House File 459 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 459 BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO HSB 169) A BILL FOR An Act relating to supplementary weighting for certain shared 1 operational functions and including effective date and 2 applicability provisions. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 2269HV (2) 90 md/jh
H.F. 459 Section 1. Section 257.11, subsection 5, paragraph a, 1 subparagraph 1, as amended by 2023 Iowa Acts, House File 68, 2 section 15, is amended to read as follows: 3 (1) In order to provide additional funding to increase 4 student opportunities and redirect more resources to student 5 programming for school districts that share operational 6 functions, a district that shares with a political subdivision 7 one or more operational functions of a curriculum director, 8 information technology specialist, master social worker, 9 independent social worker, work-based learning coordinator, 10 special education director, mental health professional 11 who holds a statement of recognition issued by the board 12 of educational examiners, college and career transition 13 counselor or coordinator, school resource officer, or school 14 counselor, or one or more operational functions in the areas 15 of superintendent management, business management, human 16 resources, transportation, or operation and maintenance for at 17 least twenty percent of the school year shall be assigned a 18 supplementary weighting for each shared operational function. 19 A school district that shares an operational function in 20 the area of superintendent management shall be assigned a 21 supplementary weighting of nine pupils for the function. A 22 school district that shares the operational functions of 23 a special education director or an information technology 24 specialist, or that shares an operational function in the area 25 of business management, human resources, transportation, or 26 operation and maintenance shall be assigned a supplementary 27 weighting of five pupils for the function. A school district 28 that shares the operational functions of a curriculum director; 29 a master social worker or an independent social worker licensed 30 under chapters 147 and 154C ; a work-based learning coordinator; 31 a special education director; a mental health professional 32 who holds a statement of recognition issued by the board 33 of educational examiners; a college and career transition 34 counselor or coordinator; a school resource officer; or a 35 -1- LSB 2269HV (2) 90 md/jh 1/ 4
H.F. 459 school counselor shall be assigned a supplementary weighting of 1 three pupils for the function. The additional weighting shall 2 be assigned for each discrete operational function shared. 3 However, a school district may receive the additional weighting 4 under this subsection for sharing the services of an individual 5 with a political subdivision or another school district even if 6 the type of operational function performed by the individual 7 for the school district and the type of operational function 8 performed by the individual for the political subdivision or 9 another school district are not the same operational function, 10 so long as either both operational functions are eligible for 11 weighting under this subsection or the operational function 12 the individual performs for the school district is special 13 education director. In either case, the school district 14 shall be assigned the additional weighting for the type of 15 operational function that the individual performs for the 16 school district, and the school district shall not receive 17 additional weighting for any other function performed by the 18 individual. The operational function sharing arrangement does 19 not need to be a newly implemented sharing arrangement to 20 receive supplementary weighting under this subsection . 21 Sec. 2. Section 257.11, subsection 5, paragraph a, 22 subparagraph (2), as amended by 2023 Iowa Acts, House File 68, 23 section 15, is amended by adding the following new subparagraph 24 division: 25 NEW SUBPARAGRAPH DIVISION . (0b) Information technology 26 specialist means an individual whose assigned job duties 27 primarily include any of the following: 28 (i) Establishment of and enforcement of standards and 29 specifications for network computer systems and user support 30 for such systems. 31 (ii) Development of computer systems applications, or 32 the development, installation, and maintenance of local area 33 network and mainframe computer systems or server environments 34 and user support for such systems. 35 -2- LSB 2269HV (2) 90 md/jh 2/ 4
H.F. 459 Sec. 3. Section 257.11, subsection 5, paragraph b, as 1 amended by 2023 Iowa Acts, House File 68, section 15, is 2 amended to read as follows: 3 b. (1) Notwithstanding paragraph a , subparagraph (1), 4 each operational function assigned a supplementary weighting 5 of five pupils under paragraph a , subparagraph (1), shall 6 instead be assigned a supplementary weighting of four pupils 7 for the school budget years year beginning on or after July 1, 8 2022 , but before July 1, 2035 . 9 (2) Notwithstanding paragraph a , subparagraph (1), each 10 operational function assigned a supplementary weighting of 11 three pupils under paragraph a , subparagraph (1), shall 12 instead be assigned a supplementary weighting of two pupils 13 for the school budget years year beginning on or after July 1, 14 2022 , but before July 1, 2035 . 15 Sec. 4. Section 257.11, subsection 5, paragraph d, as 16 amended by 2023 Iowa Acts, House File 68, section 15, is 17 amended to read as follows: 18 d. Supplementary weighting pursuant to this subsection shall 19 be available to a school district during the period commencing 20 with the budget year beginning July 1, 2014, through the budget 21 year beginning July 1, 2034. The maximum amount of additional 22 weighting for which a school district shall be eligible in 23 a budget year is twenty-one twenty-five additional pupils. 24 Criteria for determining the qualification of operational 25 functions for supplementary weighting shall be determined by 26 the department by rule, through consideration of increased 27 student opportunities. 28 Sec. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act, being deemed of immediate 29 importance, takes effect upon enactment. 30 Sec. 6. APPLICABILITY. This Act applies July 1, 2023, for 31 school budget years beginning on or after that date, subject 32 to the school budget year limitations of section 257.11, 33 subsection 5. 34 EXPLANATION 35 -3- LSB 2269HV (2) 90 md/jh 3/ 4
H.F. 459 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 1 the explanations substance by the members of the general assembly. 2 Code section 257.11(5) establishes a list of eligible 3 operational functions and positions eligible for a 4 supplementary weighting for school districts and area education 5 agencies. Legislation in 2021 established a reduction in the 6 number of pupils assigned for certain functions and positions 7 and 2023 Iowa Acts, House File 68, extended the program until 8 the end of the school budget year beginning July 1, 2034. For 9 school budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2022, until 10 the end of the school budget year beginning July 1, 2034, each 11 operational function assigned a supplementary weighting of five 12 pupils is assigned four pupils and each operational function 13 assigned a supplementary weighting of three pupils will be 14 assigned two pupils. This bill removes the reduction in the 15 number of pupils assigned for school budget years beginning on 16 or after July 1, 2023, until the end of the program. 17 The bill adds information technology specialist to the 18 eligible shared operational functions and provides a definition 19 for that position. Under the bill, an information technology 20 specialist will receive a supplementary weighting of five 21 pupils. The bill also moves special education directors from 22 the three-pupil category to the five-pupil category. 23 Current law also imposes a maximum of 21 pupils of additional 24 weighting per school district per budget year for sharing 25 operational functions. The bill increases that maximum to 25 26 pupils. 27 The bill takes effect upon enactment and applies to school 28 budget years beginning on or after July 1, 2023, subject to the 29 program sunset, which occurs following the school budget year 30 beginning July 1, 2034. 31 -4- LSB 2269HV (2) 90 md/jh 4/ 4