AL
Alabama House Bill HB333

Alabama 2023 Regular Session

Alabama House Bill HB333 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
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11 HB333INTRODUCED
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33 JAQ4YF-1
44 By Representatives Garrett, Collins
55 RFD: Education Policy
66 First Read: 18-Apr-23
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1111 5 JAQ4YF-1 04/13/2023 KMS (L)cr 2023-1533
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1313 SYNOPSIS:
1414 This bill would establish the Alabama Modified
1515 School Calendar Grant Program to allow local boards of
1616 education to adopt a modified school calendar and to
1717 offset the associated costs with grant funds.
1818 This bill would provide for the administration
1919 of the program by the State Department of Education.
2020 This bill would create the Alabama Modified
2121 School Calendar Grant Fund and the Alabama Modified
2222 School Calendar Administration Fund as special funds
2323 within the State Treasury.
2424 This bill would require the State Board of
2525 Education to adopt rules and procedures for
2626 implementing the program, including application
2727 requirements.
2828 This bill would provide eligibility criteria for
2929 local boards of education to participate in the grant
3030 program and limitations on participation.
3131 This bill would also require the State Board of
3232 Education to provide a comprehensive report on the use
3333 of funds distributed under the grant program annually
3434 to the Governor and the Legislature.
3535 A BILL
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6565 TO BE ENTITLED
6666 AN ACT
6767 To establish the Alabama Modified School Calendar Grant
6868 Program; to allow local boards of education to adopt a
6969 modified school calendar and to offset the associated costs
7070 with grants awarded through the program; to require the State
7171 Department of Education to administer the program; to create
7272 the Alabama Modified School Calendar Grant Fund and the
7373 Alabama Modified School Calendar Administration Fund within
7474 the State Treasury; to require the State Board of Education to
7575 adopt rules for implementing the program; to provide
7676 application and eligibility criteria for local boards of
7777 education to participate; and to provide for annual reporting
7878 on the use of funds by the State Board of Education.
7979 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
8080 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as
8181 the Alabama Modified School Calendar Grant Program.
8282 Section 2. The Legislature finds and declares all of
8383 the following:
8484 (1) A modified K-12 public school calendar apportioning
8585 required instructional days throughout the year would increase
8686 student achievement and engagement and provide staff with a
8787 more flexible schedule.
8888 (2) It is the intent of this act to allow local boards
8989 of education to adopt a modified school calendar and offset
9090 any costs associated with the modification through a grant.
9191 Section 3. For purposes of this act, the following
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121121 terms shall have the following meanings, unless the context
122122 requires otherwise:
123123 (1) BOARD. The State Board of Education.
124124 (2) DEPARTMENT. The State Department of Education.
125125 (3) FUNDING FORMULA. The formula used for determining
126126 the amount of funding for the grant program annually.
127127 (4) GRANT PROGRAM. The Alabama Modified School Calendar
128128 Grant Program established by this act.
129129 (5) INTERSESSION. The multi-week break between
130130 scheduled school sessions during which the local board of
131131 education shall provide intensive tutoring, additional
132132 supports, and enrichment activities for all students who
133133 choose to participate in those activities.
134134 (6) LOCAL BOARD OF EDUCATION. All city and county
135135 boards of education and governing boards of charter schools.
136136 (7) MODIFIED SCHOOL CALENDAR. A nontraditional school
137137 calendar in which the length of summer break is shortened,
138138 there are breaks dispersed throughout the academic school
139139 year, and required instructional days are evenly distributed
140140 across the calendar year.
141141 (8) TIME REQUIREMENTS. A minimum of 30 additional
142142 instructional days per calendar year.
143143 Section 4. (a) There is established the Alabama
144144 Modified School Calendar Grant Program which shall be
145145 administered by the department for the purpose of offsetting
146146 initial costs incurred by local boards of education which have
147147 implemented or intend to implement a modified school calendar
148148 pursuant to this act.
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178178 (b) The Alabama Modified School Calendar Grant Fund is
179179 created in the State Treasury to receive appropriations from
180180 the Legislature for funding grants provided by this act. The
181181 Legislature shall make appropriations to this fund in amounts
182182 sufficient to fully fund the projected amount of grants to be
183183 made the proceeding fiscal year. Any monies remaining in the
184184 fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert but shall
185185 remain in the fund and are reappropriated for the purposes
186186 authorized by this act.
187187 (c) The Alabama Modified School Calendar Administration
188188 Fund is created in the State Treasury for the administration
189189 of the Alabama Modified School Calendar Grant Program by the
190190 department. The three percent of the amount appropriated each
191191 fiscal year to the Alabama Modified School Calendar Grant Fund
192192 shall be transferred each fiscal year from the Alabama
193193 Modified School Calendar Grant Fund to the Alabama Modified
194194 School Calendar Administration Fund. The expenses incurred by
195195 the department in carrying out this act shall be paid from
196196 monies in the Alabama Modified School Calendar Administration
197197 Fund. The Legislature may make additional appropriations to
198198 the Alabama Modified School Calendar Administration Fund upon
199199 a showing of the need for additional monies in the
200200 administration of the grant program. Any monies remaining in
201201 the administration fund at the end of each fiscal year shall
202202 revert to the Alabama Modified School Calendar Grant Fund.
203203 (d) No monies shall be withdrawn or expended from the
204204 funds created in this section for any purpose unless the
205205 monies have been appropriated by the Legislature and allocated
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235235 pursuant to this act. Any monies appropriated shall be
236236 budgeted and allotted pursuant to the Budget Management Act in
237237 accordance with Article 4, commencing with Section 41-4-80 of
238238 Chapter 4 of Title 41, Code of Alabama 1975, and only in the
239239 amounts provided by the Legislature in the general
240240 appropriations act or other appropriations act.
241241 (e) Subject to this act and any other applicable state
242242 law, a local board of education that receives a grant may use
243243 the funds provided through this grant program in a manner that
244244 best facilitates the plan established by the local board of
245245 education to adopt, transition to, and maintain a modified
246246 school calendar for the schools under its jurisdiction.
247247 Section 5. (a) The board shall do all of the following:
248248 (1) Inform all local boards of education about the
249249 availability and benefits of the grant program.
250250 (2) Within six months following the effective date of
251251 this act, adopt rules and develop procedures for the
252252 department to administer, implement, and maintain the grant
253253 program including, but not limited to, application
254254 requirements.
255255 (3) Commencing with the 2024-2025 academic year, and
256256 subject to appropriations, award local boards of education
257257 meeting the requirements of the program a grant for expenses
258258 related to the adoption or maintenance of a modified school
259259 calendar. Initial grant awards shall be made by August 1,
260260 2024, and August 1 of each year thereafter.
261261 (b) The department shall administer the grant program
262262 with existing personnel and resources and may not contract for
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292292 external support.
293293 (c) An application from a local board of education for
294294 an award from the grant program shall include all of the
295295 following:
296296 (1) The rationale for adopting a modified school
297297 calendar, including any relevant short and long term goals of
298298 the local board of education which a modified calendar may
299299 help achieve.
300300 (2) Evidence of community support and engagement to
301301 adopt a modified school calendar.
302302 (3) A detailed budget of operating expenses expected to
303303 be incurred as a result of adopting a modified calendar.
304304 (4) A detailed calendar, including plans for any
305305 intersession activities.
306306 (d) Grants awarded pursuant to the program shall be
307307 used for expenses incurred as a direct result of the adoption
308308 of the modified school calendar including, but not limited to,
309309 any of the following:
310310 (1) Transportation.
311311 (2) Certified and noncertified staffing during
312312 intersessions.
313313 (3) Remediation and enrichment programs during
314314 intersession.
315315 (4) Other existing expenses incurred during
316316 intersessions.
317317 Section 6. (a) Eligible school districts shall include
318318 those which implement a modified school calendar by the
319319 beginning of the 2024-2025 academic year.
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349349 (b) The amount awarded each year shall be based on a
350350 funding formula developed by the department that multiplies
351351 the number of participating students by the per student
352352 allocation set in the Alabama Modified School Calendar Grant
353353 line item in the annual education budget. Each local board of
354354 education shall submit to the department a plan that details
355355 the number of students in the school district that the local
356356 board of education oversees, and other factors that may
357357 increase the cost of delivery of services, including the rural
358358 nature of the local board of education.
359359 (c) The amount of each award shall not exceed the
360360 actual budget submitted by the local board of education
361361 related to modified school calendar costs.
362362 (d) Grant funds received by a local board of education
363363 pursuant to this act may not be used to purchase land,
364364 construct new facilities, or to finance or satisfy any
365365 existing debt of the local board of education.
366366 Section 7. On or before October 1 annually, the State
367367 Board of Education shall provide a comprehensive report on the
368368 use of funds distributed under the grant program, including
369369 eligibility criteria and any data relating to the
370370 effectiveness of using a modified school calendar, to the
371371 Governor, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Speaker of the
372372 House of Representatives, and the Chairs of the Senate Finance
373373 and Taxation Education Committee, Senate Education Policy
374374 Committee, House Ways and Means Education Committee, and
375375 House Education Policy Committee.
376376 Section 8. This act shall become effective on the first
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406406 day of the third month following its passage and approval by
407407 the Governor, or its otherwise becoming law.
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