Senate File 441 - Introduced SENATE FILE 441 BY WAHLS A BILL FOR An Act relating to kindergarten programs offered by school 1 districts. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 2366XS (2) 88 kh/jh

S.F. 441 Section 1. Section 256.7, subsection 19, unnumbered 1 paragraph 1, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows: 2 For a school or school district with a school calendar 3 measuring instructional time in days pursuant to section 4 279.10, subsection 1 , define the minimum school day as a day 5 consisting of six hours of instructional time for grades one 6 kindergarten through grade twelve. The minimum hours shall be 7 exclusive of the lunch period, but may include passing time 8 between classes. Time spent on parent-teacher conferences 9 shall be considered instructional time. A school or school 10 district may record a day of school with less than the minimum 11 instructional hours as a minimum school day if any of the 12 following apply: 13 Sec. 2. Section 256.7, subsection 19, paragraph b, Code 14 2019, is amended to read as follows: 15 b. If the total hours of instructional school time for 16 grades one kindergarten through grade twelve for any five 17 consecutive school days equal a minimum of thirty hours, 18 even though any one day of school is less than the minimum 19 instructional hours because of a staff development opportunity 20 provided for the professional instructional staff or because 21 parent-teacher conferences have been scheduled beyond the 22 regular school day. Furthermore, if the total hours of 23 instructional time for the first four consecutive days equal at 24 least thirty hours because parent-teacher conferences have been 25 scheduled beyond the regular school day, a school or school 26 district may record zero hours of instructional time on the 27 fifth consecutive school day as a minimum school day. 28 Sec. 3. Section 256.9, subsection 31, paragraph a, Code 29 2019, is amended to read as follows: 30 a. Develop standards and instructional materials to do all 31 of the following: 32 (1) Assist school districts in developing appropriate 33 before and after school programs for elementary school 34 children. 35 -1- LSB 2366XS (2) 88 kh/jh 1/ 3

S.F. 441 (2) Assist school districts in the development of child 1 care services and programs to complement half-day and all-day 2 kindergarten programs. 3 (3) Assist school districts in the development of 4 appropriate curricula for all-day, everyday kindergarten 5 programs. 6 (4) (3) Assist school districts in the development of 7 appropriate early elementary curricula for the early elementary 8 grades one kindergarten through grade three. 9 (5) (4) Assist prekindergarten instructors in the 10 development of appropriate curricula and teaching practices. 11 Sec. 4. Section 279.51, subsection 2, paragraph a, 12 subparagraph (2), subparagraph division (a), Code 2019, is 13 amended to read as follows: 14 (a) To school districts to establish programs for 15 three-year-old, four-year-old, and five-year-old at-risk 16 children which are a combination of preschool and full-day 17 kindergarten. 18 Sec. 5. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance 19 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring 20 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall 21 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid 22 received by the school district under section 257.16. This 23 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed 24 to meet all of the state funding-related requirements of 25 section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding 26 shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act 27 by and enforcement of this Act against all affected school 28 districts. 29 EXPLANATION 30 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 31 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 32 This bill makes kindergarten programs offered by school 33 districts subject to the minimum school day and instructional 34 requirements that currently apply to grades 1 through 12. The 35 -2- LSB 2366XS (2) 88 kh/jh 2/ 3

S.F. 441 bill eliminates references to half-day, full-day, and everyday 1 kindergarten programs. 2 Currently, students enrolled in kindergarten, whether in 3 full-day or half-day programs, are counted as one pupil for 4 purposes of state school foundation aid received by a school 5 district pursuant to Code chapter 257. 6 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 7 section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of 8 any state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school 9 district from state school foundation aid received by the 10 school district under Code section 257.16. The specification 11 is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state mandate 12 funding-related requirements of Code section 25B.2. The 13 inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the 14 requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state 15 mandates included in the bill. 16 -3- LSB 2366XS (2) 88 kh/jh 3/ 3