Bill Text: SC S0858 | 2017-2018 | 122nd General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Public school district accountability system
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-09 - Referred to Committee on Education [S0858 Detail]
Download: South_Carolina-2017-S0858-Introduced.html
A BILL
TO AMEND SECTION 59-18-1300, AS AMENDED, CODE OF LAWS OF SOUTH CAROLINA, 1976, RELATING TO PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS OF THE EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY ACT, SO AS TO PROVIDE DISTRICTS MAY OPT OUT OF THESE REQUIREMENTS BUT MUST FORGO STATEWIDE APPROPRIATIONS, AND TO MAKE THESE PROVISIONS APPLICABLE JULY 1, 2018.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1. Section 59-18-1300 of the 1976 Code, as last amended by Act 282 of 2008, is further amended to read:
"Section 59-18-1300. (A) The State Board of Education, based on recommendations of the division, must develop regulations requiring that each district board of trustees must establish and annually review a performance based accountability system, or modify its existing accountability system, to reinforce the state accountability system. Parents, teachers, and principals must be involved in the development, annual review, and revisions of the accountability system established by the district. The board of trustees shall ensure that a district accountability plan be developed, reviewed, and revised annually. In order to stimulate constant improvement in the process of teaching and learning in each school and to target additional local assistance for a school when its students' performance is low or shows little improvement, the district accountability system must build on the district and school activities and plans required in Section 59-139-10. In keeping with the emphasis on school accountability, principals should be actively involved in the selection, discipline, and dismissal of personnel in their particular school. The date the school improvement reports must be provided to parents is changed to February first.
(B) The Department of Education shall offer technical support to any district requesting assistance in the development of an accountability plan. Furthermore, the department must conduct a review of accountability plans as part of the peer review process required in Section 59-139-10(H) to ensure strategies are contained in the plans that shall maximize student learning.
(C) A district may opt out of the performance-based accountability system requirements of this chapter, but in so doing shall forgo all state appropriations, including the general fund, EIA funds, and lottery funds, made to the district or any school in the district."
SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2018.
