Relating to the powers and duties of the boards of directors of area education agencies, school districts, and school corporations, and to the election of a director as school board president

This bill relates to the powers and duties of the boards of directors of area education agencies (AEAs), school districts, and school corporations to submit reports, dispose of property and deposit the proceeds, publish notice, and to the election of school board presidents. DUTIES AND POWERS OF AREA EDUCATION AGENCY BOARD —— BOARD APPROVAL ON CERTAIN LEASES —— NOTICE.3(7) are amended to raise the limit, from more than $25,000 to more than $100,000, on leases and lease purchases that would require approval of the state board of education. 3(12) is amended to provide that notice of the public hearing on the AEA’s annual budget must be posted on the AEA’s internet site and by publication in a newspaper of general circulation. Current law requires that the notice be published in an official county newspaper in each county in the AEA territory. ELECTION OF SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT.33(2) to replace a provision requiring the school board president be elected in even-numbered years at the organizational meeting to serve for one year, with a provision requiring that during nonelection years, the school board president be elected to serve for one year at a regular meeting held between and months after the prior organizational meeting. MEMBERSHIP IN ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL BOARDS —— REPORTS TO DEPARTMENT.38 to eliminate a requirement that the boards of directors of school corporations which pay dues to the Iowa association of school boards report to the department of education the amount paid by the board to the association in annual dues. However, the bill adds that a report the association is currently required to publish, which includes a list of member school districts, annual dues paid by each, revenues received from the sale of products and services, and amounts paid relating to the association’s lobbying activities, must be submitted to the department of education. SCHOOLHOUSES AND SITES SOLD —— FUNDS. Currently, school districts must deposit and use moneys received from the condemnation, sale, or other disposition for public purposes of schoolhouses, school sites, or both schoolhouses and school sites as authorized by statute and as ordered by the board of directors of the school district. The bill replaces the reference to “school district” with “school corporation”, which is a broader term that typically includes area education agencies and community colleges.41 to provide that such boards may take action to deposit the moneys received in any account maintained by the school corporation after holding a public hearing on the proposed action. Such board must publish notice of the time and place of the public hearing. EQUIPMENT PURCHASE.48(3) which provides that a school corporation must, before entering into a loan agreement for an equipment purchase, publish notice at least once in a newspaper of general circulation within the school corporation at least days before the meeting at which the loan agreement is to be approved. ASSESSMENTS —— REPORTS.60(2), which relates to administration of the teaching strategies gold early childhood assessment to every resident pre-k or four-year-old enrolled in a school district, and a universal screening instrument to kindergarten students enrolled in the district. The bill eliminates language which requires that a report submitted by a school district include information on factors identified by the early childhood Iowa office and other demographic factors, as well as language that requires school districts to report to the department of education the results of the community strategies employed in the prior school year and the assessment results. POWER TO SELL, LEASE, OR DISPOSE OF PROPERTY —— NOTICE.22(1)(b)-(d) to give the boards of directors of school districts the option to take action to deposit the proceeds from the sale or disposition of real or other property in any account maintained by the school district after holding a public hearing on the proposed action. Existing language specifies in which funds such proceeds must be deposited. The board must publish notice of the time and place of the public hearing. Also, a provision requiring that the notice the boards must publish prior to holding a public hearing on a proposal to sell, lease for a period in excess of one year, or dispose of any property belonging to the school, must be published at least once for not less than days nor more than days prior to the public hearing date in a newspaper of general circulation in the district, is replaced with a provision that allows for publication requirements that vary with the size of a municipality. The bill raises the limit, from $5,000 to $25,000, for the value of property that may be sold or disposed of by any procedure which is adopted by a board. Language relating to the frequency of notice publication of such sale, once each week for two weeks, in a newspaper of general publication is eliminated. The bill provides that such sale or disposal must be published in a newspaper of general circulation. REPEAL.44, which requires school districts to conduct energy audits every five years.