We played a game of whack-a-mole this week. Remember when I told you we were successful in getting HF 789 which requires the TSS dollars to follow a student enrolled in a charter school pulled from the debate list? Well, it was back again this week on the debate list. Thankfully, we prevailed, and it was again pulled from the debate list and appears unlikely to resurface again.
Next week is the second funnel deadline. If a bill hasn’t passed one chamber and a committee in the other chamber, it is technically dead. However, as we saw with HF 789, nothing is ever truly dead until the legislature adjourns.
Both chambers spent most of the week doing floor debate in an effort to keep their policy priorities alive. Next week will be mostly about subcommittees and full committee action to see if these bills have sufficient support to remain alive for consideration.
Both the House and Senate Ways and Means Committee held their subcommittees this week on the property tax bills (HSB 313 and SSB 1208). These really weren’t substantive meetings – merely checking the box to move both bills to the full committee agenda. We don’t anticipate major changes at the committee level either. The real work will be done after committee approval as they incorporate suggestions and changes from the impacted entities. IASB is still working on the analysis and hopes to release that information soon. In the meantime, remember that this is a work in progress, and we are working closely with the chairs to influence the outcome.
Ask your senators to speak with Senate Education Committee Chairman Lynn Evans to put HF 515, which raises the weighting for sharing a school resource officer (SRO) from 3 to 5 pupils, on the Senate Education Committee agenda. As concerns around school safety increase, a higher weighting for operational sharing of an SRO would:
Allow more districts to hire an SRO.
Provide additional funding to pay the higher salaries required for SROs.
This bill has already passed the House, so it is in the Senate’s hands as we approach the second funnel deadline next week. While the subcommittee was held this week, it is not on the Senate Education Committee agenda for their Monday meeting. If it doesn’t appear on the agenda for Thursday, the bill is dead.
One of the biggest issues this session—aside from the ongoing lack of an SSA agreement—is the comprehensive effort to reform Iowa’s property tax system. The chairs of the House and Senate Ways and Means Committees have made it clear they want our input and solutions for these bills, emphasizing they are still works in progress. While the complexity of the issue may prevent it from being finalized this session, we are actively engaged with committee leaders to advocate for essential changes.
IASB is closely analyzing the proposed legislation and is releasing its analysis based on the current bill language. Stay tuned for further updates as discussions evolve.
Key Provisions of the Bill:
Other components of the additional levy such as dropout prevention and the budget guarantee will continue to be funded through additional levy property taxes.
Existing property tax relief appropriations of SAVE dollars (the 1-cent sales tax for school infrastructure) will no longer be appropriated. They will remain in the SAVE Fund for distribution to school districts, starting in fiscal year 2031. This will likely increase your per-pupil allocation.
Other information of note, while the bill’s sponsors believe this bill to be fiscally neutral by repurposing funding from existing property tax relief programs, we are continuing to evaluate the data and modeling.
IASB is actively advocating for changes to ensure school districts have the fiscal flexibility to meet their obligations. The current restrictions on the debt service levy, as well as PPEL and PERL present significant challenges for our members, and we are working with legislators to:
HF 782—Cell Phone Policies: This bill is the governor’s proposal to require all school districts to implement a policy to restrict cell phone use during instructional time. The bill would require policies to include:
Devices that would be available to use for instructional purposes.
How parents can communicate with students during the school day.
How parents can communicate with students during an emergency.
Protocols the school will follow to securely store a student’s device.
Discipline that will be used if a student uses their device during classroom instruction or an assessment.
A process for a parent to petition for the student to have access to their device during the day if it is for a legitimate reason related to the student’s physical or mental health.
Accommodation for students with an individualized education program (IEP) or 504 plan.
The Department of Education will give guidance on the cell phone policy and how school districts must update their emergency operations plans to incorporate changes because of it. The Senate amended the bill to require the Department of Education to provide model policies by May 1, 2025.
IASB is registered undecided on the bill. We know many districts have already taken the time to thoughtfully implement cell phone policies that work in their district, and we were hoping new legislation would not require them to make changes to those policies. The bill passed the House by a vote of 88-9. The amended bill passed the Senate by a vote of 49-0 and will be sent back to the House for their concurrence.
HF 706—Open Meetings Fines and Mandatory Training: This bill increases fines for violations of open meetings laws to between $500 and $2500. If the violation is knowingly committed, the fines increase to between $5000 and $12,500.
Additionally, it requires training for newly elected public officials, including school board members, on open meetings and open records laws. The training must be 1-2 hours and can be provided by IPIB or another approved provider, like IASB. The House amended the bill to ensure school board members would be allowed to complete this training at our annual convention, even if they haven’t been officially seated on the board.
IASB is registered undecided on the bill. The increased fines are very steep for unpaid school board members, but we can agree that training on open meetings and open records laws is important, and we already provide this information to our members. The bill passed the House by a vote of 95-0.
HF 395—School Bus Driver Training Requirements: This bill allows entry-level driver training that meets the federal requirements to be accepted as long as the training includes passenger endorsement training and school bus endorsement training.
IASB is registered in support of the bill. We hope this will offer some flexibility and make it simpler for bus drivers to meet the training requirements, so school districts can hire the drivers they need. The bill passed the House by a vote of 94-1.
HF 471—Concussion Providers: This bill adds that someone who holds a doctorate in psychology with specialty training in neuropsychology or concussion management as a licensed health care provider can administer care when concussion protocol is required.
IASB is registered undecided on the bill, but we welcome any qualified providers to assist districts with concussion protocol. The bill passed the House by a vote of 97-0.
SF 574—Retention Fees for Public Improvement Contracts: This bill was significantly amended on the Senate floor to only make one change to current law. School districts, and other public entities, will be allowed to withhold 3%, rather than the current 5%, in retainage fees during a construction project. These fees are designed to ensure that work is completed on a project.
IASB is registered undecided on the bill. We had serious concerns with the original bill, but the amended version is much better for school districts to ensure they still have recourse with contractors. It passed the Senate by a vote of 45-4.
HF 785—Charter School Board Members: This bill allows one charter school board member to be a non-Iowa resident but requires that they are a U.S. citizen.
IASB is registered undecided on the bill. Although we believe all charter school board members should be Iowa residents, just as school board members live in the communities they represent, this change doesn’t fundamentally impact how charter schools are run or change any transparency or accountability standards for charter schools. The bill passed the House by a vote of 60-36.
HF 884—Allowing Chaplains in Schools: This bill would allow school districts to employ a chaplain to provide support and services to students. Districts cannot require the chaplain to have a license or certification issued by the BOEE. They will be required to undergo a background check. Districts cannot require students to utilize the chaplain’s support or services. An amendment clarifies that a chaplain cannot serve in place of a school counselor.
IASB is registered against the bill. We don’t think we should allow anyone in our schools to work with students without proper licensure or certification from the Board of Educational Examiners. The bill passed the House by a vote of 57-39.
Governor Reynolds delivered her annual Condition of the State address on Tuesday, Jan. 14. This speech provides an opportunity for the governor to outline her priorities for the upcoming legislative session. While we don’t have any specific bills to work from, the governor did mention several education items:
Funding incentives for preschool programs and childcare providers who work collaboratively to provide a “continuum of care” for young students.
Requiring all districts to have a policy that restricts cell phone use during instructional time. The legislation will serve as a minimum requirement and allow districts to do more if they choose.
An emphasis on math education through early identification, progress monitoring, and evidence-based intervention, as well as professional development for teachers and resources for parents to use at home.
Passage of the U.S. Citizenship test as a graduation requirement to enhance civics education.
Reinstating the Teach Iowa job site within the department of education (and xxx funding).
Changes to the paraeducator apprenticeship program to provide additional flexibilities including elimination of the need to have a paraeducator certificate and a job offer before securing a teacher intern license.
IASB has done analysis on the governor’s initial budget proposal as well. The legislature will have the final say on the budget, but the governor provides her recommendations every year. Read more about Governor Reynolds’ proposal on supplemental state aid (SSA) and the implications for school districts.
IASB will provide a more detailed look at the governor’s legislative priorities once her bills are introduced. We remain optimistic that we can work together to support student achievement for all students.
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