ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
county school superintendents; advisory committee
Designates the office of the county school superintendent as a local education service agency (LEA) and allows for the establishment of an advisory committee to the office of the county school superintendent.
Each school district has an elected county school superintendent in charge of recording all official acts. County school superintendents distribute all laws, reports, circulars, instructions and forms for use by school officers, make reports as directed by the State Superintendent and maintain teacher and administrator certification records. Additionally, county school superintendents must appoint governing board members to fill vacancies or may call for a special election for this purpose. Only persons who hold teaching certificates in Arizona are eligible for election as a county school superintendent.
H.B. 2284 designates the office of the county school superintendent as a LEA, making that office eligible to qualify for various governmental grants. Federal statutes define a LEA as a public board of education or other public authority within a State which maintains administrative control of public elementary or secondary schools in a city, county township, school district or other political subdivision of a State. LEAs are eligible to receive money in the form of governmental grants to support school improvement activities.
There is no discernible fiscal impact to the state general fund associated with this bill.
1. Designates the office of the county school superintendent as a local education service agency (LEA) eligible to receive and spend local, state and federal monies for school district and charter school programs and services.
2. Requires the office of county school superintendent to be under the jurisdiction of the elected county school superintendent.
3. Allows each county school superintendent to establish and appoint members to an advisory committee to the office of the county school superintendent.
4. Establishes advisory committee membership requirements if an advisory committee is established by a county school superintendent.
5. Provides for requirements of the advisory committee including the following:
a) Review and comment on any issue the county school superintendent requests.
b) Facilitate collaboration between the organizations that serve the school-age children in the county.
6. Requires the county school superintendent to collaborate with the Arizona Department of Education and other state agencies to provide assistance to school districts and charter schools on the use of student data, staff development, curriculum alignment and technology to improve student performance.
7. Requires the county school superintendent to assist schools in meeting yearly adequate progress goals established by the SBE.
8. Allows the county school superintendent to (1) provide supplemental discretionary programs at the request of school districts and charter schools and (2) provide its statutorily prescribed services in the county or jointly with two or more counties.
9. Requires the county school superintendent to submit a report that summarizes the services and programs provided by the office of the county school superintendent to the State Superintendent by July 1 of each year.
10. Contains technical and conforming changes.
11. Provides for a general effective date.
ED 03/18/02 DP 8-0-0-2-0
APPROP 04/02/02 DP 10-0-0-6-0
3rd Read 04/08/02 43-7-10-0
Prepared by Senate Staff
April 16, 2002