House File 2615 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2615 BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO HF 2347) A BILL FOR An Act relating to education, including by requiring community 1 colleges to publish information related to graduates, 2 requiring school districts to provide students enrolled 3 in grades eleven and twelve with information related to 4 graduates of community colleges and the average income 5 and student debt of graduates of institutions of higher 6 education governed by the state board of regents, and 7 modifying provisions related to supplementary weighting. 8 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 9 TLSB 6104HV (2) 90 jda/jh
H.F. 2615 Section 1. Section 257.11, subsection 5, paragraph d, Code 1 2024, is amended to read as follows: 2 d. Supplementary weighting pursuant to this subsection 3 shall be available to a school district during the period 4 commencing with the budget year beginning July 1, 2014, through 5 the budget year beginning July 1, 2034. The maximum amount 6 of additional weighting for which a school district shall be 7 eligible in a budget year is twenty-one additional pupils ; 8 provided, however, that for budget years beginning on or after 9 July 1, 2024, the supplementary weighting assigned for a shared 10 operational function in the area of a college and career 11 transition counselor or coordinator shall not count toward this 12 maximum amount . Criteria for determining the qualification 13 of operational functions for supplementary weighting shall be 14 determined by the department by rule, through consideration of 15 increased student opportunities. 16 Sec. 2. Section 260C.14, Code 2024, is amended by adding the 17 following new subsection: 18 NEW SUBSECTION . 25. Publish on the community colleges 19 internet site a link to the Iowa student outcomes internet site 20 maintained by the department of education. 21 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION . 279.84 College and career transition 22 counselors or coordinators information related to the 23 completion of postsecondary programs. 24 1. The board of directors of each school district shall 25 provide each student enrolled in the school district in 26 grades eleven and twelve who has expressed an interest in 27 postsecondary education, including in the students individual 28 career and academic plan created pursuant to section 279.61, 29 with all of the following: 30 a. The most recent copy of the report published by the state 31 board of regents pursuant to section 262.9, subsection 38. 32 b. A link to the Iowa student outcomes internet site 33 maintained by the department of education. 34 2. If the school district employs a college and career 35 -1- LSB 6104HV (2) 90 jda/jh 1/ 4
H.F. 2615 transition counselor or coordinator, the college and career 1 transition counselor or coordinator shall be responsible for 2 providing the information described in subsection 1. 3 3. For purposes of this section, college and career 4 transition counselor or coordinator means a licensed school 5 counselor or an appropriately trained individual responsible 6 for providing direct services to students, parents, families, 7 schools, and postsecondary institutions to support college 8 preparation and postsecondary success, such as college 9 preparation, financial aid processing, and transition to 10 postsecondary institution enrollment. 11 Sec. 4. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance 12 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring 13 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall 14 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid 15 received by the school district under section 257.16. This 16 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed 17 to meet all of the state funding-related requirements of 18 section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding 19 shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act 20 by and enforcement of this Act against all affected school 21 districts. 22 EXPLANATION 23 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 24 the explanations substance by the members of the general assembly. 25 This bill relates to education, including by requiring 26 community colleges to publish information related to graduates, 27 requiring school districts to provide students enrolled in 28 grades 11 and 12 with information related to graduates of 29 community colleges and the average income and student debt of 30 graduates of institutions of higher education governed by the 31 state board of regents, and modifying provisions related to 32 supplementary weighting. 33 The bill requires community colleges to publish a link 34 to the Iowa student outcomes internet site on the community 35 -2- LSB 6104HV (2) 90 jda/jh 2/ 4
H.F. 2615 colleges internet site. The Iowa student outcomes internet 1 site contains a compilation of data and information related 2 to student success in secondary school, college readiness, 3 postsecondary education, gainful employment, and adult literacy 4 programs. The bill requires each school district to provide 5 to each student in grades 11 and 12 who has expressed an 6 interest in postsecondary education with a copy of a report 7 prepared by the state board of regents that relates to the 8 income and student loan debt of students who have completed 9 a baccalaureate degree program at an institution of higher 10 education under the control of the state board of regents and 11 a link to the Iowa student outcomes internet site. The bill 12 establishes that, if the school district employs a college and 13 career transition counselor or coordinator, such counselor 14 or coordinator is responsible for providing these materials. 15 The bill defines college and career transition counselor 16 or coordinator to mean a licensed school counselor or an 17 appropriately trained individual responsible for providing 18 direct services to students, parents, families, schools, and 19 postsecondary institutions to support college preparation and 20 postsecondary success, such as college preparation, financial 21 aid processing, and transition to postsecondary institution 22 enrollment. 23 Current law provides that a school district that shares 24 with a political subdivision one or more operational functions 25 in certain specified areas for at least 20 percent of the 26 school year shall be assigned a supplementary weighting 27 for each shared operational function. The purpose of the 28 supplementary weighting is to provide additional funding to 29 increase student opportunities and redirect more resources 30 to student programming for school districts. Under current 31 law, the supplementary weighting associated with a college and 32 career transition counselor or coordinator is two pupils for 33 the school budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2022, 34 but before July 1, 2035. In addition, under current law the 35 -3- LSB 6104HV (2) 90 jda/jh 3/ 4
H.F. 2615 maximum amount of additional weighting for which a school 1 district is eligible in a budget year is 21 additional pupils. 2 The bill provides that the supplementary weighting associated 3 with a shared operational function in the area of a college 4 and career transition counselor or coordinator shall not count 5 toward the maximum amount of additional weighting for budget 6 years beginning on or after July 1, 2024. 7 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 8 section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of 9 any state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school 10 district from state school foundation aid received by the 11 school district under Code section 257.16. The specification 12 is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state mandate 13 funding-related requirements of Code section 25B.2. The 14 inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the 15 requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state 16 mandates included in the bill. 17 -4- LSB 6104HV (2) 90 jda/jh 4/ 4