Section 281.97.5. Supplementary weighting plan for whole-grade sharing.

         97.5(1) Whole-grade sharing. A school district which participates in a whole-grade sharing arrangement executed pursuant to Iowa Code sections 282.10 to 282.12 and which has adopted a board resolution to study dissolution or has adopted a board resolution jointly with all other affected boards to study reorganization to take effect on or before July 1, 2019, is eligible to assign a weighting of one-tenth of the fraction of the school year during which resident pupils attend classes pursuant to subrule 97.2(1), paragraph “a,” “b,” or “c.” A school district participating in a whole-grade sharing arrangement shall be eligible for supplementary weighting under this subrule for a maximum of three years. Receipt of supplementary weighting for the second year and for the third year shall be conditioned upon submission of information resulting from the study to the school budget review committee indicating progress or continued progress toward the objective of dissolution or reorganization on or before July 1, 2019.

         97.5(2) Contiguous districts. School districts that adopt a board resolution jointly with all other affected boards to study reorganization must be contiguous school districts. If two or more of the affected districts are not contiguous to each other, all districts separating those districts must be a party to the whole-grade sharing arrangement and the board resolution adopted jointly to study reorganization.

         97.5(3) Consecutive years. A school district that is eligible to add a supplementary weighting for resident students attending classes under a whole-grade sharing arrangement pursuant to subrule 97.5(1) is not required to utilize consecutive years. However, the final year in which a supplementary weighting may be added on October 1 for this purpose shall not be later than the school year that begins July 1, 2018.

         97.5(4) Change in sharing districts. A school district that is eligible to add a supplementary weighting for resident students attending classes under a whole-grade sharing arrangement pursuant to subrule 97.5(1) may enter into a whole-grade sharing arrangement with one or more different districts for its second or third year of eligible weighting by adopting and filing a new joint board resolution pursuant to this subrule. Establishing a new whole-grade sharing arrangement does not extend the maximum number of years for which a school district is eligible.

         97.5(5) Filing board resolutions. Each school district that adopts a board resolution to study dissolution or has adopted a board resolution jointly with all other affected boards to study reorganization shall file a copy of the board resolution with the department of education not later than October 1 on which date the district intends to request supplementary weighting for whole-grade sharing.

         97.5(6) Filing progress reports. Each school district that assigned a supplementary weighting to resident students attending class in a whole-grade sharing arrangement and that intends to assign a supplementary weighting to resident students attending class in a whole-grade sharing arrangement in the following year shall file a report of progress toward reorganization with the school budget review committee, on forms developed by the department of education, no later than August 1 preceding  October 1 on which date the district intends to request supplementary weighting for whole-grade sharing.

            a.               The progress report shall include, but not be limited to, the following information:

             (1)             Names of districts with which the district is studying reorganization.

             (2)             Descriptive information on the whole-grade sharing arrangement.

             (3)             If the district is studying dissolution, information on whether public hearings have been held, a proposal has been adopted, and an election date has been set.

             (4)             If the district is studying reorganization, information on whether public hearings have been held, a plan has been approved by the AEA, and an election date has been set.

             (5)             Description of joint activities of the boards such as planning retreats and community meetings.

             (6)             Information showing an increase in sharing activities with the whole-grade sharing partners such as curriculum offerings, program administration, personnel, and facilities.

            b.               The report must indicate progress toward a reorganization or dissolution to occur on or before July 1, 2019. Indicators of progress may include, but are not limited to:

             (1)             Establishing substantially similar salary schedules or a plan by which the sharing districts will be able to develop a single salary schedule upon reorganization.

             (2)             Establishing a joint teacher evaluation process and instruments.

             (3)             Developing a substantially similar continuous school improvement plan (CSIP) with aligned goals including a district professional development plan.

             (4)             Increasing the number of grades involved in the whole-grade sharing arrangement.

             (5)             Increasing the number of shared teaching or educator positions.

             (6)             Increasing the number or extent of operational sharing arrangements.

             (7)             Increasing the number of shared programs such as career, at risk, gifted and talented, curricular, or cocurricular.

             (8)             Increasing the number of joint board meetings or planning retreats.

             (9)             Holding regular or frequent public meetings to inform the public of progress toward reorganization and to receive comments from the public regarding the proposed reorganization.

             (10)            Adopting a reorganization or dissolution proposal.

             (11)            Setting proposed boundaries.

             (12)            Setting a date for an election on the reorganization or dissolution proposal.

            c.               The school budget review committee shall consider each progress report at its first regular meeting of the fiscal year and shall accept the progress report or shall reject the progress report with comments. The reports will be evaluated on demonstrated progress within the past year toward reorganization or dissolution.

            d.               A school district whose progress report is not accepted shall be allowed to submit a revised progress report at the second regular meeting of the school budget review committee. The committee shall accept or reject the revised progress report.

            e.               If the school budget review committee rejects the progress report and the district does not submit a revised progress report or if the school budget review committee rejects the revised progress report, the school district shall not be eligible for supplementary weighting for whole-grade sharing.

[ARC 8188B, IAB 10/7/09, effective 11/11/09; ARC 1486C, IAB 6/11/14, effective 5/15/14; ARC 1596C, IAB 9/3/14, effective 10/8/14]