HCS HB 554 -- SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

SPONSOR:  Wright (Engler)

COMMITTEE ACTION:  Voted "do pass by consent" by the Special
Committee on General Laws by a vote of 10 to 0.

Current law contains permission to reduce the number of days in
the school calendar because of inclement weather during school
year 2000-2001 and waiver of the requirement to schedule make-up
days in 2001-2002.  This substitute makes those reductions
applicable to the 2002-2003 school year and waives the required
two-thirds make-up for 2003-2004.  The substitute also removes
existing language that permitted districts in 2000-2001 to use a
previous year's attendance figures under certain conditions
relating to school closure for inclement weather.

The substitute contains an emergency clause.

FISCAL NOTE:  No impact on state funds.

PROPONENTS:  Supporters say that the quality of learning declines
severely as more make-up days are scheduled because neither
teachers nor students are focused on instruction.  If a
district's make-up days extend past the time when colleges begin,
a teacher's ability to attend courses necessary for professional
advancement is hampered.  The inclement weather exceptions were
placed into statute two years ago, for just one year, and the
substitute now resembles the bill the House passed in 2001 to
address that year's bad snowfalls.

Testifying for the bill were Representative Engler; Missouri
State Teachers Association; and Missouri National Education
Association.

OPPONENTS:  There was no opposition voiced to the committee.

Becky DeNeve, Senior Legislative Analyst

Missouri House of Representatives
Last Updated July 25, 2003 at 10:12 am