Read the full stored bill text
House
File
859
-
Introduced
HOUSE
FILE
859
BY
COMMITTEE
ON
EDUCATION
(SUCCESSOR
TO
HSB
217)
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
requiring
school
districts,
charter
schools,
and
1
innovation
zone
schools
to
adopt
policies
related
to
2
carrying
out
a
reduction
in
force.
3
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
4
TLSB
2656HV
(1)
91
jda/jh
H.F.
859
Section
1.
Section
256E.7,
subsection
2,
Code
2025,
is
1
amended
by
adding
the
following
new
paragraph:
2
NEW
PARAGRAPH
.
0r.
Be
subject
to
and
comply
with
the
3
requirements
of
section
279.87
relating
to
the
adoption
and
4
publication
of
a
policy
related
to
carrying
out
a
reduction
in
5
force
in
the
same
manner
as
a
school
district.
6
Sec.
2.
Section
256F.4,
subsection
2,
Code
2025,
is
amended
7
by
adding
the
following
new
paragraph:
8
NEW
PARAGRAPH
.
0p.
Be
subject
to
and
comply
with
the
9
requirements
of
section
279.87
relating
to
the
adoption
and
10
publication
of
a
policy
related
to
carrying
out
a
reduction
in
11
force
in
the
same
manner
as
a
school
district.
12
Sec.
3.
NEW
SECTION
.
279.87
Reduction
in
force
policies.
13
1.
As
used
in
this
section:
14
a.
“Administrative
staff
member”
means
a
school
15
district
employee
who
does
not
hold
a
license,
certificate,
16
authorization,
or
statement
of
recognition
issued
by
the
board
17
of
educational
examiners.
18
b.
“Practitioner”
means
a
school
district
employee
who
is
19
an
administrator,
teacher,
or
other
professional
licensed
by
20
the
board
of
educational
examiners,
including
an
individual
who
21
holds
a
statement
of
professional
recognition,
who
provides
22
educational
assistance
to
students.
23
c.
“Practitioner
performance”
means
an
assessment
of
the
24
quality
of
the
practitioner
that
is
measured
using
factors
that
25
include
all
of
the
following:
26
(1)
Student
academic
performance.
27
(2)
Student
growth
measures.
28
(3)
Performance
evaluations.
29
d.
“Reduction
in
force”
means
the
termination
of
a
30
practitioner’s
employment
due
to
economic
reasons
that
include
31
any
of
the
following:
32
(1)
Decreased
funding.
33
(2)
Decreased
enrollment,
including
enrollment
in
a
34
particular
program,
grade,
or
attendance
center.
35
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H.F.
859
(3)
The
closure
or
reorganization
of
schools
in
the
school
1
district.
2
2.
The
board
of
directors
of
each
school
district
shall
3
adopt
a
policy
related
to
carrying
out
a
reduction
in
force
4
and
publish
the
policy
on
the
school
district’s
internet
site
5
within
ten
days
after
adoption.
The
policy
must
satisfy
all
6
of
the
following
requirements:
7
a.
Require
the
board
of
directors
of
the
school
district
to
8
consider
whether
to
terminate
the
employment
of
administrative
9
staff
members
prior
to
carrying
out
a
reduction
in
force.
10
b.
Require
the
board
of
directors
of
the
school
district
to
11
use
practitioner
performance
as
the
sole
factor
or
a
primary
12
factor
when
carrying
out
a
reduction
in
force.
13
c.
Identify
the
factor
or
factors
that
are
used
to
measure
14
practitioner
performance
for
purposes
of
carrying
out
a
15
reduction
in
force,
and
the
weight
the
board
of
directors
of
16
the
school
district
assigns
to
each
factor,
if
more
than
one
17
factor
is
used.
18
d.
Prohibit
the
board
of
directors
of
the
school
district
19
from
using
a
practitioner’s
seniority
or
tenure
as
the
sole
20
factor
or
a
primary
factor
when
carrying
out
a
reduction
in
21
force.
22
e.
Include
a
timeline
for
notifying
practitioners
who
may
23
be
affected
by
a
reduction
in
force
and
practitioners
whose
24
employment
has
been
terminated
due
to
a
reduction
in
force.
25
f.
Include
a
description
of
any
grievance
procedures
26
available
to
a
practitioner
whose
employment
is
terminated
due
27
to
a
reduction
in
force,
including
any
rights
available
to
the
28
practitioner
under
sections
279.15,
279.16,
279.18,
279.24,
29
279.25,
and
279.27,
as
applicable.
30
EXPLANATION
31
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
32
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
33
This
bill
requires
school
districts,
charter
schools,
and
34
innovation
zone
schools
to
adopt
policies
related
to
carrying
35
-2-
LSB
2656HV
(1)
91
jda/jh
2/
4
H.F.
859
out
a
reduction
in
force.
1
The
bill
defines
“administrative
staff
member”
as
a
2
school
employee
who
does
not
hold
a
license,
certificate,
3
authorization,
or
statement
of
recognition
issued
by
the
4
board
of
educational
examiners
(BOEE).
The
bill
defines
5
“practitioner”
as
a
school
employee
who
is
an
administrator,
6
teacher,
or
other
professional
licensed
by
the
BOEE
who
7
provides
educational
assistance
to
students.
The
bill
also
8
defines
“practitioner
performance”
as
an
assessment
of
the
9
quality
of
the
practitioner
that
is
measured
using
factors
10
that
include
student
academic
performance,
student
growth
11
measures,
and
performance
evaluations.
Additionally,
the
12
bill
defines
“reduction
in
force”
as
the
termination
of
a
13
practitioner’s
employment
due
to
economic
reasons
that
include
14
decreased
funding,
decreased
enrollment,
and
the
closure
or
15
reorganization
of
schools
in
the
school
system.
16
The
bill
requires
schools
to
adopt
a
policy
related
to
17
carrying
out
a
reduction
in
force
and
publish
the
policy
on
18
the
school’s
internet
site
within
10
days
after
adoption.
19
The
policy
must
require
the
school
to
consider
whether
to
20
terminate
the
employment
of
administrative
staff
members
prior
21
to
carrying
out
a
reduction
in
force.
The
policy
must
also
22
require
the
school
to
use
practitioner
performance
as
the
sole
23
factor
or
a
primary
factor
when
carrying
out
a
reduction
in
24
force.
Additionally,
the
policy
must
identify
the
factor
or
25
factors
that
are
used
to
measure
practitioner
performance
for
26
purposes
of
carrying
out
a
reduction
in
force.
The
policy
must
27
prohibit
the
school
from
using
a
practitioner’s
seniority
or
28
tenure
as
the
sole
factor
or
a
primary
factor
when
carrying
out
29
a
reduction
in
force.
Also,
the
policy
must
include
a
timeline
30
for
notifying
practitioners
who
may
be
affected
by
a
reduction
31
in
force
and
practitioners
whose
employment
has
been
terminated
32
due
to
a
reduction
in
force.
Finally,
the
policy
must
include
33
a
description
of
any
grievance
procedures
available
to
a
34
practitioner
whose
employment
is
terminated
due
to
a
reduction
35
-3-
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2656HV
(1)
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jda/jh
3/
4
H.F.
859
in
force.
1
-4-
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4/
4