SECOND REGULAR SESSION
97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE CURTIS.
6449L.01I D. ADAM CRUMBLISS, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
To amend chapter 161, RSMo, by adding thereto two new sections relating to the establishment of education advisory councils.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 161, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto two new sections, to be known as sections 161.990 and 161.995, to read as follows:
161.990. 1. A state "Community Education Council" (CEC) shall be established for the purpose of advising the commissioner of education and the department of elementary and secondary education on issues relating to schools and educational opportunities that are of importance in individual communities within the state.
2. The CEC shall have a membership of twenty-one persons who shall be serving concurrently on community action councils established under section 161.995. The method of appointment, along with a procedure to ensure that CEC membership includes persons from community action councils representing accredited districts, unaccredited districts, and provisionally accredited districts, shall be established by the department of elementary and secondary education. CEC members shall be appointed as follows:
(1) Four members shall be selected from each geographic quadrant within the combined area of a city not within a county and a county with a charter form of government and with more than nine hundred fifty thousand inhabitants, with four members representing the north quadrant, four members representing the east quadrant, four members representing the south quadrant, and four members representing the west quadrant; and
(2) Five members shall be selected at large.
Only one member of a particular community action council shall serve on the CEC at any one time.
3. The commissioner of education or the commissioner's designee shall convene the first meeting of the CEC for the purpose of establishing the bylaws of the CEC and electing officers to include a chairperson, vice chairperson, and secretary. CEC members may be reimbursed for expenses but shall not receive a per-diem allowance.
4. The department of elementary and secondary education shall promulgate all necessary rules and regulations for the administration of this section. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, that is created under the authority delegated in this section shall become effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of the provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 536.028. This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 2014, shall be invalid and void.
161.995. 1. Prior to the 2015-16 school year, there shall be established in each school district located within a city not within a county and in each school district located within a county with a charter form of government and with more than nine hundred fifty thousand inhabitants a "Community Action Council" (CAC). Each CAC shall consist of volunteer members who shall be responsible for developing a strategic plan for educational success within their communities. Each CAC shall report its findings and plans for action to the department of elementary and secondary education on an annual basis, with the first report made to the department in January 2016, and subsequent reports made each January thereafter. CAC members shall reside in the school district and shall consist of:
(1) Parents;
(2) Elected officials;
(3) Faith-based institutions;
(4) Health care organizations;
(5) Community-based organizations;
(6) School board members;
(7) Business leaders;
(8) Educators and school administrators;
(9) Community residents; and
(10) Students.
2. Each CAC shall work to empower the community they serve to improve local quality education by:
(1) Informing parents and community members about the performance and utilization of schools in their neighborhood and the priorities of the CAC;
(2) Engaging community stakeholders in developing strategies to improve schools through regular meetings, subcommittees, and community dialogues;
(3) Devising a strategic plan to improve their communities' educational opportunities;
(4) Providing guidance in developing and recommending a community vision for improved schools and ensure that students graduate prepared for success in college and career.
3. The department of elementary and secondary education shall promulgate all necessary rules and regulations for the administration of this section. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, that is created under the authority delegated in this section shall become effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of the provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 536.028. This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 2014, shall be invalid and void.
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