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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.
Regular Session, 2012
SENATE BILL NO. 461
BY SENATOR WALSWORTH
SCHOOLS. Provides relative to limitations on class size. (8/1/12)
AN ACT1
To amend and reenact R.S. 17:151(B), relative to public schools; to provide for pupil-2
classroom-teacher ratios; and to provide for related matters.3
Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:4
Section 1. R.S. 17:151(B) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows: 5
ยง151. Public schools; establishment by parish boards; pupil-classroom-teacher6
ratios 7
* * *8
B.(1) Except as otherwise provided in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection and9
effective with the 1989-1990 school year and thereafter, no parish or city school10
board shall have a systemwide pupil-classroom-teacher ratio in kindergarten through11
grade three in excess of twenty pupils to one classroom teacher.12
(2) The State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education shall adopt13
necessary rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this Subsection and14
to assure compliance by parish and city school boards. Such rules and regulations15
shall include, but not be limited to provisions whereby a parish or city school board16
may request a limited waiver from the board from complying with the provisions of17 SB NO. 461
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.
this Subsection relative to pupil-classroom-teacher ratios. The board shall consider1
granting such a request only upon a showing, in writing, by the particular parish or2
city school board that it has made, is making, and will continue to make a good faith3
effort to employ the necessary and appropriate personnel to meet the requirements4
of this Subsection. Additionally, no such waiver shall be granted unless the parish5
or city school system has submitted to and received the approval of the board of a6
plan designed to bring the school system into full compliance with the provisions of7
R.S. 17:151(B) by not later than the start of the 1992-1993 school year. Effective8
with the 2012-2013 school year and thereafter, the State Board of Elementary9
and Secondary Education shall establish maximum student-teacher ratios for10
kindergarten through grade three and shall adopt necessary rules and11
regulations to implement the provisions of this Subsection to ensure compliance12
by city, parish, and other local public school boards. Such rules and regulations13
shall include, but not be limited to provisions that allow a local public school14
board to request a limited waiver from the state superintendent of education15
from complying with the provisions of this Subsection relative to student-16
teacher ratios, provided that the teacher has demonstrated effectiveness as17
defined by the state board, pursuant to R.S. 17:3881 through 3905.18
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Alan Miller.
DIGEST
Walsworth (SB 461)
Present law prohibits any parish or city school board from adopting a systemwide pupil-
classroom-teacher ratio in kindergarten through grade three in excess of 20 pupils to one
classroom teacher. Further provides for the adoption of rules by BESE relative to the limited
waivers from compliance with pupil-classroom ratios.
Proposed law deletes present law, and requires, effective with the 2012-2013 school year and
thereafter, BESE to establish maximum student-teacher ratios for kindergarten through grade
three and shall adopt necessary rules and regulations to implement the provisions of
proposed law to ensure compliance by local public school boards. Proposed law further
requires such rules and regulations to include, but not be limited to provisions that allow a
local public school board to request a limited waiver from the state superintendent from
complying with the provisions of proposed law relative to student-teacher ratios, provided
that the teacher has demonstrated effectiveness as defined by BESE, pursuant to present law. SB NO. 461
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.
Effective August 1, 2012.
(Amends R.S. 17:151(B))