The Education and Public Works Committee proposes the following Amendment No. 1 to H. 3035 (COUNCIL\AGM\19022BH11):

Reference is to the bill as introduced.

Amend the bill, as and if amended, by deleting in its entirety Section 59-1-425(A), as contained in SECTION 1, pages 1-2, and inserting:

/      (A)      Each A local school district board of trustees of the State shall have has the authority to establish an annual school calendar for teachers, staff, and students. The statutory school term is one hundred ninety days annually and shall consist consists of a minimum of one hundred eighty days of instruction covering at least nine calendar months. However, beginning with the 2007-2008 school year the opening date for students must not be before the third Monday in August, except for schools operating on a year-round modified school calendar or the equivalent one thousand one hundred seventy instructional hours and ten additional days or the equivalent sixty hours as provided in this section for secondary schools or one thousand eighty hours and ten additional days or the equivalent sixty hours for elementary schools as provided in this section. A local school district may decide how best to structure the instructional day and how many days of instruction comprise the school year, in that the local school district calendar includes instructional days to coincide with official testing dates as set by the South Carolina Department of Education for the administration of the statewide testing program. The number of instructional hours in an instructional day may vary according to local board policy and does not have to be uniform among schools in the district. However, beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, the opening date for students may not be before the third Monday in August, except for schools that operate on a year round modified school calendar. A local school district shall schedule ten additional days. Three days or the equivalent eighteen hours must be used for collegial professional development based upon the educational standards as required by provided in Section 59-18-300. The professional development shall address, at a minimum, academic achievement standards including strengthening teachers' knowledge in their content area, teaching techniques, and assessment. No more than two days may be used for preparation of opening of schools, and the remaining five days may be used for teacher planning, academic plans, and parent conferences. The number of instructional hours in an instructional day may vary according to local board policy and does not have to be uniform among the schools in the district. /

Renumber sections to conform.
Amend title to conform.