House File 413 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 413 BY RINKER A BILL FOR An Act establishing the school counselor grant program to be 1 administered by the department of education and making 2 appropriations. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 2232YH (2) 90 jda/jh
H.F. 413 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 256.20 School counselor grant 1 program. 2 1. The department shall establish a school counselor grant 3 program to increase the number of school counselors who are 4 employed by school districts in this state. 5 2. A school district may apply to the department for a grant 6 to employ additional school counselors who hold the proper 7 endorsement issued by the board of educational examiners under 8 chapter 272 if, at the time of application, the ratio of the 9 number of school counselors employed by the school district to 10 the number of students enrolled in the school district exceeds 11 one school counselor to three hundred students. A school 12 district shall not apply for more than two grants under the 13 school counselor grant program in one year. 14 3. The amount of a grant the department may award to a 15 school district under the school counselor grant program shall 16 not exceed one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars over a 17 five-year period for each additional school counselor employed 18 by the school district as a result of the program. Beginning 19 the year the department awards a grant to a school district 20 under the program, the school district shall allocate one-fifth 21 of the amount of the grant annually to cover the costs 22 associated with employing each additional school counselor as a 23 result of the program. 24 4. Moneys awarded under this section shall be used to 25 supplement, not supplant, existing public funding used by a 26 school district for similar purposes. 27 5. A school counselor grant program fund is established 28 in the state treasury. The fund shall be administered by 29 the department and shall consist of moneys appropriated by 30 the general assembly and any other moneys received by the 31 department for deposit in the fund. The moneys in the fund are 32 appropriated to the department for the school counselor grant 33 program. Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys in the fund at 34 the close of the fiscal year shall not revert to the general 35 -1- LSB 2232YH (2) 90 jda/jh 1/ 3
H.F. 413 fund of the state but shall remain available for expenditure 1 for the school counselor grant program for subsequent fiscal 2 years. Notwithstanding section 12C.7, subsection 2, interest 3 or earnings on moneys in the fund shall be credited to the 4 fund. 5 6. The state board shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A 6 to administer this section, including rules relating to grant 7 application materials, eligibility requirements, and award 8 criteria. 9 Sec. 2. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SCHOOL COUNSELOR GRANT 10 PROGRAM. There is appropriated from the general fund of the 11 state to the department of education for the fiscal year 12 beginning July 1, 2023, and ending June 30, 2024, the following 13 amount, or so much thereof as is necessary, to be used for the 14 purposes designated: 15 For deposit in the school counselor grant program fund 16 established pursuant to section 256.20, if enacted: 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 2,500,000 18 EXPLANATION 19 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 20 the explanations substance by the members of the general assembly. 21 This bill establishes the school counselor grant program to 22 be administered by the department of education and appropriates 23 $2.5 million to the program in FY 2023-2024. The bill provides 24 that the program is to increase the number of school counselors 25 who are employed by school districts. 26 The bill authorizes a school district to apply to the 27 department for a grant to employ additional school counselors 28 who hold the proper endorsement issued by the board of 29 educational examiners if, at the time of application, the ratio 30 of the number of school counselors employed by the school 31 district to the number of students enrolled in the school 32 district exceeds one school counselor to 300 students. The 33 bill prohibits a school district from applying for more than 34 two grants under the program in one year. 35 -2- LSB 2232YH (2) 90 jda/jh 2/ 3
H.F. 413 The bill provides that the amount of a grant the department 1 may award to a school district under the program shall not 2 exceed $125,000 over a five-year period for each additional 3 school counselor employed by the school district. The bill 4 also provides that beginning the year the department awards 5 a grant to a school district under the program, the school 6 district shall allocate one-fifth of the amount of the grant 7 annually to cover the costs associated with employing each 8 additional school counselor. The bill establishes that moneys 9 awarded under the program shall be used to supplement, not 10 supplant, existing public funding used by a school district for 11 similar purposes. 12 The bill establishes a school counselor grant program fund 13 in the state treasury to be administered by the department. 14 The bill appropriates the moneys in the fund to the department 15 for the program. 16 The bill requires the state board of education to adopt rules 17 to administer the program. 18 -3- LSB 2232YH (2) 90 jda/jh 3/ 3