Senate Committee Substitute

SCS/SB 64 - This act authorizes each school district to set its opening date each year, provided that the date cannot be earlier than ten days prior to Labor Day.

A district may set an opening date that is more than ten calendar days prior to Labor Day provided that: the local board gives public notice of a public meeting to discuss the proposal of starting school on an earlier date, a public meeting is held, and a majority of the board votes to allow an earlier opening date at the public meeting. If the previous conditions are met, the district may set their opening date more than ten calendar days prior to Labor Day.

If any local district violates the provisions of this act, the department of elementary and secondary education shall withhold an amount equal to one quarter of the state funding the district generated for each date the district was in violation of this act.

The act does not apply to school districts in which school is in session for twelve months of each calendar year. The state board of education may grant an exemption from the act for districts that demonstrate highly extenuating circumstances which justify exemption.

The act exempts a school district from having to make up days of school lost due to inclement weather based on a formula contained in the act.

This act is similar to SB 1114 (2006).

JIM ERTLE


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