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  This subparagraph is repealed July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  1 24 repealed July 1, 2025.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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