Bill > HF2704

Introduced Session

This bill relates to and makes appropriations to the education system. The bill appropriates moneys for FY 2024-2025 from the general fund of the state and other funds to the department for the blind, the department of education, and the state board of regents and its institutions. The bill is organized by divisions. DEPARTMENT FOR THE BLIND. The bill appropriates moneys to the department for the blind for its administration. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. The bill appropriates moneys to the department of education for purposes of the department’s general administration; career and technical education administration; public broadcasting division; career and technical education reimbursement; school food service; expansion of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act birth through age three services; early head start projects; the student achievement and teacher quality program; statewide student assessment; statewide clearinghouse to expand work-based learning; postsecondary summer classes for high school students program; jobs for America’s graduates specialists; attendance center performance/general internet site and data system support; successful progression for early readers; an early warning system for literacy; the Iowa reading research center; computer science professional development incentive fund; children’s mental health school-based training and support; for school districts for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities; distribution to the midwestern higher education compact to pay Iowa’s member state annual obligation; community colleges; the Iowa school for the deaf and Iowa educational services for the blind and visually impaired program; the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics collaborative initiative; the therapeutic classroom incentive fund; the payment of claims for reimbursement submitted for therapeutic classroom transportation; the LEAD-K program; division of special education; professional development; the rural attorney recruitment assistance program; and the administration and various programs of the college student aid commission. The bill also appropriates moneys from the Iowa skilled worker and job creation fund to the department of education for various purposes. STATE BOARD OF REGENTS. The bill appropriates moneys to the state board of regents for the board office, universities’ general operating budgets, the western Iowa regents resource center, the state university of Iowa, Iowa state university of science and technology, and the university of northern Iowa. STANDING APPROPRIATIONS. For FY 2024-2025, the bill limits the appropriations associated with programs for at-risk children under Code section 279.51 and the work-study program under Code section 256.209. The bill increases the standing appropriation for tuition grants for qualified students enrolled in accredited private institutions under Code section 256.194(1) or eligible institutions under Code section 256.194(2). STATE PROGRAM ALLOCATION. Code section 284.13 establishes how moneys appropriated for purposes of the student achievement and teacher quality program are to be allocated. The bill extends such allocations to FY 2024-2025. The bill provides that beginning in FY 2025-2026 rather than FY 2024-2025, of the moneys appropriated for purposes of the student achievement and teacher quality program, the final priority for the allocation is $10 million for purposes of implementing the supplemental assistance for high-need schools provisions of Code section 284.11. THERAPEUTIC CLASSROOM TRANSPORTATION CLAIMS REIMBURSEMENT. For FY 2023-2024, the general assembly appropriated $500,000 to the department of education for payment of school district claims for transportation reimbursement submitted in connection with therapeutic classroom services. The bill authorizes the deposit of moneys that remain unencumbered or unobligated after the completion of such payments into the therapeutic classroom incentive fund created in Code section 256.25, as determined by the department. That fund is used to distribute grants to school districts under the therapeutic classroom incentive grant program. These provisions take effect upon enactment. CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM. The bill modifies several provisions of Code chapter 299 (compulsory education) to include new responsibilities for the boards of directors of school districts and county attorneys related to absenteeism. The bill modifies the definition of truant for purposes of Code chapter 299. The bill requires school engagement meetings, and the creation of an absenteeism prevention plan, when a student is absent from public school for at least 15 percent of a grading period. The bill establishes enforcement mechanisms related to such school engagement meetings and absenteeism prevention plans. OPEN ENROLLMENT. Current law authorizes a parent or guardian to enroll the parent’s or guardian’s child in a public school in another school district at any time, subject to certain limited exceptions. The bill establishes that, in order for a parent or guardian to open enroll the parent’s or guardian’s child, the parent or guardian is required to send a notification to that effect to both the district of residence and the receiving district by March 1 of the preceding school year for students entering grades 1 through 12, or by September 1 of the current school year for students entering kindergarten or for prekindergarten students enrolled in special education programs and included in the school district’s basic enrollment. The bill provides that, if a parent or guardian fails to send the notification when required, the parent or guardian may still be able to open enroll the parent’s or guardian’s child if “good cause”, as defined in Code section 282.18(9)(a)(8), exists for failure to meet the March 1 deadline. If good cause does not exist for failure to meet the March 1 deadline, the bill establishes that open enrollment applications are subject to the approval of the board of the resident district and the board of the receiving district and provides for the right to appeal the decision of either board to the state board of education. The bill provides that an application for open enrollment may be granted at any time with approval of the resident and receiving districts. The bill establishes appeal and mediation mechanisms, involving both the department of education and the state board of education, to resolve disputes between school districts related to applications for open enrollment. This division applies to applications and notifications related to open enrollment submitted on or after the effective date of the division. The bill provides that, if a pupil participating in open enrollment is truant, the receiving district may prohibit the pupil from remaining enrolled in the receiving district and from enrolling in the receiving district in the future, subject to certain limitations. The bill requires the receiving district to send notification of the receiving district’s decision to prohibit the pupil from remaining enrolled to the pupil’s parent or guardian and to the pupil’s sending district. Additionally, the bill requires the sending district to enroll the pupil. The bill does not prohibit such a pupil’s parent or guardian from filing a request to open enroll in the future. DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION. The bill defines “diversity, equity, and inclusion”, “diversity, equity, and inclusion office”, and “public institution of higher education”. The bill prohibits public institutions of higher education from establishing or maintaining a diversity, equity, and inclusion office and from hiring or assigning an employee or third party to perform the duties of a diversity, equity, and inclusion office. The bill restricts how public institutions of higher education use moneys with respect to diversity, equity, and inclusion offices. The bill establishes public institution of higher education reporting requirements related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The bill allows any person to notify the attorney general of a public institution of higher education’s potential violation of prohibitions related to the establishment of a diversity, equity, and inclusion office. The bill reallocates unexpended moneys appropriated in FY 2025-2026 that would have been expended on diversity, equity, and inclusion offices or diversity, equity, and inclusion officers to the Iowa workforce grant and incentive program. This division takes effect July 1, 2025. STATE BOARD OF REGENTS —— PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH COMMITTEE. The bill provides that, when electing a president of an institution of higher learning, the state board of regents may use a presidential selection committee. The bill establishes that only members of the board shall serve as voting members of a presidential selection committee. IOWA TUITION GRANTS. The bill provides that accredited private institutions and eligible institutions under the Iowa tuition grants program are required to file an annual report with the college student aid commission, the department of workforce development, and the general assembly, beginning December 15, 2025, that provides information related to students who are enrolled in the institution and who receive, or have received, an Iowa tuition grant. The bill provides that if an accredited private institution or an eligible institution fails to file such report, students enrolled in the institution shall not be eligible to receive an Iowa tuition grant for the subsequent academic year. IOWA DYSLEXIA BOARD. Current Code section 256.32A establishes the Iowa dyslexia board to guide, facilitate, and oversee implementation of dyslexia instruction in Iowa and make recommendations for continued improvement of such instruction. Under current law, Code section 256.32A is repealed July 1, 2025. The bill provides that Code section 256.32A is repealed July 1, 2027. OPEN ENROLLMENT —— STATE AID. The bill provides that, if a school district is granted a modified supplemental amount under Code section 257.31(5) (school budget review committee), for the budget year beginning July 1, 2024, the school district’s combined property tax rate per $1,000 for all school district levies for the budget year beginning July 1, 2025, shall not exceed the combined property tax rate for all such levies for the budget year beginning July 1, 2024. Current Code section 257.31(5) establishes circumstances in which the school budget review committee may grant supplemental aid to the district. The bill adds to this list that such supplemental aid may be granted when the percentage of students enrolled in the school district as the result of open enrollment is equal to or greater than 45 percent of the total number of students enrolled in the school district. The bill establishes limitations and eligibility requirements with respect to this supplemental aid amount. The bill provides that a school district is only eligible for supplemental aid or a modified supplemental amount under these provisions for the budget year beginning July 1, 2024. This division takes effect upon enactment and applies July 1, 2024, for school budget years beginning on or after that date.

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Withdrawn. H.J. 870. (on 04/18/2024)

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