SB290 Alabama 2014 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Del Marsh

Republican

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

SB290 would remove the temporary 2013-14 calendar rules and let local boards set 180 instructional days based on 1080 instructional hours.

What This Bill Does

It removes the temporary 2013-14 calendar parameters and allows local boards to provide 180 full instructional days, measured as 1080 hours. It establishes funding and calendar rules to support that schedule, including how Foundation Program funds are distributed, requirements to keep term lengths reasonably uniform, and salary/funding safeguards. It also provides emergency provisions to extend or adjust hours if days are canceled, and notes the bill creates a new local expenditure but is exempt from certain constitutional approval requirements.

Who It Affects

• Local boards of education, who would plan annual calendars, determine instructional hours, and allocate Foundation Program funds and salaries under the new framework.
• Students and teachers in Alabama public schools, whose start dates, instructional days, and total instructional hours could change under the revised calendar and funding rules.

Key Provisions

• Amends Section 16-13-231 to remove the 2013-2014 temporary parameters and allow 180 full instructional days or an hourly equivalent of 1080 hours.
• Local boards may establish annual calendars with the first day no earlier than two weeks before Labor Day and the last day no later than the Friday before Memorial Day.
• Foundation Program Fund rules require funding to support the 180 days/1080 hours, with local boards ensuring approximately equal term lengths, maintaining at least 100% of the State Minimum Salary Schedule for teachers, and equitable distribution of funds to schools; annual reporting on fund allocations is required.
• Emergency provisions allow extending hours or adjusting the calendar to replace canceled days, with relief mechanisms during state emergencies.
• The bill is considered a new local expenditure under Amendment 621 but is exempt from the usual 2/3 approval requirement due to specified exceptions.

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