The bill amends the State School Aid Act of 1979, specifically section 101, to establish new requirements for school districts regarding the submission and certification of pupil enrollment and attendance data. Superintendents are now required to submit this data by the fifth Wednesday after both the pupil membership count day and the supplemental count day, with a mandate to resolve any discrepancies and recertify the data by the sixth Wednesday following these count days. Noncompliance will result in the withholding of state aid until the requirements are met. Additionally, the bill allows for a waiver of the minimum hours and days of pupil instruction for the 2025-2026 school year under certain conditions, such as being located in specific counties or during a declared state of emergency.

The bill also modifies penalties for districts that fail to meet the required instructional hours, specifying that state aid will be forfeited based on the extent of noncompliance. It clarifies that hours lost due to strikes or teacher conferences will not count against required instructional time and introduces provisions for alternative education programs. Furthermore, it allows districts to count up to 38 hours of professional development as instructional time, with conditions for approval and alignment with improvement plans. The bill mandates that professional development can be conducted online, requires the department to issue a list of approved online providers, and includes a review process for waiver standards every two years, ensuring stakeholder input. Notably, certain subsections do not apply to cyber schools or dropout recovery programs, providing tailored regulations for these educational models.

Statutes affected:
House Introduced Bill: 388.1701