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Senate File 441 - IntroducedA Bill ForAn Act 1relating to kindergarten programs offered by school
2districts.
3BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1 Section 1. Section 256.7, subsection 19, unnumbered
2paragraph 1, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
3For a school or school district with a school calendar
4measuring instructional time in days pursuant to section
5279.10, subsection 1, define the minimum school day as a day
6consisting of six hours of instructional time for grades one
7 kindergarten through grade twelve. The minimum hours shall be
8exclusive of the lunch period, but may include passing time
9between classes. Time spent on parent-teacher conferences
10shall be considered instructional time. A school or school
11district may record a day of school with less than the minimum
12instructional hours as a minimum school day if any of the
13following apply:
14 Sec. 2. Section 256.7, subsection 19, paragraph b, Code
152019, is amended to read as follows:
16b. If the total hours of instructional school time for
17grades one kindergarten through grade twelve for any five
18consecutive school days equal a minimum of thirty hours,
19even though any one day of school is less than the minimum
20instructional hours because of a staff development opportunity
21provided for the professional instructional staff or because
22parent-teacher conferences have been scheduled beyond the
23regular school day. Furthermore, if the total hours of
24instructional time for the first four consecutive days equal at
25least thirty hours because parent-teacher conferences have been
26scheduled beyond the regular school day, a school or school
27district may record zero hours of instructional time on the
28fifth consecutive school day as a minimum school day.
29 Sec. 3. Section 256.9, subsection 31, paragraph a, Code
302019, is amended to read as follows:
31a. Develop standards and instructional materials to do all
32of the following:
33(1) Assist school districts in developing appropriate
34before and after school programs for elementary school
35children.
-1- 1(2) Assist school districts in the development of child
2care services and programs to complement half-day and all-day
3 kindergarten programs.
4(3) Assist school districts in the development of
5appropriate curricula for all-day, everyday kindergarten
6programs.
7(4) (3) Assist school districts in the development of
8appropriate early elementary curricula for the early elementary
9grades one kindergarten through grade three.
10(5) (4) Assist prekindergarten instructors in the
11development of appropriate curricula and teaching practices.
12 Sec. 4. Section 279.51, subsection 2, paragraph a,
13subparagraph (2), subparagraph division (a), Code 2019, is
14amended to read as follows:
15(a) To school districts to establish programs for
16three-year-old, four-year-old, and five-year-old at-risk
17children which are a combination of preschool and full-day
18 kindergarten.
19 Sec. 5. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance
20with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring
21compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall
22be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid
23received by the school district under section 257.16. This
24specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed
25to meet all of the state funding-related requirements of
26section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding
27shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act
28by and enforcement of this Act against all affected school
29districts.
30EXPLANATION
31The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
32the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
33This bill makes kindergarten programs offered by school
34districts subject to the minimum school day and instructional
35requirements that currently apply to grades 1 through 12. The
-2-1bill eliminates references to half-day, full-day, and everyday
2kindergarten programs.
3Currently, students enrolled in kindergarten, whether in
4full-day or half-day programs, are counted as one pupil for
5purposes of state school foundation aid received by a school
6district pursuant to Code chapter 257.
7The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code
8section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of
9any state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school
10district from state school foundation aid received by the
11school district under Code section 257.16. The specification
12is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state mandate
13funding-related requirements of Code section 25B.2. The
14inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the
15requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state
16mandates included in the bill.
-3-kh/jh
2districts.
3BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
1 Section 1. Section 256.7, subsection 19, unnumbered
2paragraph 1, Code 2019, is amended to read as follows:
3For a school or school district with a school calendar
4measuring instructional time in days pursuant to section
5279.10, subsection 1, define the minimum school day as a day
6consisting of six hours of instructional time for grades one
7 kindergarten through grade twelve. The minimum hours shall be
8exclusive of the lunch period, but may include passing time
9between classes. Time spent on parent-teacher conferences
10shall be considered instructional time. A school or school
11district may record a day of school with less than the minimum
12instructional hours as a minimum school day if any of the
13following apply:
14 Sec. 2. Section 256.7, subsection 19, paragraph b, Code
152019, is amended to read as follows:
16b. If the total hours of instructional school time for
17grades one kindergarten through grade twelve for any five
18consecutive school days equal a minimum of thirty hours,
19even though any one day of school is less than the minimum
20instructional hours because of a staff development opportunity
21provided for the professional instructional staff or because
22parent-teacher conferences have been scheduled beyond the
23regular school day. Furthermore, if the total hours of
24instructional time for the first four consecutive days equal at
25least thirty hours because parent-teacher conferences have been
26scheduled beyond the regular school day, a school or school
27district may record zero hours of instructional time on the
28fifth consecutive school day as a minimum school day.
29 Sec. 3. Section 256.9, subsection 31, paragraph a, Code
302019, is amended to read as follows:
31a. Develop standards and instructional materials to do all
32of the following:
33(1) Assist school districts in developing appropriate
34before and after school programs for elementary school
35children.
-1- 1(2) Assist school districts in the development of child
2care services and programs to complement half-day and all-day
3 kindergarten programs.
4(3) Assist school districts in the development of
5appropriate curricula for all-day, everyday kindergarten
6programs.
7(4) (3) Assist school districts in the development of
8appropriate early elementary curricula for the early elementary
9grades one kindergarten through grade three.
10(5) (4) Assist prekindergarten instructors in the
11development of appropriate curricula and teaching practices.
12 Sec. 4. Section 279.51, subsection 2, paragraph a,
13subparagraph (2), subparagraph division (a), Code 2019, is
14amended to read as follows:
15(a) To school districts to establish programs for
16three-year-old, four-year-old, and five-year-old at-risk
17children which are a combination of preschool and full-day
18 kindergarten.
19 Sec. 5. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance
20with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring
21compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall
22be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid
23received by the school district under section 257.16. This
24specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed
25to meet all of the state funding-related requirements of
26section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding
27shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act
28by and enforcement of this Act against all affected school
29districts.
30EXPLANATION
31The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
32the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
33This bill makes kindergarten programs offered by school
34districts subject to the minimum school day and instructional
35requirements that currently apply to grades 1 through 12. The
-2-1bill eliminates references to half-day, full-day, and everyday
2kindergarten programs.
3Currently, students enrolled in kindergarten, whether in
4full-day or half-day programs, are counted as one pupil for
5purposes of state school foundation aid received by a school
6district pursuant to Code chapter 257.
7The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code
8section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of
9any state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school
10district from state school foundation aid received by the
11school district under Code section 257.16. The specification
12is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state mandate
13funding-related requirements of Code section 25B.2. The
14inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the
15requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state
16mandates included in the bill.
-3-kh/jh