H 4580 General Bill, By Davenport, Allison, A.W. Byrd, Fair, Littlejohn, 
Moody-Lawrence, Quinn, Walker and R.M. Young
 A Bill to amend Section 59-29-60, as amended, Code of Laws of South Carolina,
 1976, relating to spending priorities under the Education Finance Act, so as
 to delete certain provisions which require early childhood and academic
 assistance initiative plans to contain measures of effectiveness which include
 outcome and process indicators of improvement and to contain specific
 innovation initiatives.

   01/20/94  House  Introduced and read first time HJ-3
   01/20/94  House  Referred to Committee on Education and Public
                     Works HJ-4
   03/24/94  House  Committee report: Favorable with amendment
                     Education and Public Works HJ-3
   04/06/94  House  Debate adjourned until Tuesday, April 12, 1994 HJ-44
   04/12/94  House  Amended HJ-327
   04/12/94  House  Read second time HJ-327
   04/13/94  House  Read third time and sent to Senate HJ-25
   04/14/94  Senate Introduced and read first time SJ-16
   04/14/94  Senate Referred to Committee on Education SJ-16

AMENDED

April 12, 1994

H. 4580

Introduced by REPS. Davenport, Littlejohn, Walker, Allison, Moody-Lawrence, R. Young, Byrd, Quinn and Fair

S. Printed 4/12/94--H.

Read the first time January 20, 1994.

A BILL

TO AMEND SECTION 59-20-60, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO SPENDING PRIORITIES UNDER THE EDUCATION FINANCE ACT, SO AS TO DELETE CERTAIN PROVISIONS WHICH REQUIRE EARLY CHILDHOOD AND ACADEMIC ASSISTANCE INITIATIVE PLANS TO CONTAIN MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS WHICH INCLUDE OUTCOME AND PROCESS INDICATORS OF IMPROVEMENT AND TO CONTAIN SPECIFIC INNOVATION INITIATIVES.

Amend Title To Conform

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Section 59-20-60(3) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 135 of 1993, is further amended to read:

"(3) Each school district board of trustees shall cause the district and each school in the district to develop comprehensive five-year plans with annual updates to outline the District and School Improvement Plans. Districts which have not begun a strategic planning cycle must do so and develop a plan no later than the 1994-95 school year. Districts which have undertaken such a planning process may continue in their planning cycle as long as the process meets the intent of this section and the long-range plans developed or under development can be amended to encompass the requirements of this section. For school year 1993-94, districts may submit either the improvement plan consistent with State Department guidelines or their five-year comprehensive plan.

The State Board of Education shall recommend a format for the plans which will be flexible and adaptable to local planning needs while encompassing certain state mandates, including the early childhood and academic assistance initiative plans pursuant to Section 59-139-10. All district and school plans must be reviewed and approved by the board of trustees. The District Plan should integrate the needs, goals, objectives, strategies, and evaluation methods outlined in the School Plans. Measures of effectiveness must include outcome and process indicators academic standards of improvement and must provide data regarding what difference the strategies have made. Staff professional development must be a priority in the development and implementation of the plans and must be based on an assessment of needs. Long and short-range goals, objectives, strategies, and time lines need to be included."

SECTION 2. Section 59-20-60(4) of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 135 of 1993, is further amended to read:

"(4) Each plan shall provide for an Innovation Initiative, designed to encourage innovative and comprehensive approaches based on strategies identified in the research literature to be effective. The Innovation Initiative must be utilized by school districts to implement innovative approaches designed to improve student learning and accelerate the performance of all students. Funds may be expended on strategies in one or more of the following four categories:

(a) new approaches to what and how students learn by changing schooling in ways that provide a creative, flexible, rigorous, relevant, academic, and challenging education for all students, especially for those at risk. Performance-based outcomes which support a pedagogy of thinking and active approaches for learning must be supported;

(b) applying different teaching methods permitting professional educators at every level to focus on educational academic success for all students and on critical thinking skills and providing the necessary support for educational academic successes are encouraged;

(c) redefining how schools operate resulting in the decentralization of authority to the school site and allowing those closest to the students the flexibility to design the most appropriate education location and practice;

(d) creating appropriate relationships between schools and other social service agencies by improving relationships between the school and community agencies (health, social, mental health), parents and the business community, and by establishing procedures that cooperatively focus the resources of the greater community upon barriers to success in school, particularly in the areas of early childhood and parenting programs, after-school programs, and adolescent services.

Funds for the Innovation Initiative must be allocated to districts based upon a fifty percent average daily membership and fifty percent pursuant to the Education Finance Act formula. At least seventy percent of the funds must be allocated on a per school basis for school based innovation in accord with the District-School Improvement Plan. Up to thirty percent may be spent for district-wide projects with direct services to schools. District and school administrators must work together to determine the allocation of funds.

For 1993-94, districts and schools may use these funds for designing their Innovation Initiatives to be submitted to the peer review process established in Section 59-139-10 prior to implementation of the innovations in 1994-95. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, districts may carry over all unexpended funds in 1993-94, and up to twenty-five percent of allocated funds each year thereafter in order to build funds for an approved program initiative."

SECTION 3. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.