House File 461 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY MASCHER
A BILL FOR
1 An Act establishing a full=day preschool program as part of the
2 statewide preschool program.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 256C.3, subsection 3, paragraph f, Code
1 2 2015, is amended to read as follows:
1 3 f. (1) A For school budget years beginning before July 1,
1 4 2025, for school districts that are not participating in the
1 5 full=day preschool program under subsection 6, a minimum of
1 6 ten hours per week of instruction delivered on the skills and
1 7 knowledge included in the student learning standards developed
1 8 for the preschool program. This subparagraph is repealed July
1 9 1, 2025.
1 10 (2) For school budget years beginning on or after July
1 11 1, 2016, but before July 1, 2025, for school districts that
1 12 are participating in the full=day preschool program under
1 13 subsection 6, a minimum of thirty hours per week of instruction
1 14 delivered on the skills and knowledge included in the student
1 15 learning standards developed for the preschool program.
1 16 However, for a school district measuring instructional time in
1 17 hours pursuant to section 279.10, subsection 1, the minimum
1 18 number of hours per week of instruction delivered on the skills
1 19 and knowledge included in the student learning standards
1 20 developed for the preschool program shall be equal to the
1 21 number of instructional hours per week established by the
1 22 school district in the school calendar under section 279.10,
1 23 subsection 1, for the same school year. This subparagraph is
1 24 repealed July 1, 2025.
1 25 (3) For school budget years beginning on or after July
1 26 1, 2025, a minimum of thirty hours per week of instruction
1 27 delivered on the skills and knowledge included in the student
1 28 learning standards developed for the preschool program.
1 29 However, for a school district measuring instructional time in
1 30 hours pursuant to section 279.10, subsection 1, the minimum
1 31 number of hours per week of instruction delivered on the skills
1 32 and knowledge included in the student learning standards
1 33 developed for the preschool program shall be equal to the
1 34 number of instructional hours per week established by the
1 35 school district in the school calendar under section 279.10,
2 1 subsection 1, for the same school year.
2 2 Sec. 2. Section 256C.3, subsection 5, paragraph a, Code
2 3 2015, is amended to read as follows:
2 4 a. (1) The department shall implement an application and
2 5 selection process for school district participation in the
2 6 preschool program that includes but is not limited to the
2 7 enrollment requirements provided under section 256C.4.
2 8 (2) The department shall implement an application and
2 9 selection process for school district participation in the
2 10 full=day preschool program under subsection 6 that also
2 11 includes but is not limited to the requirements for the
2 12 application and selection process under subparagraph (1). This
2 13 subparagraph is repealed July 1, 2025.
2 14 Sec. 3. Section 256C.3, Code 2015, is amended by adding the
2 15 following new subsection:
2 16 NEW SUBSECTION. 6. Full=day preschool program == phase=in.
2 17 a. For school budget years beginning on or after July 1,
2 18 2016, but before July 1, 2025, the department of education
2 19 shall administer and select school districts for participation
2 20 in the full=day preschool program. Each school district
2 21 that applies and is selected to participate in the full=day
2 22 preschool program shall, in addition to other requirements
2 23 established by the department by rule, comply with the
2 24 instructional hours requirement of subsection 3, paragraph "f",
2 25 subparagraph (2). Utilizing all of the following selection
2 26 criteria and subject to the limitations of paragraph "b", the
2 27 department of education shall review applications and select
2 28 school districts for participation in the full=day preschool
2 29 program:
2 30 (1) Priority shall be given to school districts that do not
2 31 have existing preschool programming within the school district
2 32 boundaries.
2 33 (2) Priority shall be given to school districts that have a
2 34 high percentage of children in poverty, and such children shall
2 35 receive first priority for the programs.
3 1 (3) Consideration shall be given to the size of school
3 2 districts in order for there to be equitable statewide
3 3 distribution of preschool program services.
3 4 (4) Consideration shall be given to school districts with
3 5 established, high=quality community partnerships for the
3 6 delivery of preschool programming that are seeking to expand
3 7 access.
3 8 b. The number of school districts selected by the department
3 9 to participate in the full=day preschool program shall be
3 10 limited as follows:
3 11 (1) For the budget year beginning July 1, 2016, not more
3 12 than ten percent of all school districts in the state.
3 13 (2) For the budget year beginning July 1, 2017, not more
3 14 than twenty percent of all school districts in the state.
3 15 (3) For the budget year beginning July 1, 2018, not more
3 16 than thirty percent of all school districts in the state.
3 17 (4) For the budget year beginning July 1, 2019, not more
3 18 than forty percent of all school districts in the state.
3 19 (5) For the budget year beginning July 1, 2020, not more
3 20 than fifty percent of all school districts in the state.
3 21 (6) For the budget year beginning July 1, 2021, not more
3 22 than sixty percent of all school districts in the state.
3 23 (7) For the budget year beginning July 1, 2022, not more
3 24 than seventy percent of all school districts in the state.
3 25 (8) For the budget year beginning July 1, 2023, not more
3 26 than eighty percent of all school districts in the state.
3 27 (9) For the budget year beginning July 1, 2024, not more
3 28 than ninety percent of all school districts in the state.
3 29 c. This subsection is repealed July 1, 2025.
3 30 Sec. 4. Section 256C.5, subsection 1, paragraph c, Code
3 31 2015, is amended to read as follows:
3 32 c. (1) "Preschool budget enrollment" For school budget
3 33 years beginning before July 1, 2025, for school districts that
3 34 are not participating in the full=day preschool program under
3 35 subsection 6, "preschool budget enrollment" means the figure
4 1 that is equal to fifty percent of the actual enrollment of
4 2 eligible students in the preschool programming provided by
4 3 a school district approved to participate in the preschool
4 4 program on October 1 of the base year, or the first Monday
4 5 in October if October 1 falls on a Saturday or Sunday. This
4 6 subparagraph is repealed July 1, 2025.
4 7 (2) For school budget years beginning on or after July
4 8 1, 2016, but before July 1, 2025, for school districts that
4 9 are participating in the full=day preschool program under
4 10 subsection 6, "preschool budget enrollment" means the figure
4 11 that is equal to the actual enrollment of eligible students
4 12 in the preschool programming provided by a school district
4 13 approved to participate in the preschool program on October 1
4 14 of the base year, or the first Monday in October if October 1
4 15 falls on a Saturday or Sunday. This subparagraph is repealed
4 16 July 1, 2025.
4 17 (3) For school budget years beginning on or after July 1,
4 18 2025, "preschool budget enrollment" means the figure that is
4 19 equal to the actual enrollment of eligible students in the
4 20 preschool programming provided by a school district approved to
4 21 participate in the preschool program on October 1 of the base
4 22 year, or the first Monday in October if October 1 falls on a
4 23 Saturday or Sunday.
4 24 Sec. 5. Section 256C.5, subsection 2, paragraph a, Code
4 25 2015, is amended to read as follows:
4 26 a. For the initial school year for which a school district
4 27 approved to participate in the preschool program receives that
4 28 approval and implements the preschool program, the funding for
4 29 the preschool foundation aid payable to that school district
4 30 shall be paid from the appropriation made for that school year
4 31 in section 256C.6, Code 2011, or in another appropriation made
4 32 for purposes of this chapter. For that initial school year,
4 33 the preschool foundation aid payable to the school district is
4 34 the product of the regular program state cost per pupil for the
4 35 school budget year multiplied by sixty percent a percentage
5 1 of the school district's eligible student enrollment on the
5 2 date in the school year determined by rule that is equal to the
5 3 percentage for the budget year under subsection 1, paragraph
5 4 "c".
5 5 EXPLANATION
5 6 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
5 7 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
5 8 This bill relates to the statewide preschool program by
5 9 requiring the department of education to establish, administer,
5 10 and phase=in a full=day preschool program as part of the
5 11 statewide preschool program.
5 12 Code chapter 256C defines preschool program requirements
5 13 that are used to determine whether or not a local program
5 14 implemented by a school district approved to participate in
5 15 the statewide preschool program for four=year=old children
5 16 qualifies as an approved local program. Current law requires a
5 17 minimum of 10 hours per week of instruction delivered on the
5 18 skills and knowledge included in the student learning standards
5 19 developed for the preschool program.
5 20 For school budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2016,
5 21 but before July 1, 2025, the bill requires the department
5 22 of education to administer and select school districts
5 23 for participation in a full=day preschool program as part
5 24 of the statewide preschool program. Each school district
5 25 that applies and is selected to participate in the full=day
5 26 preschool program shall provide a minimum of 30 hours per
5 27 week of instruction delivered on the skills and knowledge
5 28 included in the student learning standards developed for the
5 29 preschool program. However, for a school district measuring
5 30 instructional time in hours instead of days, the minimum number
5 31 of hours per week of instruction shall be equal to the number
5 32 of instructional hours per week established by the school
5 33 district in the school calendar for the same school year.
5 34 Utilizing all of the following selection criteria, the
5 35 department of education is required to review applications
6 1 and select school districts for participation in the full=day
6 2 preschool program: (1) priority shall be given to school
6 3 districts that do not have existing preschool programming
6 4 within the school district boundaries; (2) priority shall
6 5 be given to school districts that have a high percentage
6 6 of children in poverty, and such children shall receive
6 7 first priority for the programs; (3) consideration shall
6 8 be given to the size of school districts in large, medium,
6 9 and small categories in order for there to be equitable
6 10 statewide distribution of preschool program services; and
6 11 (4) consideration shall be given to school districts with
6 12 established, high=quality community partnerships for the
6 13 delivery of preschool programming that are seeking to expand
6 14 access.
6 15 In addition to the specified selection criteria, the bill
6 16 limits the number of school districts that may be selected
6 17 by the department to participate in the full=day preschool
6 18 program. For the budget year beginning July 1, 2016, the
6 19 department may not select more than 10 percent of all school
6 20 districts in the state. For each budget year thereafter the
6 21 limit on the number of school districts that may be selected
6 22 increases by 10 percentage points until the requirements of
6 23 the full=day preschool program become applicable to all school
6 24 districts participating in the statewide preschool program
6 25 under Code chapter 256C in the budget year beginning July 1,
6 26 2025.
6 27 Under Code chapter 256C, state funding is based upon the
6 28 enrollment of eligible students in the preschool programming
6 29 provided by a school district approved to participate in the
6 30 preschool program. The amount of preschool foundation aid
6 31 is the product of the regular program state cost per pupil
6 32 for the budget year multiplied by the school district's
6 33 preschool budget enrollment. Current law defines "preschool
6 34 budget enrollment" to mean the figure that is equal to 50
6 35 percent of the actual enrollment of eligible students in the
7 1 preschool programming provided by a school district approved
7 2 to participate in the preschool program in the base year. The
7 3 bill provides that for districts approved to participate in the
7 4 full=day preschool program, the "preschool budget enrollment"
7 5 is equal to the actual enrollment of eligible students in the
7 6 preschool programming provided by a school district approved to
7 7 participate in the preschool program in the base year.
7 8 Under the bill, for budget years beginning on or after July
7 9 1, 2025, the requirement of 30 instructional hours and the
7 10 change in the definition of "preschool budget enrollment" for
7 11 funding purposes apply to all school districts approved to
7 12 participate in the preschool program under Code chapter 256C.
7 13 However, for a school district measuring instructional time in
7 14 hours instead of days, the minimum number of hours per week
7 15 of instruction shall be equal to the number of instructional
7 16 hours per week established by the school district in the school
7 17 calendar for the same school year.
7 18 The bill also amends provisions relating to the preschool
7 19 foundation aid received by a school district for the initial
7 20 school year for which a school district approved to participate
7 21 in the preschool program to match the applicable percentage
7 22 under the definition of "preschool budget enrollment" as
7 23 modified in the bill.
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