SF 91 (LSB 1954XS (4) 91)

SENATE FILE 91

BY  PETERSEN and BLAKE

A BILL FOR

An Act modifying provisions related to the determination of school enrollment, and including effective date and applicability provisions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  Section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph a, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   Actual enrollment is determined annually by calculating the average of the sum of all of the following on October 1, or the first Monday in October if October 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, and includes all of the following and the sum of all of the following on March 1 immediately succeeding the October determination, or the succeeding Monday if March 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday:
    Sec. 2.  Section 257.6, subsection 3, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   3.  Additional enrollment because of special education.
   a.  A school district shall determine its additional enrollment because of special education, as defined in this section, by November October 1 of each year, or by the first Monday in October if October 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, and shall certify its additional enrollment because of special education to the department of education by November October 15 of each year, or by the succeeding Monday if October 15 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, and the department shall promptly forward the information to the department of management.
   b.  For the purposes of this chapter, “additional enrollment because of special education” is determined by calculating the average of the following:
   (1)  An amount determined by multiplying the weighting of each category of child under section 256B.9 times the number of children in each category totaled for all categories minus the total number of children in all categories, as determined on March 1 immediately succeeding the October determination under subparagraph (2), or the succeeding Monday if March 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday.
   (2)  An amount determined by multiplying the weighting of each category of child under section 256B.9 times the number of children in each category totaled for all categories minus the total number of children in all categories, as determined on October 1 of each year, or the first Monday in October if October 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday.
    Sec. 3.  Section 257.6, subsection 5, paragraph a, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   a.  Weighted enrollment is the budget enrollment plus the district’s additional enrollment because of special education calculated by November 1 in October of the base year under subsection 3 plus additional pupils added due to the application of the supplementary weighting as determined under subsection 5A.
    Sec. 4.  Section 257.6, Code 2025, is amended by adding the following new subsection:
   NEW SUBSECTION.  5A.  Pupils added due to application of supplementary weighting.
   a.  A school district shall determine its pupils added due to application of supplementary weighting by October 1 of each year, or by the first Monday in October if October 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, and shall certify its pupils added due to the application of supplementary weighting to the department of education by October 15 of each year, or by the succeeding Monday if October 15 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, and the department shall promptly forward the information to the department of management.
   b.  For the purposes of this chapter, “pupils added due to application of supplementary weighting” is determined by calculating the average of the following:
   (1)  The sum of the number of additional pupils assigned to a student or to the school district under section 257.11 or 280.4, or other provision of law providing for supplementary weighting, but excluding those under subsection 1, as determined on March 1 immediately succeeding the October determination under subparagraph (2), or the succeeding Monday if March 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday.
   (2)  The sum of the number of additional pupils assigned to a student or to the school district under section 257.11 or 280.4, or other provision of law providing for supplementary weighting, but excluding those under subsection 1, as determined on October 1 of each year, or the first Monday in October if October 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday.
    Sec. 5.  Section 261E.7, subsection 1, unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   Not later than June 30 of each year, a school district shall pay a tuition reimbursement amount to a postsecondary institution that has enrolled its resident eligible students under this chapter, unless the eligible student is participating in open enrollment under section 282.18, in which case, the tuition reimbursement amount shall be paid by the receiving district. However, if a child’s residency changes during a school year, the tuition shall be paid by the district in which the child was enrolled as of the October date specified in section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, or the district in which the child was counted under section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (6), as of the October date specified in section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a”. For students enrolled at the Iowa school for the deaf, the department of education shall pay a tuition reimbursement amount by June 30 of each year. The amount of tuition reimbursement for each separate course shall equal the lesser of:
    Sec. 6.  Section 273.5, subsection 5, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   5.  Provide Annually provide each school district within the area served and the department of education with a special education weighted enrollment count, including the additional enrollment because of special education for December 1 of each year.
    Sec. 7.  Section 279.60, subsection 1, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   1.  Each school district shall administer the teaching strategies gold early childhood assessment to every resident prekindergarten or four-year-old child whose parent or guardian enrolls the child in the district, and shall administer a valid and reliable universal screening instrument, as prescribed by the department of education, to every kindergarten student enrolled in the district not later than the October date specified in section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a”. 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.
    Sec. 8.  Section 282.12, subsection 4, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   4.  The number of pupils participating in a whole grade sharing agreement shall be determined on the October date specified in section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, and on the second Friday of January of each year.
    Sec. 9.  Section 282.18, subsection 9, paragraph a, Code 2025, is amended to read as follows:
   a.  If a parent or guardian of a child, who is participating in open enrollment under this section, moves to a different school district during the course of either district’s academic year, the child’s first district of residence as determined on the October date specified in section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph “a”, shall be responsible for payment of the cost per pupil plus weightings or special education costs to the receiving school district for the balance of the school year in which the move took place. The new district of residence shall be responsible for the payments during succeeding years.
    Sec. 10.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This Act, being deemed of immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.
    Sec. 11.  APPLICABILITY.  This Act applies to actual enrollment determinations for school budget years beginning on or after the effective date of this Act.
EXPLANATION
The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
   This bill modifies provisions related to the determination of school enrollment.
   Code section 257.6(1)(a) provides that each school district’s actual enrollment is determined annually on October 1, or the first Monday in October if October 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday. The bill amends methodology for determining the actual enrollment each year. Under the bill, actual enrollment is determined annually by calculating the average of the count on October 1, or the first Monday in October if October 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, and the count on March 1 immediately succeeding the October determination, or the succeeding Monday if March 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday.
   The bill makes similar changes to the provisions of Code section 257.6 governing the calculation of each school district’s additional enrollment because of special education and each school district’s pupils added due to application of supplementary weighting, by requiring an average of such amounts determined on two specified dates.
   The bill makes corresponding changes to other provisions of law.
   The bill takes effect upon enactment and applies to actual enrollment determinations for school budget years beginning on or after the effective date of the bill.