SB 786 — AN ACT CONCERNING EDUCATION MANDATE RELIEF AND THE TRANSPARENCY OF ENDOWED ACADEMIES.

6.

Section 10-157 of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2017):

(a) Any local or regional board of education for a town or towns with a population, as defined in section 10-262f, greater than six thousand or greater than five hundred students enrolled in a public school under the jurisdiction of such board of education shall provide for the supervision of the schools under its control by a superintendent who shall serve as the chief executive officer of the board.

A majority vote of all members of the board shall be necessary to an election, and the board shall fix the salary of the superintendent and the term of office.office, which shall not exceed [three] five years.

[, which shall not exceed three years.] Upon election and notification of employment or reemployment, the superintendent may request and the board shall provide a written contract of employment which includes, but is not limited to, the salary, employment benefits and term of office of such superintendent.

(b) A local or regional board of education may appoint as acting superintendent a person who is or is not properly certified for a probationary period, not to exceed one school year, with the approval of the Commissioner of Education.

During such probationary period such acting superintendent shall assume all duties of the superintendent for the time specified and shall successfully complete a school leadership program, approved by the State Board of Education, offered at a public or private institution of higher education in the state.

At the conclusion of such probationary period, such appointing local or regional board of education may request the commissioner to grant a waiver of certification for such acting superintendent pursuant to subsection (c) of this section.

(c) The commissioner may, upon request of an employing local or regional board of education, grant a waiver of certification to a person (1) who has successfully completed at least three years of experience as a certified administrator with a superintendent certificate issued by another state in a public school in another state during the ten-year period prior to the date of application, or (2) who has successfully completed a probationary period as an acting superintendent pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, and who the commissioner deems to be exceptionally qualified for the position of superintendent.

(d) Any local or regional board of education for a town or towns with a population, as defined in section 10-262f, of six thousand or fewer or five hundred students enrolled in a public school under the jurisdiction of such board of education or fewer may provide for the supervision of the schools under its control by a district manager who shall serve as the chief executive officer of the board.

The district manager shall have executive authority over the school system and the responsibility for its supervision.

The Commissioner of Education shall establish qualifications for the position of district manager.

7.5.

(a) Notwithstanding any provisions of the general statutesstatutes, to[to the contrary,contrary,] the boards of education of any two or more towns, or the board of education of any regional school district and the board of education of one or more of the towns comprising the district, or a committee formed and authorized by agreement of such boards on behalf of such boards may jointly employ a superintendent of schools, and said superintendent of schools shall have the powers and duties for each of said boards as provided in section 10-157, as amended by this act.

Such boards of education or such committee shall specify in a written agreement the term of office of such superintendentsuperintendent, [, which shall not exceed three[three] years,]five years, and the proportionate share and limits of authorized expenditures for the salary of such superintendent and other necessary expenses, and any other pertinent matters, and shall provide for the evaluation of the superintendent pursuant to section 10-157, as amended by this act.

Any agreement authorizing the employment of a superintendent pursuant to this section shall include, but need not be limited to, the duties of the committee, the membership of the committee, the voting requirements for action, and provision for termination of the agreement.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of any special act, municipal charter, local ordinance, home rule ordinance or other ordinance, or the provisions of chapters 170 and 171, any board of education that jointly employs a superintendent of schools under this section may reduce the number of board meetings it holds or hold joint meetings with any of the other boards of education that are jointly employing such superintendent for the purpose of reducing the expenses of such boards of education and aligning the provision of education by such boards of education.education, provided such board or boards meet at least quarterly.

8.6.

(a) Any two or more boards of education may, in writing, agree to establish cooperative arrangements to provide administrationadministrative and central office duties, school accommodations services, programs or activities, special education services, health care services or alternative education, as defined in section 10-74j, to enable such boards to carry out the duties specified in the general statutes.

For the purposes of this section, the term "teacher" shall[shall includeinclude] includes each professional employee of a committee below the rank of superintendent who holds a regular certificate issued by the State Board of Education and who is in a position requiring such certification.

9.7.

Subsection (a) of section 10-220a of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2017):

(a) Each local or regional board of education shall provide an in-service training program for its teachers, administrators and pupil personnel who hold the initial educator, provisional educator or professional educator certificate as appropriate for the educational assignment of each such teacher, administrator and pupil personnel, and in accordance with guidance provided by the Department of Education.

Such program shall provide such teachers, administrators and pupil personnel with [information] training based on (1) curriculum, (2) needs identified by the professional development and evaluation committee, established pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, and (3) professional learning and effective teaching methods consistent with the program of professional development described in section 10-148a.

Such program shall provide information to the appropriate teacher, administrator or pupil personnel in an appropriate time frame on [(1)] (A) the nature and the relationship of drugs, as defined in subdivision (17) of section 21a-240, and alcohol to health and personality development, and procedures for discouraging their abuse, [(2)] (B) health and mental health risk reduction education that includes, but need not be limited to, the prevention of risk-taking behavior by children and the relationship of such behavior to substance abuse, pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV-infection and AIDS, as defined in section 19a-581, violence, teen dating violence, domestic violence, child abuse and youth suicide, [(3)] (C) the growth and development of exceptional children, including handicapped and gifted and talented children and children who may require special education, including, but not limited to, children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or learning disabilities, and methods for identifying, planning for and working effectively with special needs children in a regular classroom, including, but not limited to, implementation of student individualized education programs, [(4)] (D) school violence prevention, conflict resolution, the prevention of and response to youth suicide and the identification and prevention of and response to bullying, as defined in subsection (a) of section 10-222d, except that those boards of education that implement any evidence-based model approach that is approved by the Department of Education and is consistent with subsection (d) of section 10-145a, sections 10-222d, 10-222g and 10-222h, subsection (g) of section 10-233c and sections 1 and 3 of public act 08-160, shall not be required to provide in-service training on the identification and prevention of and response to bullying, [(5)] (E) cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other emergency life saving procedures, [(6)] (F) computer and other information technology as applied to student learning and classroom instruction, communications and data management, [(7)] (G) the teaching of the language arts, reading and reading readiness for teachers in grades kindergarten to three, inclusive, [(8)] (H) second language acquisition in districts required to provide a program of bilingual education pursuant to section 10-17f, [(9)] (I) the requirements and obligations of a mandated reporter, [(10)] (J) the teacher evaluation and support program adopted pursuant to subsection (b) of section 10-151b, [(11)] (K) the detection and recognition of, and evidence-based structured literacy interventions for, students with dyslexia, as defined in section 10-3d, and [(12)] (L) cultural competency consistent with the training in cultural competency described in subsection (i) of section 10-145a.

Each local and regional board of education may allow any paraprofessional or noncertified employee to participate, on a voluntary basis, in any in-service training program provided pursuant to this section.

The State Board of Education, within available appropriations and utilizing available materials, shall assist and encourage local and regional boards of education to include:

[(A)] (i) Holocaust and genocide education and awareness;

[(B)] (ii) the historical events surrounding the Great Famine in Ireland;

[(C)] (iii) African-American history;

[(D)] (iv) Puerto Rican history;

[(E)] (v) Native American history;

[(F)] (vi) personal financial management;

[(G)] (vii) domestic violence and teen dating violence;

[(H)] (viii) mental health first aid training;

[(I)] (ix) trauma-informed practices for the school setting to enable teachers, administrators and pupil personnel to more adequately respond to students with mental, emotional or behavioral health needs;

[(J)] (x) second language acquisition, including, but not limited to, language development and culturally responsive pedagogy;

and [(K)] (xi) topics approved by the state board upon the request of local or regional boards of education as part of in-service training programs pursuant to this subsection.

Sec.

10.

Section 10-66b of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2017):

The operation and management of any regional educational service center shall be the responsibility of the board of such center to be composed of the Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner's designee, and at least one member from each participating board of education, selected by such board of education.

The board of the regional educational service center may designate from its membership an executive board which shall have such powers as the board of the regional educational service center may delegate and which are consistent with this part.

The term of office of members of the board of the regional educational service center shall not exceed four years.

Members of the board of the regional educational service center shall receive no compensation for services rendered as such, but may be reimbursed for necessary expenses in the course of their duties.

The director of the regional educational service center shall serve as the executive agent of the board of the regional educational service center.

Sec.

11.

Section 10-15e of the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2017):

(a) All provisions of the general statutes concerning teachers shall apply to teachers employed by incorporated or endowed high schools or academies approved under the provisions of section 10-34.

Teachers who are not certified and employed by such high schools or academies prior to June 30, 1983, shall be excluded from the provisions of this section until certified.

(b) All provisions of the general statutes concerning education, except those provisions relating to the eligibility for noncompetitive state aid unless otherwise provided, shall apply to the operation of an incorporated or endowed high school or academy.

Sec.

12.

(b) EachNot later than July 1, 2018, and annually thereafter, each incorporated or endowed high school or academy approved by the State Board of Education shall besubmit operatedto bythe Commissioner of Education (1) a governingcertified board.audit statement of all revenues from public and private sources and expenditures related to such incorporated or endowed high school or academy, and (2) a complete copy of such incorporated or endowed high school or academy's most recently completed Internal Revenue Service form 990, including all parts and schedules, other than Schedule B of such form.

(c) The membershipCommissioner of suchEducation governingshall boardpost shallany include,reports, butcertified needaudit notstatements beand limitedforms to,submitted ato representativethe selectedDepartment byof eachEducation localregarding an incorporated or regionalendowed boardhigh school or academy approved by the State Board of educationEducation thaton sendsthe moredepartment's thanInternet fiftyweb studentssite tonot suchlater incorporatedthan orthirty endoweddays highafter schoolreceiving such reports, statements or academy.forms.

SuchThe representativecommissioner mayshall beidentify any incorporated or endowed high school or academy that did not submit a report, certified audit statement or form for the superintendentcurrent ofreporting schoolsperiod employedand bypost such boardinformation ofon education.the department's Internet web site not later than thirty days after failing to receive such reports, statements or forms.

(c)(d) ThePrior governingto boardthe adoption of eachan annual budget by an incorporated or endowed high school or academy approved by the State Board of EducationEducation, shallthe postsections onof anysuch Internetbudget web site that thereceive governingpublic boardfunds operatesshall thebe (1) schedule,reviewed (2)by agenda,the local and (3)regional minutesboards of eacheducation meeting,that includingsend anystudents meetingto ofsuch subcommitteesincorporated ofor theendowed governinghigh board.school or academy, and (2) subject to a public hearing.

(d)Sec. Each incorporated or endowed high school or academy approved by the State Board of Education shall submit annually, to the Commissioner of Education, (1) a certified audit statement of all revenues from public and private sources and expenditures related to such governing board's function as a governing board of an incorporated or endowed high school or academy in this state, and (2) a complete copy of such governing board's most recently completed Internal Revenue Service form 990, including all parts and schedules, other than Schedule B of such form.

(e)8. The Commissioner of Education shall post any reports, certified audit statements and forms submitted to the Department of Education regarding an incorporated or endowed high school or academy approved by the State Board of Education on the department's Internet web site not later than thirty days after receiving such reports, statements or forms.

TheSubdivision commissioner(8) shallof identifysection any10-144o governing board of an incorporated or endowed high school or academy that did not submit a report, certified audit statement or form for the currentgeneral reportingstatutes periodis repealed and post such information on the department'sfollowing Internetis websubstituted sitein notlieu laterthereof than(Effective thirtyJuly days1, after2017): failing to receive such reports, statements or forms.

(f)(8) Prior["Temporary toninety-day thecertificate"] adoption"Temporary ofone-hundred-eighty-day ancertificate" annualmeans budgeta bylicense theto governingteach boardissued ofon an incorporated or endowedafter highJuly school1, or1988, academyto approveda byperson theupon State Board of Education, the sectionsrequest of sucha budget that receive public funds shall be (1) reviewed by the local andor regional boardsboard of education thatpursuant send students to suchsubsection incorporated(c) orof endowedsection high10-145b, schoolas oramended academy,by andthis (2)act. subject to a public hearing.

Each such certificate issued prior to July 1, 1989, may be reissued once upon the request of a local or regional board of education during the 1988-1989 school year and upon reissuance shall be effective until July 1, 1989.

Any provision for the reissuance of such certificate after said school year shall be pursuant to regulations adopted by the State Board of Education;

4 July 1, 2017 10-16b(a)10-157(a) Sec.

5 July 1, 2017 10-198c(a)(2)10-157a Sec.

6 July 1, 2017 10-15710-158a(a) Sec.

7 July 1, 2017 10-157a10-34 Sec.

8 July 1, 2017 10-158a(a)10-144o(8) Sec.Statement of Legislative Commissioners:

9In JulySection 1,7, 2017references 10-220a(a)to Sec.governing board were deleted for consistency;

10and JulySection 1,8 2017was 10-66badded Sec.to conform with the changes being made in Section 3.

11ED JulyJoint 1,Favorable 2017Subst. 10-15e Sec.

12 July 1, 2017 10-34 Statement of Purpose:

To implement the Governor's budget recommendations.

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets.

Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]