Senate File 47 - Introduced SENATE FILE 47 BY FEENSTRA A BILL FOR An Act relating to the school start date, establishing a school 1 end date, and eliminating the department of education’s 2 authority to approve requests to waive the school start 3 date. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 1470XS (2) 86 kh/rj

S.F. 47 Section 1. Section 257.17, Code 2015, is amended to read as 1 follows: 2 257.17 Aid reduction for early school starts. 3 State aid payments made pursuant to section 257.16 for a 4 fiscal year shall be reduced by one one-hundred-eightieth for 5 each day of that fiscal year for which the school district 6 begins school before the earliest starting date specified in 7 section 279.10, subsection 1 . However, this section does 8 not apply to a school district or attendance center that has 9 received approval from the director of the department of 10 education under section 279.10, subsection 4 , to commence 11 classes for regularly established elementary and secondary 12 schools in advance of the starting date established in is 13 maintaining a year-round three semester school calendar as 14 provided in section 279.10, subsection 1 . 15 Sec. 2. Section 279.10, subsection 1, Code 2015, is amended 16 to read as follows: 17 1. a. The school year for each school district and 18 accredited nonpublic school shall begin on July 1 and each 19 regularly established elementary and secondary school shall 20 begin its school calendar no sooner than a day during the 21 calendar week in which the first day of September falls but no 22 later than the first Monday in December August 15 and end its 23 school calendar no later than June 15 . However, if the first 24 day of September falls on a Sunday, school may begin on a day 25 during the calendar week which immediately precedes the first 26 day of September. A school district or school maintaining a 27 year-round three semester school calendar is exempt from the 28 start and end date requirements of this subsection. 29 b. The school calendar shall include not less than one 30 hundred eighty days, except as provided in subsection 3 , or one 31 thousand eighty hours of instruction during the calendar year. 32 c. The board of directors of a school district and the 33 authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school shall 34 set the number of days or hours of required attendance for the 35 -1- LSB 1470XS (2) 86 kh/rj 1/ 2

S.F. 47 school year as provided in section 299.1, subsection 2 , but the 1 board of directors of a school district shall hold a public 2 hearing on any proposed school calendar prior to adopting the 3 school calendar. 4 d. If the board of directors of a district or the 5 authorities in charge of an accredited nonpublic school extends 6 the school calendar because inclement weather caused the school 7 district or accredited nonpublic school to temporarily close 8 during the regular school calendar, the school district or 9 accredited nonpublic school may excuse a graduating senior who 10 has met district or school requirements for graduation from 11 attendance during the extended school calendar. 12 e. A school corporation may begin employment of personnel 13 for in-service training and development purposes before the 14 date to begin the elementary and secondary school calendar 15 established pursuant to paragraph “a” . 16 Sec. 3. Section 279.10, subsection 4, Code 2015, is amended 17 by striking the subsection. 18 EXPLANATION 19 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 20 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 21 This bill establishes August 15 as the earliest date by 22 which a school district or accredited nonpublic school may 23 begin its school calendar, establishes June 15 as the date 24 by which the school calendar must end, and eliminates the 25 department of education’s authority to approve requests to 26 waive the school start date. School districts and schools 27 maintaining a year-round three semester school calendar are 28 exempt from the start and end date requirements and from the 29 penalty established in Code section 257.17 to reduce the state 30 aid payments for a fiscal year by 1/180th for each day of that 31 fiscal year for which a school district begins school before 32 the earliest starting date. 33 -2- LSB 1470XS (2) 86 kh/rj 2/ 2