2006

Summary of Legislation

Related to Education

Iowa Department of Education

May 31, 2006
Table of Contents

Page Bill Number Brief Title

4 HF 729 Adjustments to IPERS contribution rates

HF 864 Adjustments to sales tax procedures for some school construction expenses

HF 2095 Allowable Growth for FY08

HF 2238 Federal Block Grant Approval

HF 2245 Additional adjustments to IPERS

HF 2395 Regents study of admission requirements

HF 2462 Adjustments to local board policies related to issuing free textbooks

5 HF 2527 Education Appropriations

HF 2611 Create a Fish Iowa! Program for grades 7-12

HF 2713 Adjustments to bid thresholds for certain public improvement projects

HF 2743 Healthy Iowan Tobacco Trust appropriation

HF 2764 Allowing for two or more districts to share property tax revenues

HF 2769 Community Empowerment appropriation and early childhood programs

6 HF 2782 Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund (RIIF) appropriation

HF 2792 Graduation requirements and Teacher Quality policy and appropriations, et. al.

HF 2797 Standing Appropriations bill

HR 137 Designating May 19 as Technology and Science Day in Iowa

SF 2124 Nutrition and Physical Activity Obesity Prevention Grant expansion

SF 2194 Local school board reporting of allowed claims

SF 2251 Healthy Children’s Task Force

SF 2272 DE Code Corrections bill with additional policy language

7 SF 2273 Supplemental appropriations bill for FY06

SF 2320 Iowa Studies Model Curriculum

SF 2409 Tax credit for contributions to certain school tuition organizations

SF 2410 Government Oversight “CIETC” bill

SR 123 Designating May 19 as Technology and Science Day in Iowa

SR 154 Urging the DE to incorporate the principles of basic personal finance into statewide curricula

8 Summary of HF 2527 and 2797 – Education and Standing Appropriations Budget Bills

9 Summary of HF 2792 – Graduation Standards, Teacher Quality, and other policy and funding issues

10 Summary of SF 2272 – DE Misc. Code Corrections and other policy adjustments

12 Other Bill information – bills that did not pass

Summary of Legislation

Bills related to Education

2006

This table includes enrolled bills signed by the Governor that address educational issues. A list of other unsuccessful bills related to education is included after this table.

Note: Additional, detailed guidance to the field is forthcoming on many of these bills.

Enrolled Bill Number	Brief Title	Code Section Changed	Description
HF 729	Changes to IPERS contribution rates	IC 97B & 602	Increases both the employee and employer contributions to IPERS, among other changes.
HF 864	Changes to sales tax processes for certain school construction expenses	IC 423.3 & 4	Exempts from sales tax all goods and services purchased for a “collaborative educational facility” built after 6/3/03 within a city whose population is at least 195,000 on real estate owned by a nonprofit corporation. Also provides for a refund of sales tax paid for any such facility fitting these parameters.
HF 2095	Allowable Growth for FY 08	IC 257.8	Sets the allowable growth rate for FY08 at four percent.
HF 2238	Federal Block Grant Approval	Multiple sections	Creates state authority to disburse federal dollars for variety of programs.
HF 2245	Additional IPERS adjustments	IC 97B and 411	Makes additional substantive and nonsubstantive adjustments to IPERS code.
HF 2395	Regents study of admissions requirements	None – session law	Requires the Regents to study current admissions policies to Regent postsecondary institutions, particularly the expectation that students in the top half of a given graduating class are admitted to the Regents system.
HF 2462	Adjustments to local board policies related to issuance of free textbooks	IC 301.24	Modifies the expectation related to the number of signatures required to petition asking that the question of providing free textbooks be submitted to the voters at the next general election.
HF 2508	Employers can mandate that new employees use direct deposit	IC 91A.3	Employers can mandate that new employees use direct deposit.
HF 2527	Education Appropriations	Multiple sections	See bill summary at the end of this table for details.
HF 2590	Confidentiality of emergency preparedness and security materials	IC 22.7	Allows government entities, including school districts, to keep certain information confidential if the release of that information would compromise emergency preparedness or security.
HF 2611	Creation of a Fish Iowa! Program for grades 7-12	IC 483A.24	Provides for a free fishing license to students 16 or older participating in the DNR’s Fish Iowa! Program.
HF 2713	Changing the bid threshold for certain public improvement contracts	IC 38	This bill and the additional language contained in HF 2797 adjusts the bid limits for school districts for certain projects.
HF 2743	Health Iowan Tobacco Trust Appropriation	Multiple sections	The majority of this bill does not related to education issues. However, the Department of Education was allocated $150,000 toward competitive grants for before/after school program support in this bill.
HF 2764	Allowing two or more school districts to share property taxes	IC 279.63 & 403.19	Provides two or more schools districts the ability to share a portion of the TIF valuation released back to taxing authorities with other districts.
HF 2769	Community Empowerment appropriation and Early Childhood programs	IC 28 & 135.26	Adjusts Chapter 28 regarding Community Empowerment. It also contains new language on the early childhood package negotiated this year which includes: § $5 million dollars for birth to three programming including the creation of a statewide coordinator of birth to three services § $5.5 million dollars for tuition assistance to low-income parents to access preschool/child care programming § $3.5 million dollars to support local empowerment board expansion of preschool and other programming § $1 million to promote the expansion of public-private partnerships for preschool programming.
HF 2782	Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund (RIIF) appropriation	Multiple sections	This bill includes: § $2 million dollars for the continued support of community college infrastructure needs § $500,000 for additional Iowa Learning Technology Commission grants §
HF 2792	Graduation Standards, Teacher Quality, and other policy	IC 256.11, 284, 284A, among many others	See bill summary at the end of this table for details.
HF 2797	Standing Appropriations	Multiple sections	See bill summary at the end of this table for details.
HR 137	May 19 = Technology and Science Day in Iowa	N/A	Establishes May 19, 2006 as Technology and Science Day in Iowa and urges all schools and educators to use this day to encourage students to consider careers in technology and science fields.
SF 2124	Nutrition and Physical Activity Obesity Prevention grant expansion	IC 135.27	Expands the existing grant program through the Iowa Department of Public Health.
SF 2194	Local school board reporting of allowed claims	IC 28M.4, 279.35, 331.471, 349.18, 372.13, 388.4	Allows for the consolidation of claim reports to the same payee, rather than the current requirement of reporting each claim separately.
SF 2251	Healthy Children’s Task Force	Session law	Establishes a Health Children’s Task Force, jointly facilitated by the Iowa Department of Education and Iowa Department of Public Health. The task force includes over 40 representatives from various entities with a stake in the issue of childhood obesity and directs the Task Force to study current policy and research related to physical activity, health, and nutrition of children and to make recommendations for policy enhancements that would positively impact this issue.
SF 2272	DE Code Corrections and other policy	Multiple sections	See bill summary at the end of this table for details.
SF 2273	Supplemental Appropriations for FY06	Multiple sections	See bill for details. Nothing specific for education in this bill.
SF 2320	Iowa Studies Model Curriculum	IC 303.17	Directs the Department of Cultural Affairs to convene a group of stakeholders to guide the development of a model Iowa Studies curriculum that could be adopted by Iowa high Schools as a 0.5 unit of social studies. Provides guidance to the implementation efforts of this model, voluntary curriculum.
SF 2409	Tax credit for contributions to certain school tuition organizations	IC 422.11M	Establishes that a tax credit for contributions to certain school foundations that expend 90% or more of funds toward tuition.
SF 2410	Government Oversight “CIETC” bill	New IC 8F	A new chapter of code intended to “create mechanisms to most effectively and efficiently monitor the utilization of public moneys by providing the greatest possible accountability for the expenditure of public moneys. State and federal education dollars allocated on a formula or noncompetitive basis are exempt from these provisions. Enhances the authority of the state auditor’s office and changes provisions to access to confidential information. Creates a Citizen’s Aide.
SR 123	May 19 = Technology and Science Day in Iowa	N/A	Establishes May 19, 2006 as Technology and Science Day in Iowa and urges all schools and educators to use this day to encourage students to consider careers in technology and science fields.
SR 154	DE urged to incorporate personal fiscal education into statewide curricula	N/A	Urges the Department of Education, in collaboration with several stakeholder groups, to examine ways to integrate the basic principles of personal finance literacy into curricula statewide. The Department is encouraged to submit a report to the legislature on actions taken by January 2007.

Summary of Budget Bills that include

Education issues – HF 2527, 2797, 2769, 2743, 2782

Funding

· Empowerment funding - $23,781,594 – same as FY06

· Early Childhood funding - $15,000,000 – (new funding included in HF 2769)

· Nonpublic textbooks - $638,620 - $24,562 above FY06

· Community College funding - $159,579,244 - $4,000,000 above the Governor’s request and $10,000,000 over FY05

· Nonpublic transportation - $8,604,714 - $330,951 above FY06

· Community College infrastructure funds for ADA compliance - $2,000,000 (HF 2782)

· Vocational Education salaries - $530,429 – same as FY06

· School Food Service - $2,509,683 – same as FY06

· Vocational Education Programming - $2,936,904 – same as FY06

· Educational Excellence program - $55,469,053 – same as FY06

· JAG - $600,000 - $200,000 above FY06

· State Library - $1,420,694 – same as FY06

· Library Service Areas - $1,376,558 – same as FY06

· Enrich Iowa Libraries - $1,698,432 – same as FY06

· Early Intervention/Class Size - $29,250,000 – same as FY06

· Shared Visions program - $11,271,000 – same as FY06

• Department of Education administration - $5,643,607 – $225,000 and 4 FTE above FY06
• Instructional Support levy - $14,428,271 – same as FY06
• School Foundation Aid - $2,049,333,461 – $85,405,906 above FY06
• IPTV - $7,966,113 - $370,000 over FY06
• Reading Instruction Pilot Project Grants - $250,000 – new
• Parent Liaison Pilot - $44,000 – new
• Vocational Agriculture Youth Organization - $50,000
• Implementation of the State Board-adopted Model Core Curriculum - $270,000 – new
• Before/After school grant program - $150,000 (HF 2743)

Other Items

• Reduced the cut to AEAs from $11,798,703 to $8,000,000

Policy issues included in the bills

• Language requiring the collection of additional data from community colleges regarding revenues generated by PSEO and courses generating additional supplemental weighting.
• Department of Education study regarding data tracking of student K-16.
• Direct Reading Pilot grant program language.

Summary of Education Omnibus bill

HF 2792

Note: Additional, detailed guidance for the field is forthcoming on many of these items.

• Student Achievement/Teacher Quality program - $104,343,053 – $35,000,000 above FY06
• This funding maintains the $10,000,000 for the equivalent of one additional day of PD for every district
• It also retains the additional $6,625,000 for either PD supports or teacher salaries
• $250,000 for new administrator mentoring and induction - new
• $4.4 million for teacher mentoring and induction programs
• $1 million for study of pay for performance systems
• $3.3 million for market factor pay

o $2 million for National Board Certification stipends and $250,000 for a National Board Certification support center

· Student Achievement/Teacher Quality policy changes:

o Extends National Board Teacher program for another year

o Must now include counselors, teacher librarians, and teacher interns new to the profession in mentoring and induction programming

o Increases the minimum salary thresholds by $1000

o Defines the market factor teacher salary program

o Establishes a new administrator mentoring and induction program

· Mandates a K-12 articulated sequential media program in every school district. Requires properly licensed staff by 2011. Provides for program waiver provisions.

· Language regarding a pay for performance study and possible pilots, executive order mandates the Institute for Tomorrow’s Workforce to do the study

· Language regarding an education system efficiency study by the Institute for Tomorrow’s Workforce

· Implementation of Statewide Graduation Requirements - $130,000

· Language regarding property tax equalization for certain districts, sales tax provisions for Johnson and Linn counties, and an interim study on property taxation and equity within the school aid formula.

· ELL program expansion language allowing a fourth years of support

· One-time waiver for any school district that missed the deadline for proposed extension of the Instructional Support Levy

Policy issues line-item vetoed (these items will not happen as a result of these vetoes)

· Large portions of the original bill language on Pay for Performance. There is an executive order on this topic that mandates the Institute for Tomorrow’s Workforce manage the study and potential pilots.

· Language attempting to define AEA staff member participation in Teacher Quality.

Summary of DE Code Corrections and

Omnibus Policy adjustments bill – SF 2272

Note: Additional, detailed guidance for the field is forthcoming on all of these items.

· Requires BOEE background checks for all licenses, certificates, authorizations and renewals

· Sets a statewide graduation standard including:

o Mandates 4 years of English/language arts, 3 years of math, 3 years of science, and 3 years of social studies for all 9^th graders entering school in 2007-08 (Class of 2011).

o Requires district tracking of progress toward a goal of 80% of all students, excluding students on IEPs, taking the ACT Core.

o Requires districts to include a narrative in the CSIP on strategies to increase the numbers of students taking the ACT Core

· Extends the Class Size Reduction/Early Intervention Block Grant program for one more year. Requires a parent signature on the K-3 Early Intervention/Class Size Reduction assessment results if the student is below grade level on the assessment. Districts must document the parents’ knowledge of the results.

· Extends the cap on the number of School District charter schools from 10 to 20.

· Requires adjustments to district student achievement reporting requirements including:

o Use of the DE-approved graduation rate formula

o Reporting of drop-out information

o Reporting of the number of students in the last five years obtaining GEDs

o Reporting of the number of graduated seniors that were not proficient in 11^th grade

o Reporting of the number of seniors who were within 4 units of graduation as juniors

· Changes to Board of Educational Examiners statute including:

o Moving the Director of the DE to one of the administrator positions on the BOEE and ensuring two spots are for public members

o Requiring the BOEE to review the implementation of the teacher librarian mandate

o Requiring the BOEE to review all administrative code every three years

· Changes the 8^th grade core course planning requirement to include a career component

· Creates a school district financial report card requirement. DE will facilitate the majority of this.

· Eliminates community college language regarding Quality Instructional Centers

· Conditions the immediate athletic eligibility of foreign exchange students by adding that those placed in a secondary school primarily for athletic purposes sit out the same 90 school days as all other transfer students.

· Changes the third Friday of September enrollment count date to October 1 with an Oct 15 date to report to the DE.

· Modified at-risk allowable growth:

o Requires that the plan/application be included in the CSIP

o Changes the date of budget submission and funding requests from November 1 to December 15.

o Creates additional data reporting requirements for recipients of modified allowable growth for at-risk students.

· Requires school districts to appeal any AEA decision on LEA change of membership in an AEA following a reorganization to the Department within 10 days of the receipt of the AEA decision.

· Permits a provider of special education services (LEA or AEA) to deliver, at the provider’s sole discretion, any special education service on nonpublic school premises with the consent of the custodian of the property.

· Prohibits schools from using barbed wire around any student attendance center

· Allows schools to use revenue from the sale of schoolhouses and school sites for the same purposes outlined in PPEL statute.

· Eliminates Extended School provisions for at-risk students (unused statute)

· Changes to open enrollment including:

o Provides the resident district with an ability to appeal a good cause decision by a receiving district. Appeal goes to the Director, then to state board, then to district court.

o Clarifies that preschool children do not qualify for the continuous enrollment provision within open enrollment statute.

· Requires schools and the DE to treat the records of home-schooled students just as they would treat the records of any other student – with the same confidentiality.

· Clarifies that part-time and substitute bus drivers are treated the same as regular bus drivers

· Provides the Department with additional sanction options for bus driver discipline cases other than revoke or not revoke the license.

· Requires all school construction in unincorporated areas to follow state construction codes.

Bills that did not pass this session

The following bills did not make it through the process this year:

HF 349 PPEL expansion

HF 2015 Expansion of ELL funding to 5 years

The following bills did not make it through the process this year:

HF 2065 Increase compulsory attendance age from 16 to 18

HF 2099 Virtual Public School Act

HF 2100 High School Reform initiative

HF 2101 21^st Century Scholars program

HF 2121 Home Schooling Tax Credit

HF 2192 Computing SILO on a rolling average

HF 2199 Increase number of school days to 190

HF 2202 Mandate 0.5 units of Finance Literacy in grades 9-12

HF 2239 District adoption of a parent involvement policy

HF 2250 Math/Science teacher forgivable loan program

HF 2326 Before/After school competitive grant program

HF 2417 Change to supplemental weighting for ICN courses

HF 2419 Statewide school bell schedule for grades 9-12

HF2433 Implement Institute for Tomorrow’s Workforce recommendations

HF 2445 Community College/Regent’s 7-12 Magnet Charter Schools

HF 2478 AEA/LEA rules on participation in medical assistance program

HF 2620 Children can attend kindergarten if 5 after Sept 15

HF 2621 Reporting of percentile rank and grade level equivalency

HF 2622 State definition of proficiency levels

HF 2647 Cable franchise bill

HF 2699 Math/Science teacher practical experience incentive program

HF 2709 Changes to instructional time

HF2715 Jump Start program for high school juniors

The following bills did not make it through the process this year:

HF 2730 IPERS defined contribution system

HF 2733 Statewide SILO

HF 2756 Extension of Reorganization and whole-grade sharing supplemental weighting

HF 2760 Math/Science teacher stipends

HF 2761 AP Exam fee reimbursements

SF 2025 Include foreign exchange students in student counts

SF 2086 Changes to biometric fingerprinting for certain school functions

SF 2108 Internet filtering bill

SF 2150 Eliminate early start date waivers

SF 2221 L