Bill > HSB717

Introduced Session

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, the sale of 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. Current law requires each political H.F. _____ subdivision to set a time and place for a public hearing on the political subdivision’s proposed property tax amount for the budget year. Under current law, school districts are required to publish such notice not less than 10 nor more than 20 days prior to the hearing in a newspaper published in the school district, if any, and if not, then in a newspaper of general circulation in the school district. The bill provides that if the school district has a certified enrollment of less than or equal to 1,200 students in the current school year, then the school district may instead publish notice of the public hearing not less than 10 nor more than 20 days prior to the hearing on the school district’s internet site, in each attendance center within the school district, and in the school district’s central administrative office if the central administrative office is not an attendance center. Current law requires the board of directors of a school district that wishes to consider participating in the instructional support program established pursuant to Code section 257.18 to hold a public hearing on the question of participation. The board strikes this provision. Code section 279.6 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 H.F. _____ 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 H.F. _____ 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. Current law requires the board of directors of a school district to take action to deposit moneys received under Code section 279.41(1) (schoolhouses and sites sold —— funds) in any account maintained by the school district after holding a public hearing on the proposed action of the board. The bill strikes the requirement to hold a public meeting. 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 —— BOND SALES. Current law provides that when public bonds are offered for sale, the official in charge of the bond issue shall give notice of the time and place of sale, the amount to be offered for sale, and any further information which the official deems pertinent by publishing an advertisement in a newspaper. The bill modifies this provision to require the official in charge of the bond issue to give notice of the sale by publishing the time and place of sale, the amount to be offered for sale, and any additional information the official deems pertinent to the bond issue in H.F. _____ at least one electronic or written publication with nationwide circulation that is recognized for providing information regarding the sale of public bonds or in a newspaper located in the county or a county contiguous to the place of sale. Code section 75.14 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. The bill adds a reference to Code section 75.3 (sealed and open bids) to the notwithstanding provision. DIVISION III —— SCHOOL DISTRICT FUNDS. 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. Current law requires that before the board of directors of a school district may adopt a resolution approving the expenditures from the flexibility account, the board must hold a public hearing on the proposed resolution. The bill strikes this requirement. Current law requires that if the sum of the fees collected under Code section 279.49 (child care programs) for participation in a before and after school program and other moneys deposited in the child care fund as the result of the before and after school program exceeds the amount necessary to operate the before and after school program, the excess amount may be transferred by resolution of the board of directors of the school corporation for deposit in the general fund of the school corporation to be used for school district general fund purposes, following a public hearing. The bill strikes the requirement that a public hearing be held prior to this transfer. DIVISION IV —— STATEWIDE SCHOOL INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING. The H.F. _____ bill requires a school district affected by a reorganization that has issued bonds under Code section 423E.5 (school infrastructure funding formula —— bonding), Code 2023, or Code section 423F.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. The bill provides that bonds issued under Code chapter 423 (statewide school infrastructure funding) on or after July 1, 2019, shall not be sold at public sale or private sale, without notice and hearing, and notice of the time and place of the public hearing shall be published not less than 4 nor more than 20 days before the public hearing in at least one electronic or written publication with nationwide circulation that is recognized for providing information regarding the sale of public bonds or in a newspaper located in the county or a county contiguous to the place of sale. The bill provides that this provision does not apply to the refinancing of bonds. DIVISION V —— OPEN ENROLLMENT. Current Code section 282.18(17) provides that the deadlines associated with the submission of open enrollment applications and notifications do not apply to a child whose parent or guardian is filing a notification that the parent or guardian intends to open enroll the child in a public school in another school district for purposes of receiving full-time instruction under Code section 265.43 (online learning program model). The bill strikes this provision. The bill applies to applications and notifications related to open enrollment that are submitted on or after the effective date of the division. Under current Code section 282.18 (open enrollment), a parent or guardian is required to send notification to the district of residence that the parent or guardian intends to enroll the parent’s or guardian’s child in a public school in another school district by March 1 of the preceding school year for students entering grades 1 through 12, or by September 1 of the current school year for students H.F. _____ entering kindergarten or for prekindergarten students enrolled in special education programs and included in the school district’s basic enrollment. 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.

Committee Categories

No sponsors listed

Other Sponsors (1)

Committee vote: Yeas, 16. Nays, 7. H.J. 360. (on 02/18/2026)

Official Document