Committee clears site-governed schools cleanup; bill laid over for further consideration

The House Education Policy Committee heard House File 41-76, a bill that revises and clarifies existing site-governed school statutes to make the optional framework more usable for districts. Representative Joaquin moved and the committee adopted an A1 amendment that clarifies language and specifies that a district union member be included on site governance committees.

Representative Joaquin said the law (currently codified at 123B.045) is confusing and discourages districts from using the site-governed option; the bill would streamline the process while keeping accountability and performance expectations. Lars Esdall, executive director of Education Evolving, told the committee the bill is a cleanup that would make a 20-year-old statute usable without creating a new mandate.

Dr. George Nolan, principal at Gatewood Elementary in Hopkins, described how his school used site-level flexibility to create an outdoor education program and foster innovation, saying the law’s clarification would help sustain successful efforts when leadership changes. Members asked whether statewide assessment requirements would change (they would not; MCAs remain required) and why the statute uses a 60-day board-review timeline; staff said the 60 days was present in prior statute and the bill simply moves it.

The committee laid the bill over for further consideration; a majority of members praised the bipartisan, cleanup nature of the measure and urged follow-up in the appropriate committee if needed.