The bill amends the State School Aid Act of 1979, specifically section 101, to establish new requirements for school districts and intermediate districts regarding the submission and certification of pupil enrollment and attendance data. District 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 conflicts and recertify data by the sixth Wednesday. Non-compliance will result in the withholding of state aid until the issue is resolved, and if not addressed by the end of the fiscal year, the district will forfeit the withheld amount. Intermediate districts are also required to submit audited enrollment and attendance data by the twenty-fourth Wednesday after the respective count days, facing similar penalties for non-compliance.

Additionally, the bill sets minimum requirements for pupil instruction, mandating at least 1,098 hours and 180 days of instruction, with provisions for waivers under certain conditions. For the 2024-2025 school year, districts affected by a state of emergency may be exempt from these requirements for a limited number of days. The bill allows the first 12 days of missed instruction due to uncontrollable conditions to count towards the required hours and days of pupil instruction from the 2025-2026 school year until the 2030-2031 school year. It also permits school districts to count up to 38 hours of professional development for teachers as hours of pupil instruction, with specific conditions, and emphasizes the importance of aligning professional development with school improvement plans. The bill clarifies that certain subsections do not apply to cyber schools or dropout recovery programs and mandates a review of waiver standards every two years by the superintendent, considering stakeholder input.

Statutes affected:
House Introduced Bill: 388.1701