CCS/HCS/SB 743 - This act modifies provisions relating to elementary and secondary education. SCHOOL CALENDAR: Currently, public schools are required to be in session for a minimum of 174 days and 1,044 hours a year. Beginning in the 2019-2020 school year, this act changes the requirement to a minimum of 1,044 hours of actual pupil attendance with no minimum number of required school days except for kindergarten pupils who shall be provided a minimum of 522 hours of actual pupil attendance with no minimum number of days. Beginning in the 2019-2020 school year, when determining the amount of state aid to the Division of Youth Services in the Department of Social Services for educational services to elementary and secondary students who have been assigned to the Division by the courts and who have been determined as inappropriate for local public school attendance, the number of full-time equivalent students shall be determined by dividing the number of student-hours by 1,044 hours. A student hour shall mean one hour of education services provided for one student. Beginning in the 2019-2020 school year, each school calendar shall include 36 make-up hours for possible loss of attendance due to inclement weather. A school district may be exempt from the requirement to make up school lost or canceled due to inclement weather when the district has made up the required 36 hours and half the number of additional lost or canceled hours up to 48 hours, resulting in no more than 60 total make-up hours. The Commissioner of Education may provide, upon request, a waiver for any school district to be excused from the 1,044 hours of actual pupil attendance requirement. (Sections 160.011, 160.041, 163.021, 163.073, 171.031, & 171.033) Provisions of law allowing a school district to establish a four-day school week are repealed effective July 1, 2019. (Section 171.029) These provisions are identical to perfected HB 1573 (2018) and to provisions contained in the truly agreed SS/HCS/HB 1606 (2018) and similar to HB 677 (2017). CHARTER SCHOOLS: The act allows charter schools to give preference for admission to high-risk students when the school targets these students through its proposed mission, curriculum, teaching methods, and services. (Section 160.410) This provision is identical to a provision contained in HCS/HB 2247 (2018). ACT ASSESSMENT: This act provides students the opportunity to choose between the ACT WorkKeys assessment or ACT assessment, including ACT Plus Writing, in any school year in which the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education directs a state-funded census administration of the ACT assessment, or in which a school district directs the administration of the ACT assessment. (Section 160.572) This provision is identical to a provision contained in the truly agreed SS/HCS/HB 1606 (2018), the truly agreed SS/HB 1415 (2018), and HB 1677 (2018), and is similar to SB 696 (2018), HCB 4 (2017), and HB 94 (2017). STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION: This act also requires the Governor to appoint a teacher representative to the State Board of Education. The teacher representative shall attend all Board meetings and participate in deliberations. However, the teacher representative shall not have the right to vote on any matter or be counted for purposes of establishing a quorum. The teacher representative shall be an active classroom teacher, as described in the act, and have written support of his or her local school board. The teacher representative's term shall be for four years and subsequent appointments shall be made in rotation from each Congressional District, beginning with the First Congressional District and continuing in numerical order. In the event of a vacancy in the position of teacher representative, the Governor shall appoint a replacement by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. If the General Assembly is not in session at the time for making an appointment, the Governor shall make a temporary appointment until the next session of the General Assembly, when the Governor shall nomination a person to fill the position of teacher representative. These provisions expire on August 28, 2025. (Section 161.026) The teacher representative shall not participate in closed meetings of the Board. (Section 161.072) These provisions are similar to HCS/SB 695 (2018), HB 1373 (2018), the truly agreed SS/HCS/HB 1606 (2018), and HB 67 (2017). CAREER AND TECHNICAL STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS: This act specifies that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shall be responsible for the receipt and disbursement of funds from career and technical student organizations. (Section 161.106) This provision is identical to HB 1348 (2018), to provisions contained in the truly agreed SS/HCS/HB 1606 (2018), and to provisions contained in the truly agreed HCS/SS/SCS/SBs 894 & 921 (2018). EARLY LEARNING QUALITY ASSURANCE REPORT PROGRAM: This act extends the sunset for the early learning quality assurance report pilot program from three years after August 28, 2016, to three years after August 28, 2019. (Section 161.217) This provision is identical to HB 1420 (2018). SEVEN-DIRECTOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS: Current law requires the treasurer of a seven-director school district, when entering into a bond to the state, to do so with two or more sureties. This act authorizes the treasurer to use one or more sureties. (Section 162.401) This provision is identical to a provision contained in the truly agreed SS/HCS/HB 1606 (2018), HCS/SCS/SBs 300 & 306 (2017) and SCS/HB 587 (2017), and substantially similar to HB 2192 (2018). GIFTED EDUCATION: This act requires any school district with an approved gifted education program to have a policy, which shall be approved by the district's board of education, that outlines the procedures and conditions under which parents or guardians may request a review of the decision that determined their child did not qualify to receive services through the district's gifted education program. School districts and school and school district employees shall be immune from liability for any and all acts or omissions relating to the decision that a child did not qualify to receive services through the district's gifted education program. (Section 162.720) This act also allows for the subject or whole grade acceleration of any student who demonstrates certain characteristics described in the act. (Section 162.722) These provisions are identical to SCS for HB 1421 and HB 1371 (2018), the truly agreed to SS/HCS/HB 1606 (2018), and similar to SB 648 (2018) and HCS/HB 670 (2017). EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: The act states that if a pupil between the ages of 3 and 5 who is eligible for free and reduced price lunch attends an early childhood education program operated by and in a district or charter school that has declared itself as a local educational agency and subsequently leaves such program, the district or charter school shall be allowed to fill the vacant enrollment spot with another eligible pupil without affecting the district's or charter school's calculation of average daily attendance. (Section 163.018) This provision is identical to a provision contained in the truly agreed SS/HCS/HB 1606 (2018). TAX RATES OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS: This act states that when revising a school district's tax rate each year, the aggregate increase in valuation of property assessed by the State Tax Commission for the current year over the previous year shall be considered new construction and improvements. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and any other government agency involved in the tax rate process shall update all necessary forms, reports, and documents. (Section 164.011). This provision is identical to SB 905 (2018) and HB 2169 (2018), and is similar to a provision contained in HCS/SCS/SBs 300 & 306 (2017) and HCS/SB 434 (2017). DATA ON NEGLECTED OR DELINQUENT CHILDREN: The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is prohibited from creating any report relating to the Missouri School Improvement Program in which data from a district's regularly enrolled students is aggregated with data from students residing in facilities that serve neglected or delinquent children. The Department shall aggregate all students residing in such facilities and issue reports as if the students and facilities were their own separate local educational agency. (Section 167.128) This provision is identical to HCS/HB 2625 (2018). INSTRUCTION IN BRAILLE: This act requires a student to receive instruction in Braille reading and writing as part of his or her individualized education plan (IEP) unless the IEP team determines that instruction in Braille or the use of Braille is not appropriate for the child. The act modifies the definition of "student". (Section 167.225) This provision is identical to HCS/SB 681 (2018), HCS/HB 2555 (2018), to a provision contained in the truly agreed SS/HCS/HB 1606 (2018), and is similar to SB 362 (2017), HB 2569 (2016), and HCS/HB 1003 (2015). INFORMATION ON CAREERS: This act requires the Department of Economic Development to annually identify occupations in which a critical need or shortage of trained personnel exists in the state, and provide such information to the State Board of Education. The State Board and the Department shall then compile certain data and information relating to post-secondary education and careers, as set forth in the act. The information compiled under the act shall be distributed to each high school in this state. Each high school shall provide its students with such information before November 1st of every school year. (Section 167.902) This provision is identical to a provision contained in HCS/HB 1455 (2018), the truly agreed SS/HCS/HB 1606 (2018), and is similar to HCS/HB 953 (2017). TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: This act also allows a teacher to count hours spent in a local business externship as contact hours of professional development. (Section 168.024) This provision is identical to a provision contained in the truly agreed SS/HCS/HB 1606 (2018), the truly agreed SS/HB 1415 (2018), and HCB 4 (2017). SCHOOL LIBRARIANS: The act requires the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to develop a process for recognition of a school district's school library information and technology program before July 1, 2019. (Section 168.770) This provision is identical to HCS/HB 2411 (2018). SHELTERED WORKSHOPS: The act provides that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shall pay monthly, out of appropriated funds for that purpose, to each sheltered workshop a sum determined by specified criteria, but no less than $21 per day for each handicapped employee. (Section 178.931) The act also repeals provisions of law relating to the computation of state aid to sheltered workshops. (Section 178.930) These provisions are identical to provisions contained in the truly agreed SS/HB 1415 (2018) and HB 2644 (2018). STUDENT TRANSPORTATION: The act states that the Kansas City Public School school board may contract with any municipality, bi-state agency, or other governmental entity to transport high school children. The contract shall be for additional transportation services and shall not replace or fulfill any of the school district's obligations to transport students to and from school. The school district may notify students of the option to use district contracted transportation services. (Section 304.060) This provision is identical to a provision contained in SCS/HB 1442 (2018), SCS/HCS/HBs 2277 & 1983 (2018), HCB 23 (2018), the truly agreed CCS/HCS/SB 687 (2018), the truly agreed SS/HCS/HB 1606 (2018), HCS#2/SS/SB 704 (2018), and HCS#2/SS#2/SCS/SB 1050 (2018). JAMIE ANDREWS