Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01512 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2	2
3		-	LCO 1 of 7
	3	+	LCO No. 6315 1 of 6
4	4
5		-	General Assembly ~~Substitute~~ Bill No. 1512
	5	+	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1512
6	6		January Session, 2025
	7	+	LCO No. 6315
7	8
	9	+
	10	+	Referred to Committee on EDUCATION
	11	+
	12	+
	13	+	Introduced by:
	14	+	(ED)
8	15
9	16
10	17
11	18
12	19		AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE SCHOOL DISTRICT ACCOUNTABILITY
13		-	REVIEW BOARD AND REQUIRING A FORENSIC AUDIT OF THE
14		-	BRIDGEPORT PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT.
	20	+	REVIEW BOARD.
15	21		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
16	22		Assembly convened:
17	23
18	24		Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) There is established a 1
19	25		School District Accountability Review Board, which shall be within the 2
20		-	Department of Education. The board shall ~~assist each local or regional~~ 3
21		-	~~board~~ of education identified by the State ~~Board of Education pursuant~~ 4
22		-	to section 10-223e of the general statutes, ~~as amended by this act, with~~ 5
23		-	the financial management of the school ~~district and fiscal accountability~~ 6
24		-	of the board's budget. 7
	26	+	Department of Education. The board shall be responsible for assisting 3
	27	+	those local and regional boards of education identified by the State 4
	28	+	Board of Education pursuant to section 10-223e of the general statutes, 5
	29	+	as amended by this act, with the financial management of the school 6
	30	+	district and fiscal accountability of the board's budget. 7
25	31		(b) The board shall consist of the following members: 8
26	32		(1) The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or the 9
27	33		secretary's designee; 10
28	34		(2) The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee; 11
29	35		(3) Five appointed by the Governor, one of whom shall be an 12
30	36		administrator in a public school, one of whom shall be a teacher in a 13
	37	+	Raised Bill No. 1512
	38	+
	39	+
	40	+
	41	+	LCO No. 6315 2 of 6
	42	+
31	43		public school, one of whom has experience in education policy, one of 14
32	44		whom has experience in managing a school budget or a school district's 15
33		-	financial responsibilities and one of whom has experience working in 16 Substitute Bill No. 1512
34		-
35		-
36		-	LCO 2 of 7
37		-
	45	+	financial responsibilities and one of whom has experience working in 16
38	46		underperforming schools; 17
39	47		(4) One appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives, 18
40	48		who has experience in curriculum design and implementation; 19
41	49		(5) One appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate, who 20
42	50		has experience in school district intervention creation, implementation 21
43	51		and evaluation; 22
44	52		(6) One appointed by the majority leader of the House of 23
45	53		Representatives, who has experience in implementing the guidelines 24
46	54		outlined in the state plan submitted to the United States Department of 25
47	55		Education pursuant to the provisions of the Elementary and Secondary 26
48	56		Education Act, 20 USC 6301 et seq., as amended from time to time; 27
49	57		(7) One appointed by the majority leader of the Senate, who has 28
50	58		experience in data analysis; 29
51	59		(8) One appointed by the minority leader of the House of 30
52	60		Representatives, who has experience in education law; and 31
53	61		(9) One appointed by the minority leader of the Senate, who has 32
54	62		experience working with a local or regional board of education at the 33
55	63		state or local level. 34
56	64		(c) The Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management, or the 35
57	65		secretary's designee, and the Commissioner of Education, or the 36
58	66		commissioner's designee, shall serve as the chairpersons of the board. 37
59	67		(d) All initial appointments to the board shall be made not later than 38
60	68		September 1, 2025. All appointed members shall serve for terms of six 39
61	69		years and until a successor is appointed except that two of the five initial 40
62	70		appointments by the Governor shall each be for a term of three years 41
63	71		with all subsequent appointments being for a term of six years. The 42
	72	+	Raised Bill No. 1512
	73	+
	74	+
	75	+
	76	+	LCO No. 6315 3 of 6
	77	+
64	78		filling of any vacancy shall be for the remainder of the applicable 43
65	79		member's terms. The members of the board shall serve without 44
66	80		compensation, but shall be reimbursed for expenses incurred in 45
67		-	performance of their duties. 46 Substitute Bill No. 1512
68		-
69		-
70		-	LCO 3 of 7
71		-
	81	+	performance of their duties. 46
72	82		(e) Not later than January 1, 2026, and annually thereafter, the board 47
73	83		shall develop an annual report on its activities. The board shall submit 48
74	84		such annual report to the joint standing committees of the General 49
75	85		Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education and 50
76	86		appropriations, in accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the 51
77	87		general statutes. 52
78	88		Sec. 2. Subsections (e) and (f) of section 10-223e of the general statutes 53
79	89		are repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 54
80	90		1, 2025): 55
81	91		(e) (1) (A) Any school or school district identified as in need of 56
82	92		improvement pursuant to subdivision (1) of subsection (b) of this 57
83	93		section and requiring corrective action pursuant to the requirements of 58
84	94		the No Child Left Behind Act, P.L. 107-110, shall be designated and 59
85	95		listed as a low achieving school or school district and shall be subject to 60
86	96		intensified supervision and direction by the State Board of Education. 61
87	97		(B) Any school classified as a category four school or category five 62
88	98		school or a school designated as a focus school shall be designated as 63
89	99		low achieving and shall be subject to intensified supervision and 64
90	100		direction by the State Board of Education. 65
91	101		(2) Notwithstanding any provision of this title or any regulation 66
92	102		adopted pursuant to said title, except as provided in subdivision (3) of 67
93	103		this subsection, in carrying out the provisions of subdivision (1) of this 68
94	104		subsection and this subdivision, the State Board of Education shall take 69
95	105		any of the following actions to improve student performance of the 70
96	106		school district, a particular school in the district or among student 71
97	107		subgroups, and remove the school or district from the list of schools or 72
98	108		districts designated and listed as a low achieving school or district 73
	109	+	Raised Bill No. 1512
	110	+
	111	+
	112	+
	113	+	LCO No. 6315 4 of 6
	114	+
99	115		pursuant to said subdivision (1), and to address other needs of the 74
100	116		school or district: (A) Require an operations audit to identify possible 75
101	117		programmatic savings and an instructional audit to identify any deficits 76
102	118		in curriculum and instruction or in the learning environment of the 77
103		-	school or district; (B) require the local or regional board of education for 78 Substitute Bill No. 1512
104		-
105		-
106		-	LCO 4 of 7
107		-
	119	+	school or district; (B) require the local or regional board of education for 78
108	120		such school or district to use state and federal funds for critical needs, 79
109	121		as directed by the State Board of Education; (C) provide incentives to 80
110	122		attract highly qualified teachers and principals; (D) direct the transfer 81
111	123		and assignment of teachers and principals; (E) require additional 82
112	124		training and technical assistance for parents and guardians of children 83
113	125		attending the school or a school in the district and for teachers, 84
114	126		principals, and central office staff members hired by the district; (F) 85
115	127		require the local or regional board of education for the school or district 86
116	128		to implement model curriculum, including, but not limited to, 87
117	129		recommended textbooks, materials and supplies approved by the 88
118	130		Department of Education; (G) identify schools for reconstitution, as may 89
119	131		be phased in by the commissioner, as state or local charter schools, 90
120	132		schools established pursuant to section 10-74g, innovation schools 91
121	133		established pursuant to section 10-74h, or schools based on other models 92
122	134		for school improvement, or for management by an entity other than the 93
123	135		local or regional board of education for the district in which the school 94
124	136		is located; (H) direct the local or regional board of education for the 95
125	137		school or district to develop and implement a plan addressing deficits 96
126	138		in achievement and in the learning environment as recommended in the 97
127	139		instructional audit; (I) assign a technical assistance team to the school or 98
128	140		district to guide school or district initiatives and report progress to the 99
129	141		Commissioner of Education; (J) establish instructional and learning 100
130	142		environment benchmarks for the school or district to meet as it 101
131	143		progresses toward removal from the list of low achieving schools or 102
132	144		districts; (K) provide funding to any proximate district to a district 103
133	145		designated as a low achieving school district so that students in a low 104
134	146		achieving district may attend public school in a neighboring district; (L) 105
135	147		direct the establishment of learning academies within schools that 106
136	148		require continuous monitoring of student performance by teacher 107
	149	+	Raised Bill No. 1512
	150	+
	151	+
	152	+
	153	+	LCO No. 6315 5 of 6
	154	+
137	155		groups; (M) require a local or regional board of education to (i) undergo 108
138	156		training designed to improve the operational efficiency and 109
139	157		effectiveness of the board of education as leaders of its district 110
140	158		improvement plans by distinguishing and making clear the proper roles 111
141	159		and different functions of the board of education, including the 112
142		-	responsibility of developing the improvement plans and education 113 Substitute Bill No. 1512
143		-
144		-
145		-	LCO 5 of 7
146		-
	160	+	responsibility of developing the improvement plans and education 113
147	161		policy for the district, and the school and district-level administrators, 114
148	162		including the responsibility of implementing such improvement plans 115
149	163		and policies, and (ii) submit an annual action plan to the Commissioner 116
150	164		of Education outlining how, when and in what manner their 117
151	165		effectiveness shall be monitored; (N) require the appointment of (i) a 118
152	166		superintendent, approved by the Commissioner of Education, or (ii) a 119
153	167		district improvement officer, selected by the commissioner, whose 120
154	168		authority is consistent with the provisions of section 138 of public act 121
155	169		11-61, and whose term shall be for one school year, except that the State 122
156	170		Board of Education may extend such period; (O) require the School 123
157	171		District Accountability Review Board to provide technical assistance for 124
158	172		the financial management of the school district or fiscal accountability 125
159	173		for the local or regional board of education's budget; or [(O)] (P) any 126
160	174		combination of the actions described in this subdivision or similar, 127
161	175		closely related actions. 128
162	176		(3) If a directive of the State Board of Education pursuant to 129
163	177		subparagraph (C), (D), (E), (G) or (L) of subdivision (2) of this subsection 130
164	178		or a directive to implement a plan pursuant to subparagraph (H) of said 131
165	179		subdivision (2) affects working conditions, such directive shall be 132
166	180		carried out in accordance with the provisions of sections 10-153a to 10-133
167	181		153n, inclusive. 134
168	182		(f) The State Board of Education shall monitor the progress of each 135
169	183		school or district designated as a low achieving school or district 136
170	184		pursuant to subdivision (1) of subsection (e) of this section and provide 137
171	185		notice to the local or regional board of education for each such school or 138
172	186		district of the school or district's progress toward meeting the 139
173	187		benchmarks established by the State Board of Education pursuant to 140
	188	+	Raised Bill No. 1512
	189	+
	190	+
	191	+
	192	+	LCO No. 6315 6 of 6
	193	+
174	194		subsection (e) of this section. If a school or district fails to make 141
175	195		acceptable progress toward meeting such benchmarks established by 142
176	196		the State Board of Education or fails to make adequate yearly progress 143
177	197		pursuant to the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, P.L. 107-144
178	198		110, for two consecutive years while designated as a low achieving 145
179	199		school district, the State Board of Education, after consultation with the 146
180		-	Governor and chief elected official or officials of the district, may (1) 147 Substitute Bill No. 1512
181		-
182		-
183		-	LCO 6 of 7
184		-
	200	+	Governor and chief elected official or officials of the district, may (1) 147
185	201		request that the General Assembly enact legislation authorizing that (A) 148
186	202		control of the district be reassigned to the State Board of Education or 149
187	203		other authorized entity, or (B) control of the financial operations of the 150
188	204		district be reassigned to the School District Accountability Review 151
189	205		Board, established pursuant to section 1 of this act, or (2) 152
190	206		notwithstanding the provisions of chapter 146, any special act, charter 153
191	207		or ordinance, grant the Commissioner of Education the authority to 154
192	208		reconstitute the local or regional board of education for such school 155
193	209		district in accordance with the provisions of subsection (i) of this section. 156
194		-	Sec. 3. (Effective from passage) (a) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 157
195		-	2026, in accomplishing their duties as set forth in section 7-396a of the 158
196		-	general statutes and in accordance with the authority granted under 159
197		-	chapter 111 of the general statutes, the Auditors of Public Accounts shall 160
198		-	conduct a forensic audit of the financial operations and processes and 161
199		-	the records, accounts and budget of the school district for the town of 162
200		-	Bridgeport. 163
201		-	(b) (1) Not later than thirty days following the completion of the 164
202		-	independent forensic audit described in subsection (a) of this section, 165
203		-	the Auditors of Public Accounts shall submit such audit and a report on 166
204		-	the findings of such audit to the joint standing committee of the General 167
205		-	Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education, in 168
206		-	accordance with the provisions of section 11-4a of the general statutes. 169
207		-	(2) Not later than thirty days following the receipt of the independent 170
208		-	forensic audit and report pursuant to subdivision (1) of this subsection, 171
209		-	the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having 172
210		-	cognizance of matters relating to education shall hold a hearing on such 173
211		-	audit and report and invite the Commissioner of Education to present 174
212		-	on the findings of such audit. The chairpersons of such joint standing 175
213		-	committee may invite additional individuals to participate at such 176
214		-	hearing. 177
215	210		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
216	211		sections:
217		-	Substitute Bill No. 1512
218		-
219		-
220		-	LCO 7 of 7
221	212
222	213		Section 1 July 1, 2025 New section
223	214		Sec. 2 July 1, 2025 10-223e(e) and (f)
224		-	Sec. 3 from passage New section
225	215
226		-	ED Joint Favorable Subst.
	216	+	Statement of Purpose:
	217	+	To establish the School District Accountability Review Board to provide
	218	+	assistance to and fiscal oversight of school districts in need of
	219	+	interventions to ensure efficient operations and financial management.
227	220
	221	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
	222	+	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
	223	+	underlined.]