Relating to entities supported in whole or in part by taxation, including by modifying provisions related to the duties and responsibilities of the directors and officers of school boards, school improvement advisory committees, electronic bidding on public bonds, statewide school infrastructure funding, open enrollment, and the membership and voting units of county and city conference boards, and including applicability provisions

This bill relates to entities supported in whole or in part by taxation, including by modifying provisions related to the duties and responsibilities of the directors and officers of school boards, school improvement advisory committees, electronic bidding on public bonds, statewide school infrastructure funding, open enrollment, and the membership and voting units of county and city conference boards. DIVISION I —— SCHOOL BOARD AND OFFICERS —— DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.6 provides a process to fill vacancies occurring among the members of a school board. This process requires, among other things, the publication in a newspaper of notice stating that the board intends to fill the vacancy by appointment. The bill requires notice to be provided by publication on the board’s internet site as well. The bill authorizes the board of directors of a school district to have access to and review the curriculum associated with any instruction provided to students enrolled in the school district, and materials located in a library operated by the school district. The bill provides that a school district shall not prohibit a member of the board of directors of the school district from attending classes taught by teachers employed by the school district to observe classroom instruction if the member has provided reasonable prior notice to the superintendent, the principal, and the teacher providing the instruction. The bill provides that a school district shall not prohibit a member of the board of directors of the school district from accessing materials used in a professional development program that the school district, or an administrator employed by the school district, requires employees of the school district to attend. The bill requires a school district, or an administrator employed by the school district, to provide copies of materials used in a professional development program that the school district, or an administrator employed by the school district, requires employees of the school district to attend to a member of the board of directors of the school district upon request. The bill defines “professional development program” to mean a course or program which is offered by a person or agency for the purpose of providing continuing education for the renewal or upgrading of a practitioner’s license. The bill authorizes the board of directors of a school district and the superintendent, in certain specified circumstances, to use electronic signatures and electronic contracts pursuant to Code chapter 554D (electronic transactions) and facsimile signatures when entering into contracts to hire support personnel. Current law requires the proceedings of each meeting of the board of directors of a school district, including the schedule of bills allowed, to be published after the adjournment of the meeting. Under current law, the publication of the schedule of the bills allowed shall include a list of claims allowed, including salary claims for services performed. The bill modifies this provision to provide that the schedule of the bills allowed must include only a list of claims allowed. The bill provides that the list of claims allowed must include the name of the person or firm making the claim and the amount of the claim. The bill also provides that salaries paid to individuals employed by the school district shall only be published annually on the district’s internet site and the publication must include the total amount of the annual salary of each employee and must remain on the district’s internet site for at least 30 days after publication. The secretary is required to publish a link to the publication within two weeks following the adjournment of the meeting. The link must be prominently displayed on the school district’s internet site. The bill modifies provisions related to the duties of school improvement advisory committees, including by requiring school improvement advisory committees to monitor school district and accredited nonpublic school progress toward meeting certain specified goals. The bill authorizes the president of the board of directors of a school district, or the president’s designee, to enter into original contracts or electronic contracts pursuant to Code chapter 554D and sign, using an original, facsimile, or electronic signature, all school district payments drawn and authorize electronic funds transfers as provided by law. DIVISION II —— ELECTRONIC BIDS ON PUBLIC BONDS.14 provides that, notwithstanding contrary provisions of Code chapter 75 (authorization and sale of public bonds), a public body authorized to issue bonds or other obligations may elect to receive bids to purchase such bonds or other obligations by means of electronic communication, a proprietary bidding procedure, or by facsimile transmission to a location deemed appropriate by the governing body.3 (sealed and open bids) to the notwithstanding provision. DIVISION III —— SCHOOL DISTRICT FLEXIBILITY ACCOUNTS. The bill authorizes school districts to transfer all or a portion of the unexpended and unobligated teacher salary supplement funds to the school district’s flexibility account within the general fund. DIVISION IV —— STATEWIDE SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING.4 (borrowing authority for school districts) and that has not approved a revenue purpose statement to first use revenues to make timely and sufficient payment of principal and interest and premium, if applicable, on the outstanding bonds. DIVISION V —— OPEN ENROLLMENT.12, the pupil is prohibited from transferring until the pupil is no longer chronically absent, participating in the school engagement meeting, or a party to the absenteeism prevention plan; provided, however, that the bill authorizes such a pupil to transfer if the receiving district approves the request to transfer. Once the pupil is no longer chronically absent, no longer participating in the school engagement meeting, and no longer a party to an absenteeism prevention plan, the pupil is permitted to transfer.18(16) provides that an application for open enrollment may be granted at any time with approval of the resident and receiving districts. The bill does not modify this provision. This division of the bill applies to applications and notifications related to open enrollment submitted on or after the division’s effective date. DIVISION VI —— COUNTY CONFERENCE BOARDS. Current law provides that each county and each city having an assessor shall have a conference board. Current law also provides that in counties, the conference board shall consist of the mayors of all incorporated cities in the county whose property is assessed by the county assessor, one representative from the board of directors of each high school district of the county, who is a resident of the county, said board of directors appointing said representative for a one-year term and notifying the clerk of the conference board as to their representative, and members of the board of supervisors. The bill modifies this provision to require that the conference board consist of the mayors or a designated member of a city council. The bill also modifies this provision by replacing references to high school districts with references to school districts containing a high school. The bill strikes the requirement that the board of directors of a high school district appoint a representative for a one-year term and notify the clerk of the conference board as to the identity of the representative. The bill provides that, in any action taken by the conference board, if a city or a county contains only one school district containing a high school, the members of or the representative of the board of directors of the school district, as applicable, shall constitute one voting unit.