SB22 Alabama 2015 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Bill Holtzclaw

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2015

Title

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

Summary

SB22 lets local school boards run calendars with at least 180 instructional days or 1080 hours, removing the old temporary limits and keeping funding and teacher pay protections in place.

What This Bill Does

It removes the 2013-2014 temporary calendar limits and allows each local board to set a term of at least 180 full instructional days or the hourly equivalent of 1080 hours. It maintains Foundation Program funding rules, requiring a set local tax effort and equitable distribution of funds to schools, with monthly state allocations. It protects teachers' pay by prohibiting salary reductions due to these changes and tying salary appropriations to contract days or hourly equivalents, while also allowing emergency adjustments to the calendar if days are canceled. The act also clarifies funding components and states that it is exempt from Amendment 621 and becomes effective after governor approval.

Who It Affects

• Local boards of education and school districts: gain flexibility to set school calendars while must maintain a minimum local funding effort and report fund allocations.
• Teachers and school employees: maintain salary protections and rely on salary schedules that cannot be reduced because of the calendar changes; pay is tied to contract days or hours and subject to state minimum standards.

Key Provisions

• Amends Section 16-13-231 to require the Foundation Program Fund to support at least 180 full instructional days or the equivalent in hours (1080 hours).
• Local boards must ensure a ten-mill local school tax effort and provide a similar term length across all schools within their district.
• During 2012-2013 to 2013-2014, local boards have greater calendar flexibility, with the first student day no earlier than two calendar weeks before Labor Day and the last day before Memorial Day; emergency plans can extend hours to replace canceled days, with relief available during state emergencies.
• Salary protections require teacher salaries to be at least the State Minimum Salary Schedule and prohibit reductions in salary or contract terms due to calendar changes; salary appropriations are based on contract days or hourly equivalents.
• Foundation Program costs are broken into categories (salaries, fringe benefits, classroom instructional support, and other current expenses) with defined methods for calculating each local board’s allowance.
• Funds are allocated monthly to local boards, with local effort subtracted from the total cost to determine state funding; boards must report on how funds are allocated to each school.
• The bill is exempt from Amendment 621 (no local-fund expenditure requirement beyond board action) and becomes effective on the first day of the third month after 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