HB454 Alabama 2014 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Donnie ChesteenSenator

Republican

Co-Sponsors

Jim PattersonAlan BootheBarry MooreAlan BakerPaul W. LeeMac ButtramDavid Sessions

Session

Regular Session 2014

Title

Flexible School Calendar Act, temporary calendar parameters removed, local board of education may provide for 1080 instructional hours, Sec. 16-13-231am'd.

Summary

HB454 would remove the 2013-14 calendar limits and let local boards set a 180-day or 1080-hour school year, funded through the Foundation Program with constitutional funding exceptions.

What This Bill Does

It eliminates the temporary academic calendar parameters for the 2013-2014 school year and allows local boards to provide a minimum of 180 full instructional days, or the hourly equivalent of at least 1080 hours. It structures Foundation Program funding to support that calendar, requires local boards to maintain salary schedules and allocate funds equitably among schools, and to report how funds are spent. It also allows emergency adjustments to calendars or hours and notes the measure is exempt from certain local funding approval requirements due to constitutional exceptions.

Who It Affects

• Local boards of education and the school systems they oversee: gain authority to set the 180-day/1080-hour calendar and must manage Foundation Program funds, salaries, and school funding allocations.
• Students and school staff (teachers and other employees): instructional time and pay practices may change to reflect the new calendar and funding rules, with protections and reporting requirements tied to the Foundation Program.

Key Provisions

• Removes the temporary 2013-2014 calendar parameters and allows a local board to provide at least 180 full instructional days, or the hourly equivalent of 1080 hours.
• Foundation Program Fund is used to support the 180-day minimum term and to promote educational opportunities for all public school students.
• Local boards must ensure a term of at least 180 days or 1080 hours, and establish the academic calendar annually within Board regulations.
• In emergencies, local boards may submit a plan to replace canceled days by extending hours on instructional days, with state-level approval; emergency relief may be sought during gubernatorial states of emergency.
• Local boards must expend funds for teachers' salaries according to a local salary schedule that is at least 100 percent of the State Minimum Salary Schedule, and allocate Foundation Program funds equitably across schools, with annual reporting to the State Board of Education.
• The act is intended to require new or increased local expenditures but is exempt from Amendment 621 requirements because it falls within specified exceptions; it becomes effective the first day of the third month after passage and governor approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Education