Senate File 545 - Introduced
SENATE FILE 545
BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
(SUCCESSOR TO SF 452)
A BILL FOR
1 An Act establishing a learning recovery task force.
2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
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1 Section 1. LEARNING RECOVERY TASK FORCE.
2 1. The learning recovery task force is established to
3 evaluate the degree and types of learning losses students,
4 using in-person, hybrid, or remote learning methods of
5 instruction, enrolled in pre-kindergarten through grade twelve
6 experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The task force shall
7 study, identify, and recommend remedial measures, including but
8 not limited to alterations in the school calendar, remedial
9 classwork, special individualized tutoring, and further options
10 as may seem justified and practical. The task force shall
11 consult with education experts and stakeholders in this state
12 as appropriate.
13 2. The task force shall consist of the director of the
14 department of education or the director’s designee, who shall
15 convene the organizational meeting, a member of the state
16 board of education who shall be appointed by the chairperson
17 of the state board, and the following members appointed by the
18 governor in consultation with the director of the department
19 of education:
20 a. Two elementary school teachers, one middle school
21 teacher, and one high school teacher.
22 b. One elementary school principal and one middle or high
23 school principal.
24 c. One superintendent for a school district with an actual
25 enrollment of more than one thousand five hundred pupils, one
26 superintendent for a school district with an actual enrollment
27 that is at least five hundred pupils but not more than one
28 thousand five hundred pupils, and one superintendent for a
29 school district with an actual enrollment of fewer than five
30 hundred pupils.
31 d. One member of the board of directors of a school
32 district with an actual enrollment of more than one thousand
33 five hundred pupils, one member of the board of directors of
34 a school district with an actual enrollment that is at least
35 five hundred pupils but not more than one thousand five hundred
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1 pupils, and one member of the board of directors of a school
2 district with an actual enrollment of fewer than five hundred
3 pupils.
4 e. One faculty member from the college of education or
5 the school of education, as appropriate, at each of the
6 institutions of higher learning governed by the state board of
7 regents.
8 f. The director of the Iowa reading research center under
9 the state university of Iowa college of education, or the
10 director’s designee.
11 g. The parent or guardian of an elementary school student,
12 the parent or guardian of a middle school student, and the
13 parent or guardian of a high school student.
14 h. Two members of the general public.
15 3. To the extent possible, members shall be selected to
16 reflect geographic, racial, and ethnic diversity. Members of
17 the task force appointed pursuant to subsection 2, paragraphs
18 “a” through “h”, shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary
19 travel expenses.
20 4. The department of education shall provide staffing
21 services for the task force. Task force meetings and records
22 are subject to the provisions of chapters 21 and 22.
23 5. The task force shall submit an analysis of the losses
24 experienced by students, reported by method of instruction, and
25 its findings and recommendations, including recommendations for
26 legislation or rulemaking, as necessary, in a report to the
27 general assembly by December 30, 2021.
28 EXPLANATION
29 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
30 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
31 This bill establishes a learning recovery task force to
32 evaluate the degree and types of learning losses students,
33 using in-person, hybrid, or remote learning methods of
34 instruction, enrolled in pre-kindergarten through grade 12
35 experienced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The task force shall
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1 study, identify, and recommend remedial measures, including but
2 not limited to alterations in the school calendar, remedial
3 classwork, special individualized tutoring, and further options
4 as may seem justified and practical. The task force shall
5 consult with education experts and stakeholders as appropriate.
6 The task force shall consist of the director of the
7 department of education or the director’s designee, who shall
8 convene the organizational meeting, a member of the state
9 board of education who shall be appointed by the chairperson
10 of the board, and members appointed by the governor in
11 consultation with the director of the department of education
12 who shall include elementary, middle, and high school
13 teachers; an elementary and a middle or high school principal;
14 superintendents and school board members for large, medium, and
15 small school districts; faculty members from the colleges or
16 schools of education at the regents universities; the director
17 of the Iowa reading research center or the director’s designee;
18 the parents or guardians of students at the elementary, middle,
19 and high school levels; and members of the general public.
20 To the extent possible, members shall be selected to reflect
21 geographic, racial, and ethnic diversity. Members other than
22 the director of the department and the member of the state
23 board of education shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary
24 travel expenses.
25 The department of education shall provide staffing services
26 for the task force. Task force meetings and records are
27 subject to the open meetings and open records laws.
28 The task force shall submit an analysis of the losses
29 experienced by students, reported by method of instruction, and
30 its findings and recommendations, including recommendations for
31 legislation or rulemaking, as necessary, in a report to the
32 general assembly by December 30, 2021.
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