Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

Senate File 2367 - Introduced
                                  SENATE FILE 2367
                                  BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
                                  (SUCCESSOR TO SSB 3156)
                            A BILL FOR
An Act relating to education, including modifying provisions
  related to education data collection and the determination
  of enrollment, and including effective date and
  applicability provisions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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                            DIVISION I
                EDUCATION INFORMATION AND FUNDING
    Section 1. Section 22.7, subsection 1, Code 2024, is amended
 to read as follows:
    1. Personal information in records regarding a student,
 prospective student, or former student maintained, created,
 collected or assembled by or for a school corporation or
 educational institution maintaining such records. This
 subsection shall not be construed to prohibit a postsecondary
 education institution from disclosing to a parent or guardian
 information regarding a violation of a federal, state, or
 local law, or institutional rule or policy governing the use
 or possession of alcohol or a controlled substance if the
 child is under the age of twenty-one years and the institution
 determines that the student committed a disciplinary violation
 with respect to the use or possession of alcohol or a
 controlled substance regardless of whether that information is
 contained in the student’s education records. This subsection
 shall not be construed to prohibit a school corporation or
 educational institution from transferring student records
 electronically to the department of education, an accredited
 nonpublic school, an attendance center, a school district, or
 an accredited postsecondary institution in accordance with
 section 256.9, subsection 44 11.
    Sec. 2. Section 256.9, subsection 11, Code 2024, is amended
 by striking the subsection and inserting in lieu thereof the
 following:
    11. a. Approve, coordinate, and supervise the use of
 electronic data and information processing by school districts,
 area education agencies, and merged areas, including the
 procurement or development of a single, comprehensive,
 statewide, student information system that is required to be
 used by all school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and
 area education agencies.
    b. (1) The student information system procured or developed
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 shall be designed for the purpose of establishing standardized
 electronic data collections and reporting protocols that
 facilitate compliance with state and federal reporting
 requirements, improve school-to-school and district-to-district
 information exchanges, and maintain the confidentiality of
 individual student and staff data.
    (2) The system shall provide for the electronic transfer
 of individual student records between attendance centers,
 school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, area education
 agencies, postsecondary institutions, merged areas, and the
 department.
    (3) The system shall be designed to ensure compatibility
 with other information or data management systems used or
 maintained by postsecondary institutions and merged areas as
 required by law.
    c. The department shall pay for the procurement or
 development of the student information system and shall pay
 for at least the first year of statewide implementation, after
 which the cost of operating the system may be funded through
 the collection of a fee by the department from each school
 district and accredited nonpublic school. The amount of the
 fee shall be based on a per-student rate, not to exceed twelve
 dollars per student for the first year of the fee.
    d. (1) Subject to subparagraph (2), the student information
 system shall only be used for the purpose of collecting
 information from school districts, accredited nonpublic
 schools, and area education agencies required by state or
 federal law or for preparation of state or federal reports.
    (2) Notwithstanding subparagraph (1), school districts,
 accredited nonpublic schools, and area education agencies, at
 their own expense, may use the student information system to
 complete other functions necessary to manage students, courses,
 and other school district, accredited nonpublic school, and
 area education agency functions.
    e. A school district, accredited nonpublic school, or area
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 education agency shall not duplicate the collection of any
 information in the student information system.
                            DIVISION II
                         STUDENT ENROLLMENT
    Sec. 3. Section 257.6, subsection 1, paragraph a,
 unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2024, 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. 4. Section 257.6, subsection 3, Code 2024, 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
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 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. 5. Section 257.6, subsection 5, paragraph a, Code 2024,
 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. 6. Section 257.6, Code 2024, 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
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 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. 7. Section 261E.7, subsection 1, unnumbered paragraph
 1, Code 2024, 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. 8. Section 273.5, subsection 5, Code 2024, 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
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 year.
    Sec. 9. Section 279.60, subsection 1, Code 2024, 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. 10. Section 282.12, subsection 4, Code 2024, 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. 11. Section 282.18, subsection 7, paragraph a, Code
 2024, 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
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  which the move took place. The new district of residence shall
  be responsible for the payments during succeeding years.
     Sec. 12. EFFECTIVE DATE. This division of this Act, being
  deemed of immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.
     Sec. 13. APPLICABILITY. This division of this Act applies
  to actual enrollment determinations for school budget years
  beginning on or after the effective date of this division 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 relates to education, including modifying
 provisions related to education data collection and the
 determination of enrollment.
    DIVISION I —— EDUCATION INFORMATION AND FUNDING. Division
 I of the bill modifies and consolidates language regarding
 electronic data and information duties of the director of
 the department of education. Under the bill, the director
 is required to approve, coordinate, and supervise the use
 of electronic data and information processing by school
 districts, area education agencies, and merged areas, including
 the procurement or development of a single, comprehensive,
 statewide, student information system that is required to be
 used by all school districts, accredited nonpublic schools,
 and area education agencies. The student information system
 procured or developed must be designed for the purpose of
 establishing standardized electronic data collections and
 reporting protocols that facilitate compliance with state and
 federal reporting requirements, improve school-to-school and
 district-to-district information exchanges, and maintain the
 confidentiality of individual student and staff data.
    The department of education is required to pay for the
 procurement or development of the student information system
 and shall pay for at least the first year of statewide
 implementation, after which the cost of operating the system
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 may be funded through the collection of a fee by the department
 from each school district and accredited nonpublic school. The
 amount of the fee shall be based on a per-student rate, not to
 exceed $12 per student for the first year of the fee.
    DIVISION II —— STUDENT 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. Division
 II of 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.
    Division II 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.
    Division II makes corresponding changes to other provisions
 of law.
    Division II of the bill takes effect upon enactm