SF 423 – Senate education reform
HF 351 – Preschool compulsory attendance
HF 472 – Supplementary weighting for shared operational functions
FLOOR ACTION:
SF 423 is the Senate education reform legislation. Highlights include:
Division I – Instructional Hours – Moves from days to hours requirement.
Division II – Iowa Learning Online – Iowa Learning Online provides online instruction with Iowa licensed instructors in various academic subjects, including those that are hard to fill. Currently funded with E-Rate federal funds, the program reaches 1,000 students per year. The proposal is aimed to transition ILO to be self-funded with fees after the third year $1.5 million appropriation. The Iowa Department of Education (DE) estimates that the proposal will provide services to 2,500 students.
Division III – Training and Employment of Teachers
- Ø Online State Job Posting System -makes the process for applying for teaching positions more efficient.
- Ø Teach Iowa Scholar Program
- · Allows both Iowa residents to apply
- · Criteria established by commission includes:
- o Top 25 percent of their teacher prep program
- o Teacher in high needs/high need geographical areas
- o $4,000 per year grant, not to exceed $20,000
Division IV – Teacher and Administrator Matters
- Ø Director of DE establishes administrator standards (with significant input from administrators)
- Ø Director develops a coaching and support system for teachers per 284.15, if enacted. (284.15 is comparable systems of career paths and compensation).
- Ø Local School Boards: Provides for peer reviews of administrators (amendment strikes)
- Ø Peer Review for Teachers: Bill clarifies peer review process/procedures
Division V – Iowa Teacher Career and Compensation Matters
- Ø Establishes the Teacher Leadership Supplement (amendment makes funding changes)
- Ø Keeps Iowa Teaching Standards and adds career teacher specific standards and criteria
- Ø Strikes Professional Development (PD) goal of adding other day and replaces with goal to implement the PD and leadership roles provided for in this bill. (same/similar to Gov and House)
- Ø By 2016, all school districts shall adopt a model of teacher compensation and career pathways.
- Ø Schools can choose one of four models, but every model must include key principles.
- Ø Under our plan, districts will get $400/per pupil, which is enough funding for every district to raise minimum salaries to $35,000 to attract the best and brightest to the field of teaching.
- Ø Districts shall then adopt a career pathway model, to the extent funds are provided. No unfunded mandate.
- · 284.15 – Parameters of Program (more detail below)
- · 284.16 – Teacher Leader Framework (Gov’s modified language)
- · 284.17 – Teacher Career Path Model (modified existing Code language in 284.7)
- · 284.18 – Instructional Coach Model (new model option)
- · 284.19 – Comparable Systems Criteria (if a district wants to develop their own model; more detail below)
- Ø Parameters of Program (284.15) – all models must conform to these parameters:
- · Salary supplement shall fully cover the salary costs of any additional contract days.
- · Review councils: site-based review councils (for larger districts), district-based review councils (for smaller districts), comprised of equal numbers of teachers and administrators. Review Council shall make recommendations on applications for teacher leader positions.
- · Teachers shall not receive less compensation due to implementation of a teacher leader model system.
- · A school district is encouraged to use appropriately licensed teachers emeritus.
- · All districts that have an approved plan by January 1, 2014, shall be funded (generate funding through the per pupil formula). Must seek approval from DE’s Compensation Leadership Council.
- · All districts must adopt a model by July 1, 2016. They can submit a plan for early adoption before that.
- · Makes clear that districts are only required to do as much as they get state funding for, meaning that they should propose a model they can afford. First priority is raising minimum salaries to $35,000. After that, with whatever money is left, do as much as you can to meet the basic goals of 284.15
- o Per pupil funding will be set at $400 per pupil (Gov’s was $305)
- · Commission on Educator Leadership and Compensation shall monitor the implementation of local models. The commission shall evaluate the applications submitted for approval and shall approve or disapprove such applications. The commission shall be comprised of equal teachers and administrators, and DE Director.
- Ø Comparable Systems Criteria (if a district wants to develop their own model)
- · Minimum salary of $35,000 and additional levels of compensation for differentiated teacher roles.
- · Multiple teacher leader roles, goal of at least 25 percent of teachers in leadership roles
- · Rigorous selection process that involves teachers in determining leadership roles
- · Site-based selection committees to recommend teachers for leadership roles
- · Teachers must have three years of experience, with at least one year of experience in the district
- · Excludes teachers from supervisory duties
- · Professional development aligned with Iowa Professional Development Model
- · Hiring permanent staff to give teacher leaders time to focus on leadership duties
- Ø State Supplemental Assistance for Teachers in High-Needs Schools (Gov’s language)
- · DE shall establish a criteria and a list of high-need schools. Factors shall include socioeconomic status of students, percentage of ELL, student academic growth, number of staff attrition and geographic balance.
- · Teachers of all subjects are eligible for assistance if they are in a designated school.
Division VI – Miscellaneous Provisions
- Ø Reading Research Center: establish in collaboration with state board of regents (funding in Ed. Approps)
- Ø Reading Center submits annual reports to Legislature regarding PreK-3 reading work, PD of reading and Prek-3 teachers, assessment tools, resources and information to promote literacy
- Ø Competency Based Education (subject to appropriation): Support for up to 10 districts to support competency based pathways statewide as we develop competencies, assessments and professional development.
- Ø Schools in need of assistance poverty grant program (256.27): Subject to appropriation, pilot projects to target low-proficiency in reading and math
- Ø World Language Pilot:
- · exemplify best practices for world-class foreign language delivery models
- · Subject to sufficient funds appropriation, administer with UNI and up to three school districts
- Ø Preschool Language Expansion:
- · Allows preschool funding to be used by community providers for some small expanded uses such as instructional equipment, material and motor skill development equipment.
- · Also tells districts to use unexpended funds to build capacity in the following year.
- Ø BOEE cannot issue alternative licensure to new groups of folks, unless Legislature approves. This section is effective upon enactment.
- Ø Tobacco/Nicotine Free bill language
- Ø Early Childhood, Preschool/Kindergarten Assessment Fixes
- · Requires Gold Assessments for preschool and kindergarten. Makes consistent and comparable. DE was suggesting two different assessments which are not supported by early childhood field/folks or schools.
- Ø Early Intervention/Class Size Reduction: maintains program.
- Ø School Year-Long Student Teaching Field Experience Study (not pilot program)
DIVISON VII – State School Foundation Program (Allowable Growth): FY14 and FY15 at 4 percent for both regular and categorical allowable growth.
A floor amendment rewrites the various teacher leader model options for clarity and lots of technical changes. [3/37: 26-23 (Sorenson excused)]
COMMITTEE ACTION
HF 472 extends the current statutory sharing incentives for school districts. The bill adds a few new categories of shared functions. Districts must show cost savings and the sharing must be for at least 20 percent of the school year. New to this program is that non-contiguous districts can enter into sharing agreements. The additional weighting received by a school district engaged in operational sharing is .02 per student. These incentives are good for up to five years beginning July 1, 2014, and going through June 30, 2020. [3/27: short form]
HF 351 requires that if a child is enrolled in the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program (SWVPP), which serves 4-year-old children, that the enrolled child shall be considered of compulsory attendance age and subject to compulsory education laws. This does not lower the compulsory attendance age. Additionally, a parent is allowed the opportunity to withdraw their child from the SWVPP so as not to be subject to this change. [3/27: 10-5 (Ernst, Behn, Boettger, Sinclair, Zaun “no”)]