SB517 Summary

• Establishes the Flexible School Calendar Act of 2012, amending Section 16-13-231 of the Alabama Code regarding the public education Foundation Program Fund.

• Requires each local board of education to provide a minimum of 180 full instructional days or the hourly equivalent per school year beginning in the 2012-2013 school year for Foundation Program Fund benefits.

• Grants local boards greater flexibility in establishing school calendars by allowing adjustment of instructional hours on specified days, with instruction beginning no earlier than the Monday two weeks before Labor Day (or August 17 if August 31 is a Monday) and ending no later than the Friday before Memorial Day.

• Permits local boards to submit plans to the State Superintendent of Education for replacing cancelled instructional days by extending teaching hours, with exceptions for state emergencies that allow appeals with no loss of employee income.

• Becomes effective on the first day of the third month following passage and approval by the Governor.