HOUSE BILL No. 5193

December 17, 2015, Introduced by Reps. Garcia, Kelly, Price, Chatfield, Yonker, Barrett, Somerville, Callton, Greig and Tedder and referred to the Committee on Education.

 

     A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled

 

"The revised school code,"

 

by amending sections 1284a and 1284b (MCL 380.1284a and 380.1284b),

 

section 1284a as added by 2007 PA 101 and section 1284b as amended

 

by 2006 PA 235.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 1284a. (1) Not later than July 1, 2008, an An

 

intermediate school district, in cooperation with its constituent

 

districts, shall adopt a common school calendar to apply to all of

 

its constituent districts and to its intermediate school district

 

programs. The intermediate school district shall post the common

 

school calendar on its website. The common school calendar shall

 

meet all of the following:

 

     (a) Shall be in compliance with sections 1284 and 1284b.

 

     (b) Shall identify the dates for each school year when school


will not be in session for a winter holiday break and a spring

 

break. The common school calendar shall identify these dates

 

specifically for at least the next 5 school years, but may describe

 

these dates more generally for school years thereafter as long as

 

the dates may be readily determined.

 

     (2) Beginning with the 2008-2009 school year, except as

 

otherwise provided in this section, the board of each constituent

 

district and the intermediate school board shall ensure that its

 

school calendar complies with the common school calendar adopted

 

under subsection (1).

 

     (3) In addition to the requirements under subsection (1), a

 

common school calendar adopted under subsection (1) is encouraged

 

to identify common dates for professional development days.

 

     (4) If a collective bargaining agreement that provides a

 

complete school calendar is in effect for employees of a school

 

district or intermediate school district as of the effective date

 

of this section, and if that school calendar is not in compliance

 

with the common school calendar adopted under subsection (1), then

 

subsection (2) does not apply to that school district or

 

intermediate school district until after the expiration of that

 

collective bargaining agreement.

 

     (4) (5) If as of the effective date of this section October 1,

 

2007 an intermediate school district or school district is

 

operating a year-round school or program or is operating a school

 

that is an international baccalaureate academy that provides 1,160

 

hours of pupil instruction per school year, then subsection (2)

 

does not apply to that school or program. If after the effective

 


date of this section October 1, 2007 an intermediate school

 

district or school district begins operating a year-round school or

 

program, the intermediate school district or school district may

 

apply to the superintendent of public instruction for a waiver from

 

the requirements of subsection (2) for that school or program. A

 

school district or intermediate school district shall not apply for

 

a waiver under this subsection unless the board of the school

 

district or intermediate school district has held at least 1 public

 

hearing to discuss the proposed alternative school calendar for the

 

school or program and whether or not to apply for the waiver. The

 

application shall be in writing in the form and manner prescribed

 

by the department and shall provide justification for the school or

 

program to operate on a calendar that differs from the common

 

school calendar adopted under subsection (1). Upon application, if

 

the superintendent of public instruction determines that a school

 

or program is a bona fide year-round school or program established

 

for educational reasons and that there is sufficient justification

 

for the school or program to operate on a calendar that differs

 

from the common school calendar adopted under subsection (1), the

 

superintendent of public instruction shall grant the waiver. The

 

superintendent of public instruction shall establish standards for

 

determining a bona fide year-round school or program for the

 

purposes of this subsection. However, if a school or program meets

 

any of the following, the superintendent of public instruction

 

shall consider the school or program to be a bona fide year-round

 

school or program and shall grant the waiver:

 

     (a) Is on the same calendar as an institution of higher

 


education and shares facilities, faculty, or courses with the

 

higher education institution.

 

     (b) Operates on a school calendar that includes a summer break

 

that is not greater than 8 weeks for the first 2 school years

 

beginning after the date of the application and is not greater than

 

6 weeks for subsequent school years.

 

     (c) Is a school on the list under section 1280c(1) of the

 

public schools in this state that the department has

 

determined to be among the lowest achieving 5% of all public

 

schools in this state, selects a model that requires increased

 

learning time as a condition of reform, and has received a waiver

 

of the common school calendar requirement.

 

     (d) Has adopted a plan used by or similar to a plan used by

 

other schools or programs to conduct an extended school calendar,

 

such as 45 days on and 15 days off, 60 days on and 20 days off, 60

 

days on and 15 days off, or 90 days on and 30 days off.

 

     (e) As determined by the superintendent of public instruction

 

under subsection (5), operates on a bona fide trimester schedule.

 

     (5) (6) If an intermediate school district or school district

 

is operating or begins operating a school or program on a trimester

 

schedule, the intermediate school district or school district may

 

apply to the superintendent of public instruction for a waiver from

 

the requirements of subsection (2) for that school or program. The

 

application shall be in writing in the form and manner prescribed

 

by the department and shall provide justification for the school or

 

program to operate on a calendar that differs from the common

 

school calendar adopted under subsection (1). Upon application, if

 


the superintendent of public instruction determines that a school

 

or program is operating on a bona fide trimester schedule

 

established for educational reasons and that there is sufficient

 

justification for the school or program to operate on a calendar

 

that differs from the common school calendar adopted under

 

subsection (1), the superintendent of public instruction shall

 

grant the waiver. The superintendent of public instruction shall

 

establish standards for determining a bona fide trimester schedule

 

for the purposes of this subsection.

 

     (6) (7) This section does not apply to a public school that

 

operates all of grades 6 to 12 at a single site, that aligns its

 

high school curriculum with advanced placement courses as the

 

capstone of the curriculum, and that ends its second academic

 

semester concurrently with the end of the advanced placement

 

examination period.

 

     (7) (8) In addition to the other exceptions under this

 

section, the superintendent of public instruction may grant a

 

waiver from a requirement under this section for a school district

 

that applies for the waiver in writing in the form and manner

 

prescribed by the superintendent of public instruction and provides

 

sufficient justification for the waiver, as determined by the

 

superintendent of public instruction.

 

     (8) (9) As used in this section:

 

     (a) "Board" means the board of a school district or board of

 

directors of a public school academy.

 

     (b) "Constituent district" means a constituent district of the

 

intermediate school district or a public school academy that is

 


located within the boundaries of the intermediate school district

 

and that receives services from the intermediate school district.

 

     (c) "School district" means a school district or a public

 

school academy.

 

     Sec. 1284b. (1) Until subsection (2) applies to the school

 

district, public school academy, or intermediate school district,

 

the board of a school district or intermediate school district or

 

board of directors of a public school academy shall ensure that the

 

district's or public school academy's schools are not in session on

 

the Friday before Labor day.

 

     (1) (2) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the

 

board of a school district or intermediate school district or board

 

of directors of a public school academy shall ensure that the

 

district's or public school academy's school year does not begin

 

before Labor day.Day.

 

     (3) If a collective bargaining agreement that provides a

 

complete school calendar is in effect for employees of a school

 

district, public school academy, or intermediate school district as

 

of the effective date of the amendatory act that added subsection

 

(2), and if that school calendar is not in compliance with

 

subsection (2), then subsection (2) does not apply to that school

 

district, public school academy, or intermediate school district

 

until after the expiration of that collective bargaining agreement.

 

     (2) (4) If a school district, intermediate school district, or

 

public school academy is operating a year-round school or program

 

as of September 29, 2005 or is operating as of that date a school

 

that is an international baccalaureate academy that provides 1,160

 


hours of pupil instruction per school year, then subsection (2) (1)

 

does not apply to that school or program. If a school district,

 

intermediate school district, or public school academy begins

 

operating a year-round school or program after September 29, 2005,

 

the school district, intermediate school district, or public school

 

academy may apply to the superintendent of public instruction for a

 

waiver from the requirements of subsection (2). (1). A school

 

district, intermediate school district, or public school academy

 

shall not apply for a waiver under this subsection unless the board

 

of the school district or intermediate school district or board of

 

directors of the public school academy has held at least 1 public

 

hearing to discuss the proposed alternative school calendar for the

 

school or program and whether or not to apply for the waiver. Upon

 

application, if the superintendent of public instruction determines

 

that a school or program is a bona fide year-round school or

 

program established for educational reasons, the superintendent of

 

public instruction shall grant the waiver. The superintendent of

 

public instruction shall establish standards for determining a bona

 

fide year-round school or program for the purposes of this

 

subsection. However, if a school or program meets any of the

 

following, the superintendent of public instruction shall consider

 

the school or program to be a bona fide year-round school or

 

program and shall grant the waiver:

 

     (a) Is on the same calendar as an institution of higher

 

education and shares facilities, faculty, or courses with the

 

higher education institution.

 

     (b) Operates on a school calendar that includes a summer break

 


that is not greater than 8 weeks for the first 2 school years

 

beginning after the date of the application and is not greater than

 

6 weeks for subsequent school years.

 

     (c) Is a school on the list under section 1280c(1) of the

 

public schools in this state that the department has

 

determined to be among the lowest achieving 5% of all public

 

schools in this state, selects a model that requires increased

 

learning time as a condition of reform, and has received a waiver

 

of the post-Labor Day start requirement.

 

     (d) Has adopted a plan used by or similar to a plan used by

 

other schools or programs to conduct an extended school calendar,

 

such as 45 days on and 15 days off, 60 days on and 20 days off, 60

 

days on and 15 days off, or 90 days on and 30 days off.

 

     (e) As determined by the superintendent of public instruction

 

under section 1284a(5), operates on a bona fide trimester schedule.

 

     (3) (5) If an intermediate school district contracts with a

 

constituent district or public school academy to provide programs

 

or services for pupils of the constituent district or public school

 

academy; operates a program or service within a building owned by a

 

constituent district or a public school academy located within the

 

intermediate school district's boundaries; or otherwise provides

 

instructional programs or services for pupils of a constituent

 

district or public school academy, and if the school district's or

 

public school academy's school year begins before Labor day Day

 

under subsection (3) or (4), (2), then the intermediate school

 

district may provide programs or services according to the school

 

district's or public school academy's calendar.

 


     (4) (6) This section does not apply to a public school that

 

operates all of grades 6 to 12 at a single site, that aligns its

 

high school curriculum with advanced placement courses as the

 

capstone of the curriculum, and that ends its second academic

 

semester concurrently with the end of the advanced placement

 

examination period.

 

     (5) (7) This section does not prohibit a school district,

 

intermediate school district, or public school academy from

 

offering or requiring professional development for its personnel

 

that is conducted before Labor day.Day.

 

     (6) (8) As used in this section, "Labor day" Day" means the

 

first Monday in September.

 

     Enacting section 1. This amendatory act takes effect 90 days

 

after the date it is enacted into law.