SECOND REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 987
90TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR EHLMANN.
Read 1st time February 8, 2000, and 1,000 copies ordered printed.
TERRY L. SPIELER, Secretary.
3313S.04I
AN ACT
To amend chapters 27, 162, 163, 168, 170 and 171, RSMo, by adding thereto eleven new sections relating to school district operations.
Section A. Chapters 27, 162, 163, 168, 170 and 171, RSMo, are amended by adding thereto eleven new sections, to be known as sections 27.065, 162.092, 163.038, 168.310, 168.320, 168.330, 168.333, 170.270, 171.191, 171.201 and 171.211, to read as follows:
27.065. The attorney general shall advise school boards and school superintendents of this state, when requested, regarding school personnel matters and shall appear on behalf of school boards in contested cases, when requested by the school board, regarding termination of school employees.
162.092. Any school officer or employee found to have facilitated any act of cheating or to have given any answers to students taking assessments established pursuant to section 160.518, RSMo, may be terminated for cause from employment by the school board for such conduct.
163.038. Other provisions of law to the contrary notwithstanding, the state aid provided to a school district pursuant to section 163.031 shall be reduced from the per eligible pupil amount otherwise provided for in section 163.031 as follows:
(1) For districts in which at least twenty-five percent of the certificated teachers employed on a full-time basis in the current school year who were required to take the National Teacher's Examination as a condition of certification have scored at or above the fiftieth percentile on the National Teacher's Examination, no reduction shall be made pursuant to this section; and
(2) For other districts, the state aid provided to a school district pursuant to section 163.031 shall be the per eligible pupil amount otherwise provided for in section 163.031 times ninety percent.
168.310. 1. There is hereby established a program of interdistrict teacher transfers for all certified public school teachers. Participation in the program by a teacher shall be voluntary. Any teacher with a continuous professional certificate may apply to the board of the district employing the teacher for a one-year transfer to teach in another, receiving district. The application shall be approved provided that the teacher's certificate is current and the receiving district agrees to accept the teacher. All salary and other benefits shall continue to be provided by the sending district.
2. Two or more districts may enter into a reciprocal agreement by which teachers from each district are received for one year transfers from the other district pursuant to this section.
168.320. 1. All evaluations of public school teachers for teaching skill and expertise shall be performed by other teachers with experience in the same discipline. School administrators may evaluate teachers for criteria other than teaching skill and expertise, such as procedures and extracurricular work.
2. The board of each school district shall adopt a written policy regarding homework required for all classes. Required homework shall be considered in teacher evaluations conducted pursuant to this section and shall be evaluated, at a minimum, for sufficiency, meaningfulness and relevance.
168.330. The board of each school district shall adopt pay scales for all teachers employed by the district. The pay scales established by the board pursuant to this section shall provide that the district shall pay at least twenty percent of the teachers employed by the district at least ten percent more than the standard pay for a teacher employed by the district. The pay scales shall establish a minimum salary for all certified teachers in the state, regardless of experience, level of education or evaluation reports.
168.333. 1. Any teacher with a valid certificate from the state board of education shall receive, upon application to the department of elementary and secondary education, reimbursement of all application costs for National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and all costs for substitute teaching required for the teacher to obtain such certification, incurred by such teacher from funds appropriated for that purpose.
2. Any teacher with a valid certificate from the state board of education, employed by a school district and certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards shall receive, upon application to the department of elementary and secondary education, a salary supplement in the amount of ten percent of such teacher's regular salary for the current school year, from funds appropriated for that purpose. Applications shall be made no later than April first and supplements shall be provided, subject to appropriations, no later than June thirtieth. If appropriations are insufficient to fully fund all supplements, all supplements shall be uniformly prorated until the total of supplements matches the available funding.
170.270. The state board of education shall establish, by rule, state standards for weighted grades based upon academic content for grades nine through twelve to encourage students to take academically rigorous and challenging courses without concern for reduction of grade-point average.
171.191. The school board of any public school district in this state may adopt mandatory dress codes or require a uniform type of clothing to be worn in the schools of such district. Any student who violates such a dress code or refuses to comply with such a dress code may be disciplined by the school district in accordance with established school policy or regulation.
171.201. The board of each school district shall establish a written policy on academic dishonesty. The policy shall require, at a minimum, that the parent or guardian of a pupil be notified of any incident of academic dishonesty involving the pupil.
171.211. The superintendent of a school district may request the circuit court of any county in which a part of the district is located to issue a subpoena commanding the parent or guardian of a pupil resident in the district and the county to attend a meeting with the superintendent regarding the conduct or academic progress of the pupil. In making such request, the superintendent shall document that the parent or guardian has been notified in writing on at least two prior occasions that serious problems exist regarding the conduct or academic progress of the pupil which make a conference with the superintendent necessary and that the parent did not meet with superintendent. Any person who fails to comply with a subpoena issued pursuant to this section may be found in contempt of the court issuing the subpoena.