacher’s classroom by a skilled mentor. The plan shall also incorporate any recommendations offered by the Iowa reading research center.
   IOWA TEACHER CAREER PATH MODIFICATIONS. The bill modifies the Iowa teacher career path to be a model that may be approved by the commission on educator leadership and compensation. The bill establishes, beginning July 1, 2014, new minimum salaries under the model of $35,000 for beginning teachers, $37,000 for a first-year career teacher, $42,000 for a first-year career II teacher, and $50,500 for a first-year advanced teacher employed by a school district approved to implement the model and to receive teacher leadership supplement funds. However, a teacher shall not receive less compensation in a district than the teacher received in the school year preceding the district’s compliance, on or after July 1, 2014, with the Iowa teacher career path model.
   The contract for a career II teacher shall exceed the contract term issued to a career teacher by an additional five days, while the contract for an advanced teacher shall exceed a career teacher contract by 10 days.
   Approximately 25 percent of the career II teacher’s total contract time shall be spent on noninstructional duties, while the goal for an advanced teacher is that at least 50 percent of the advanced teacher’s total contract time be spent on noninstructional duties. The bill specifies the additional duties that career II and advanced teachers may or must engage in, if mutually agreed to by the school district and the teacher.
   As an alternative to the 25 percent noninstructional time requirement a career II may engage in peer coaching for at least five hours per week, and receive an hourly rate of compensation for such time in addition to the teacher’s salary as a career II teacher. An advanced teacher may also engage in peer coaching. Peer coaching is defined to mean additional guidance in one or more aspects of the teaching profession provided to a teacher. Assignment as a peer coach must be approved by a principal but may be requested by an individual teacher. Peer coaching duties are further described in the bill.
   The bill establishes staffing goals for school districts, including employment of at least one career II teacher in each elementary school; at least one advanced teacher for every three career II teachers employed; and at least one career II teacher for each of four core subject areas taught in grades 7-12.
   The bill strikes language that permits a school district that is unable to meet the minimum salary provisions of the Iowa teacher career path to request a waiver from the department to use funds from the early intervention supplement if the difference between the teacher salary supplement and the amount required to meet the minimum salaries is not less than $10,000.
   IOWA TEACHER CAREER PATH MODEL, FRAMEWORK, AND COMPARABLE MODELS AND SYSTEMS OF CAREER PATHS, LEADERSHIP ROLES, AND COMPENSATION. An Iowa teacher career path model, a framework as specified in the bill, or a comparable system of career paths and compensation for teachers may be developed, approved, and implemented by a school district. However, the minimum requirements for any such model, framework, or system must include but not be limited to a minimum salary and residency as provided in the framework; additional levels of compensation for differentiated teacher roles; multiple, differentiated teacher leadership roles beyond the initial teacher and career teacher levels, with a goal of making such levels available to at least 25 percent of the teacher workforce; a rigorous selection process that involves teachers; a professional development system facilitated by teachers and aligned with the Iowa professional development model; and hiring permanent professional staff to give teacher leaders time to focus on leadership duties.
   INSTRUCTIONAL COACH AND CURRICULUM AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEADER MODEL. The instructional coach and curriculum and professional development leader duties and qualifications are specified in the bill. The first two levels match the requirements for the beginning and career teacher requirements of the Iowa teacher career path model, with the residency requirements specified for the initial teacher under the framework.
   The third level is that of instructional coach. The instructional coach must receive a stipend of between $5,000 and $7,000 annually in addition to the teacher’s salary as a career teacher, while the curriculum and professional development leader must receive a stipend of between $10,000 and $12,000 annually in addition to the teacher’s salary as a model teacher. The staffing guidelines for this comparable system require a school district to employ one instructional coach at each attendance center or at least one instructional coach for every 500 students enrolled in an attendance center, whichever number is greater.
   The contract term for a curriculum and professional development leader shall exceed the contract term issued to a model teacher by an additional 15 days.
   IMPLEMENTATION. Though school districts have until July 1, 2016, to implement approved models, frameworks, and systems, school districts may, prior to that date, apply to the commission on educator leadership and compensation for early implementation of a model, framework, or comparable system. The department is directed to establish criteria and a process for application.
   A school district is not required to fully implement the models, framework, or comparable system if implementation costs exceed the state school foundation aid the school district receives. However, in such circumstance, the school district must implement as much of the approved model, framework, or system as is reasonably possible, and must, at a minimum, meet the minimum salary for an Iowa teacher.
   PLANNING GRANTS. Contingent on an appropriation for such purpose, a school district may apply to the department for a planning grant to design an implementation strategy to establish a model, the framework, or a comparable system. The application submitted to the department must reflect a local decision-making process that includes representation of administrators, teachers, and parents and guardians of students. The department is directed to establish an application for the awarding of planning grants. 
   FRAMEWORK DESIGN. The framework is designed to attract able and promising new teachers by offering competitive starting salaries and offering short-term and long-term professional development and leadership opportunities, retain effective teachers by providing enhanced career opportunities, promote collaboration by developing and supporting opportunities for teachers in schools and school districts statewide to learn from each other, reward professional growth and effective teaching by providing pathways for career opportunities that involve increased leadership responsibilities and increased compensation, and improve student achievement by strengthening instruction.
   CAREER AND LEADERSHIP ROLES AND COMPENSATION. The framework includes five career or leadership roles for teachers. The salary established in the bill for an initial teacher who meets the requirements specified in the bill is at least $35,000, which amount also constitutes the minimum teacher salary for the state. An initial teacher must meet the current definition in the Code for a beginning teacher, but the initial teacher must also complete a teacher residency during the first year of employment that includes intensive supervision or mentoring by a mentor teacher or lead teacher; sufficient collaboration time to be able to observe and learn from more experienced, mentor, and lead teachers; a teaching load of not more than 75 percent student instruction to allow time for observation and learning; a teaching contract that establishes an employment period which is five days longer than that required for career teachers; and for frequent observation, evaluation, and professional development opportunities.
   The second role, career teacher, requires the same conditions as that specified in the current Iowa teacher career path model.
   The third role, model teacher, is a career teacher who is evaluated by the school district as demonstrating the competencies of a model teacher, has participated in a rigorous review process, and has been recommended for a one-year assignment as a model teacher by a review council. The term of the model teacher’s teaching contract shall exceed by five days the terms of career teachers’ teaching contracts. A model teacher shall receive annually a salary supplement of at least $2,000. 
   The fourth role, mentor teacher, is a teacher who is evaluated by the school district as demonstrating the competencies and superior teaching skills of a mentor teacher, and has been recommended for a one-year assignment as a mentor teacher by a review council. The mentor teacher must also participate in teacher professional development, demonstrate continuous improvement in teaching, and possess the skills and qualifications to assume leadership roles. A mentor teacher shall have a teaching load of not more than 75 percent student instruction to allow the teacher to mentor other teachers. The mentor teacher’s teaching contract shall exceed by 10 days the terms of career teachers’ teaching contracts. A mentor teacher shall receive annually a salary supplement of at least $5,000.
   The fifth role, lead teacher, is a teacher who has been recommended for a one-year assignment as a lead teacher by a review council. The recommendation from the council must assert that the teacher possesses superior teaching skills and the ability to lead adult learners. A lead teacher must assume leadership roles that may include but are not limited to the planning and delivery of professional development activities; the facilitation of an instructional leadership team within the lead teacher’s building, school district, or other school districts; the mentoring of other teachers; and participation in the evaluation of student teachers. A lead teacher shall have a teaching load of not more than 50 percent student instruction to allow the lead teacher to spend time on co-teaching; co-planning; peer reviews; observing career teachers, model teachers, and mentor teachers; and other duties mutually agreed upon by the superintendent and the lead teacher. The term of the lead teacher’s teaching contract must exceed by 15 days the terms of career teachers’ teaching contracts. A lead teacher shall receive annually a salary supplement of at least $10,000.
   A school district shall set as a goal the designation of at least 10 percent of its teachers as model teachers, 10 percent as mentor teachers, and 5 percent as lead teachers, though a district may enter into an agreement with one or more other districts or an AEA to meet these goals through a collaborative arrangement.
   Additional contract days must be used to strengthen instructional leadership. The salary supplement received by teachers in leadership roles shall fully cover the salary costs of the additional contract days. The determinations of salary supplements are not subject to appeal.
   An assignment is subject to review by the school’s or the school district’s administration at least annually. The review must include peer feedback. A teacher who completes the time period of assignment as a model, mentor, or lead teacher may apply to the school’s or the school district’s administration for assignment in a new role if appropriate or for reassignment.
   A teacher employed by an AEA may be included in a framework established by a school district if the AEA and the school district enter into a contract for such purpose.
   SITE-BASED OR DISTRICT-BASED REVIEW COUNCIL. Each school board in a district of 600 or more students must appoint a site-based review council; in a district of fewer than 600 students, the board must appoint a district-based review council. A review council is comprised of equal numbers of teachers and administrators. Teacher members shall include teachers who have been nominated by the collective bargaining organization, if one exists, that represents the teachers. The council must accept and review applications submitted to the school’s or the school district’s administration for assignment as a model, mentor, or lead teacher, and make recommendations regarding the applications to the school district superintendent. In developing recommendations, the council must utilize measures of teacher effectiveness and professional growth, consider the needs of the school district, and review the performance and professional development of the applicants. Any teacher recommended for assignment as a model, mentor, or lead teacher shall have demonstrated to the council’s satisfaction competency on the Iowa teaching standards.
   MISCELLANEOUS. The department’s accreditation team is charged with determining compliance. A school district is encouraged to utilize teachers emeritus.
   COMMISSION ON EDUCATOR LEADERSHIP AND COMPENSATION. The department is directed to appoint and provide staffing and administrative support for a commission on educator leadership and compensation. The commission shall monitor with fidelity the implementation of the Iowa teacher career path model, the framework, and comparable models and systems by school districts. The commission shall also evaluate the applications submitted for approval and shall approve or disapprove the applications. An application shall only be approved if the state school foundation aid received by the school district will cover the costs of implementation. If the commission disapproves an application, the commission shall specify the reasons for disapproval. A school district receiving approval is eligible to receive teacher leadership supplement funds. In addition, the commission must review the use and effectiveness of state assistance distributed to school districts for teachers in high-need schools and, by December 15 annually, shall submit all of its findings and any recommendations in a report to the director of the department of education, the state board of education, the governor, and the general assembly.
   PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. The bill strikes a requirement that school districts and area education agencies have as a goal for the use of state professional development funds the provision of one additional contract day or the equivalent for professional development and instead authorizes use of the funds for professional development and other purposes set forth in statute.
   From the amount appropriated for purposes of the teacher leadership supplement, the department may use up to $500,000 annually to provide administration and oversight of the models, frameworks, and comparable systems and to fund two full-time equivalent positions.
   STATE SUPPLEMENTAL ASSISTANCE FOR TEACHERS IN HIGH-NEED SCHOOLS. Contingent on a specific appropriation for these purposes, the department is directed to collect relevant data and establish a list of high-need schools which shall be eligible for state supplemental assistance. The department must establish a process and criteria to determine which schools are placed on the lists and must revise the lists annually. Criteria for the determination of which high-need schools shall be placed on the list shall be based upon factors that include but are not limited to the socioeconomic status of the students enrolled in the school, the percentage of the school’s student body who are limited English proficient students, student academic growth, certified instructional staff attrition, and geographic balance.
   The department’s determination of state supplemental assistance for teachers in high-need schools is not subject to appeal.
   REVIEW AND REPORT. The department must review the use and effectiveness of the funds distributed to school districts for supplemental assistance for teachers in high-need schools. The department shall submit its findings and recommendations in a report to the general assembly by January 15 annually. 
   UNIQUE LOCAL CONDITIONS AND NEEDS. A school district may request on an annual basis approval from the department for the addition of high-need schools based upon the unique local conditions and needs of the school district. The criteria the department uses to determine the placement of high-need schools on its list does not restrict the department from adding a high-need school as requested by a school district on the basis of unique local conditions and needs. 
   TEACHER ELIGIBILITY FOR INCENTIVES. Teachers of all subjects taught in a school included in the department’s list of high-need schools shall be eligible to receive state supplemental assistance for teachers in high-need schools.
   DIVISION VI —— MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS.
   IOWA READING RESEARCH CENTER. Contingent on a specific appropriation for such purpose, the bill directs the director of the department of education to collaborate with the state board of regents to establish an Iowa reading research center. The bill directs the Iowa reading research center to submit a report of its activities to the general assembly by January 15 annually. By January 15, 2015, the annual report shall include but not be limited to recommendations regarding measures to support schools in implementing Code chapter 284 with regard to the prekindergarten through grade three years.
   ECONOMICALLY CHALLENGED SCHOOLS GRANT PROGRAM AND FUNDING.  Contingent on a specific appropriation for such purposes, the bill directs the department to establish an economically challenged schools grant program to award funds to school district attendance centers to create pilot projects designed to meet the needs of students who are not proficient in reading or mathematics and to involve the students’ parents in supporting project activities. The bill provides supplemental weighting of one-tenth of one pupil for the program, based on the number of pupils attending the school who are eligible for free and reduced price meals under the federal school meal programs.
   Pilot project activities may include but are not limited to establishing a longer school day, longer school calendar, summer school, or intensive reading and mathematics programs for such students.
   The priorities for the grant funds shall include applications from school districts with high percentages of students eligible for free or reduced price meals under federal lunch and nutrition programs, and shall include providing project services on a voluntary basis to students deemed at risk of not succeeding in reading or mathematics. The department shall make every reasonable effort to equitably distribute grant funds geographically among rural and urban areas.
   Each pilot project shall be conducted for a minimum of one year, but may be conducted for multiple school years as proposed by the applicant and approved by the department. The department shall submit progress reports and a final report to the state board, the governor, and the general assembly by January 15, 2019. The provisions establishing the program and providing for the supplemental weighting are repealed effective June 30, 2018.
   COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION. Contingent on specific appropriations for such purposes, the bill directs the department of education to implement some of the preliminary recommendations of the competency-based education task force, which was established pursuant to legislation enacted during the 2012 regular session of the 84th general assembly.
   The recommendations include establishing a competency-based education grant program to award grants to not more than 10 school districts annually for purposes of developing, implementing, and evaluating competency-based education pilot and demonstration projects; model competencies; the assessment validation rubric and model assessments; student achievement reporting templates; and professional development for preservice and in-service for practitioners.
   WORLD LANGUAGE EDUCATION PILOT PROJECT. The bill directs the department to establish a world language education pilot project to enhance foreign language education in Iowa schools, contingent on a specific appropriation for such purpose. The department shall administer the pilot project in partnership with the university of northern Iowa and up to three school districts. The department shall establish criteria for the selection of school districts to participate in the pilot project.
   The bill directs the department to establish a world language education administrative team to be composed of school administrators from school districts participating in the pilot project and provides duties for the team, including fact finding visits; development of new standards and benchmarks, an assessment system, and curricula; and a report on the pilot project and foreign language education in this state for submission to the general assembly by December 19, 2014.
   The bill directs participating school districts to compare on an annual basis results under the pilot project with state data to determine the outcomes of the pilot project.
   STATEWIDE PRESCHOOL PROGRAM-AID USES. The bill allows preschool foundation aid funding to be used by approved local programs and community providers for professional development for preschool teachers, for instructional equipment, for material and equipment designed to develop pupils’ motor skills, and for other direct costs. Aid funding that remains is made available to approved local programs for future fiscal years to build program capacity.
   ALTERNATIVE LICENSURE LIMITATION. This bill requires the board of educational examiners to submit a licensing criteria recommendation to the general assembly prior to issuing licenses to persons who do not meet the standard practitioner preparation requirements. The board is prohibited from issuing such licenses until such licensing criteria are enacted into statute.
   TOBACCO PROHIBITED ON SCHOOL GROUNDS. The bill provides that the use of nicotine products by any student, or by anyone on school grounds, is prohibited. For a violation of the provision, the school board may suspend or expel a student, may remove a person, and may bar the person’s future presence on school grounds. The bill defines “nicotine product”.
   PREKINDERGARTEN/KINDERGARTEN ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING.  Provisions requiring or encouraging the administration of prekindergarten and kindergarten assessments are modified to specify that the assessment instrument school districts must administer must be the teaching strategies gold early childhood assessment. Each school district must report to the department the results of the community strategies employed during the prior fiscal year. The provision relating to the administration of the dynamic indicators of basic early literacy skills (DIBELS) kindergarten benchmark assessment or other kindergarten benchmark assessment adopted by the department of education in consultation with the early childhood Iowa state board, is eliminated by the bill, but the reporting requirements are not. The Code provision, which would have repealed the reporting requirements on July 1, 2013, is eliminated June 30.
   IOWA EARLY INTERVENTION BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM —— SUNSET REPEALED. The bill repeals a provision that specifies a date for the future repeal of Code chapter 256D, the Code chapter which establishes the Iowa early intervention block grant program, and makes the repeal effective upon enactment.
   SCHOOL DISTRICT REPORTING REQUIREMENT TASK FORCE —— STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION. The bill establishes a reporting requirement review task force and directs the department of education to compile a list of reports that school districts are required to submit to the department biennially or more frequently. The department must submit the list to the task force by September 3, 2013.
   The task force consists of five members appointed by the director of the department of education.
   The task force shall review the list submitted by the department and, for each reporting requirement listed, the task force shall produce written justification for continuing, modifying, or eliminating the requirement. The task force shall compile its written justifications in a report the task force shall submit to the state board of education and the general assembly by December 2, 2013.
   The state board shall review the report and submit its findings and recommendations in a report to the general assembly by February 3, 2014.
   SCHOOL YEAR-LONG STUDENT TEACHING FIELD EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT —— STUDY. The bill directs each practitioner preparation program offered at a regents university to convene a study committee of education faculty members to study the feasibility of establishing professional development schools for preservice teacher candidates in collaboration with school districts, and the feasibility of requiring students enrolled in practitioner preparation programs to complete a field experience lasting one full school year. Each study committee shall evaluate for its institution issues relating specifically to a proposed professional development school and relating specifically to the impact of a proposed full school year student teaching field experience on four-year graduation rates, on costs, on class scheduling, on university faculty, on an adequate number of school placements, on the abilities and performance of student teachers, and on student achievement.
   The study committees must submit their findings and recommendations in a report to the state board of regents, the department of education, the board of educational examiners, the governor, and the general assembly by December 2, 2013. The Iowa association of independent colleges is encouraged to form a similar study committee comprised of education faculty members and to submit any resulting findings and recommendations to the general assembly by December 2, 2013.
   DIVISION VII —— STATE SCHOOL FOUNDATION PROGRAM. The bill establishes a state percent of growth and a categorical state percent of growth of 4 percent for purposes of the state school foundation program for the school budget years beginning July 1, 2013, and July 1, 2014. This division of the bill takes effect upon enactment and is applicable for state aid computation under the state school foundation program for the school budget years beginning July 1, 2013, and July 1, 2014, as appropriate.
   The categorical state percent of growth includes the teacher salary supplement, the professional development supplement, and the early intervention supplement, and under this bill the teacher leadership supplement.
   The bill provides that the requirement of Code section 257.8 regarding the timing of enactment of a state percent of growth does not apply to the bill.