FOUR-DAY SCHOOL WEEK
House Bill 4452
Sponsor: Rep. Jacob Hoogendyk
Committee: Education
Complete to 5-23-03
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4452 AS INTRODUCED 3-25-03
House Bill 4452 would amend the State School Aid Act to eliminate the minimum number of school days during a school year, in order to allow for the implementation of a four-day school week. Instead, the bill would specify at least 1,098 hours of student instruction. Currently under the law, in order to receive state aid, a school district must offer a minimum of 180 days of instruction, unless a waiver is provided by the state superintendent that enables a school district to adopt an "experimental school year schedule."
In addition, the bill would permit the first 15 instructional hours lost due to circumstances out of control of a district, such as severe storms, fires, epidemic, or health conditions, to be counted toward the 1,098-hour requirement. This would replace the two free "snow days" currently provided under the act.
Further, the bill would delete the provision currently in that law that at least 75 percent of a district's membership must be in attendance on any day of student instruction or the district forfeits a percentage of its state aid.
Under the bill, if a district operated its schools on a four-day school week, school officials would have to set either a Monday to Thursday, or a Tuesday to Friday schedule. Before a district changed its schedule to a four-day school week, the governing board would be required to hold at least two public hearings about the revised school week.
House Bill 4452 is tie-barred to House Bill 4453 which eliminates the number of days required for a year of retirement credit for teachers, in order to replace the days with hours. Because the bill is tie-barred, it could not become law unless House Bill 4453 also were enacted. [House Bill 4453, which contains no tie-bar, passed the House unanimously on May 14, 2003 and has been referred to the Senate Education Committee.]
MCL 388.1701
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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.