PRINTER'S NO. 1073
No. 167 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY DALLY, BASTIAN, BEYER, CALTAGIRONE, DALEY, GEIST,
GINGRICH, HENNESSEY, HERSHEY, HESS, HORNAMAN, W. KELLER,
PEIFER, PICKETT, RAPP, REICHLEY, RUBLEY, SAMUELSON, SAYLOR,
SCAVELLO, SIPTROTH, STERN, J. TAYLOR, WALKO AND YOUNGBLOOD,
MARCH 29, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, MARCH 29, 2007
A RESOLUTION
1 Directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study
2 the length of the school day and the school year throughout
3 the nation and the State and to report its findings to the
4 General Assembly.
5 WHEREAS, The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law
6 107-110, 115 Stat. 1425) requires greater accountability from
7 school personnel, individual schools, school districts and state
8 governments to improve student achievement, collectively and
9 individually; and
10 WHEREAS, At a time when we are expecting more from our
11 schools and school staff, there should be a similar expectation
12 that the State should provide sufficient time in the school day
13 and the school year to accomplish these goals; and
14 WHEREAS, The recent rating of Pennsylvania's public schools
15 indicates that nearly 40% of the schools do not meet the Federal
16 target of "adequate yearly progress" and require some
17 modifications in the school program; and
1 WHEREAS, The State Board of Education is currently proposing
2 to revise its regulations set forth at 22 Pa. Code Ch. 11
3 (relating to student attendance) as a means of accommodating
4 greater flexibility, including flexibility in the instructional
5 year and instructional days; and
6 WHEREAS, Sections 1501 and 1504 of the Public School Code of
7 1949 establish the statutory parameters for a 180-day school
8 year and a school day of 5.5 hours per day, with an alternative
9 of 900 hours of instruction at the elementary level and 990
10 hours of instruction at the secondary level, as the equivalents
11 of a school year for reimbursement purposes; and
12 WHEREAS, The General Assembly has a strong interest in
13 providing direction to the State Board of Education in the form
14 of comments or legislation to promote greater thoroughness and
15 efficiency within the public school system; therefore be it
16 RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
17 be directed to study the length of the school year and school
18 day nationally; and be it further
19 RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
20 study the use of the alternative school year based on number of
21 hours among school districts in this Commonwealth as a means of
22 determining the prevalence of using less than a 180-day school
23 calendar; and be it further
24 RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
25 report its findings to the House of Representatives not later
26 than January 30, 2008.
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