House File 272 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 272 BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO HF 96) (COMPANION TO SF 72 BY TAYLOR) A BILL FOR An Act establishing the advanced dyslexia specialist 1 endorsement competitive scholar program within the college 2 student aid commission and making appropriations. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 1609HV (1) 91 jda/jh
H.F. 272 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 256.220A Advanced dyslexia 1 specialist endorsement competitive scholar program. 2 1. As used in this section: 3 a. Commission means the college student aid commission. 4 b. Teacher means an individual holding a practitioners 5 license issued by the board of educational examiners under part 6 3. 7 2. An advanced dyslexia specialist endorsement competitive 8 scholar program is established to be administered by the 9 college student aid commission. The purpose of the advanced 10 dyslexia specialist endorsement competitive scholar program 11 is to provide tuition reimbursement to teachers to offset the 12 costs associated with obtaining an advanced dyslexia specialist 13 endorsement issued by the board of educational examiners. 14 3. A teacher is eligible for the advanced dyslexia 15 specialist endorsement competitive scholar program if the 16 teacher works in a school in this state, or in an area 17 education agency, and the teacher is working toward obtaining 18 an advanced dyslexia specialist endorsement issued by the 19 board of educational examiners pursuant to section 256.146, 20 subsection 21. 21 4. Each applicant for tuition reimbursement under the 22 advanced dyslexia specialist endorsement competitive scholar 23 program shall, in accordance with the rules adopted by the 24 college student aid commission pursuant to subsection 8, do all 25 of the following: 26 a. Complete and file an application for tuition 27 reimbursement. The applicant shall be responsible for the 28 prompt submission of any information required by the college 29 student aid commission. 30 b. File a new application and submit information as required 31 by the college student aid commission annually on the basis 32 of which the applicants eligibility for the renewed tuition 33 reimbursement will be evaluated and determined. 34 c. Complete and return, on a form approved by the college 35 -1- LSB 1609HV (1) 91 jda/jh 1/ 4
H.F. 272 student aid commission, an affidavit of practice verifying the 1 applicant is teaching in an Iowa school or an area education 2 agency. 3 5. a. An individual shall be eligible for tuition 4 reimbursement under this section for not more than two years. 5 The total amount of tuition reimbursement provided to a 6 recipient under this section shall not exceed seventy-five 7 percent of the recipients total dyslexia specialist 8 endorsement tuition costs. 9 b. (1) The college student aid commission shall make the 10 first payment to the recipient under this section, totaling not 11 more than one-half of the amount payable under paragraph a , 12 after the recipients first year teaching in an Iowa school or 13 area education agency. 14 (2) The college student aid commission shall make the 15 second payment to the recipient under this section, totaling 16 the remainder of the amount payable under paragraph a , after 17 the recipients second year teaching in an Iowa school or area 18 education agency. 19 6. An advanced dyslexia specialist endorsement competitive 20 scholar program fund is established in the state treasury. The 21 fund shall be administered by the commission and shall consist 22 of moneys appropriated by the general assembly and other moneys 23 received by the commission for deposit in the fund. The moneys 24 in the fund are appropriated to the commission for the advanced 25 dyslexia specialist endorsement competitive scholar program. 26 Notwithstanding section 8.33, moneys in the fund at the close 27 of the fiscal year shall not revert to the general fund of 28 the state but shall remain available for expenditure for the 29 advanced dyslexia specialist endorsement competitive scholar 30 program for subsequent fiscal years. Notwithstanding section 31 12C.7, subsection 2, interest or earnings on moneys in the fund 32 shall be credited to the fund. 33 7. The commission shall incorporate into the annual report 34 submitted to the general assembly pursuant to section 256.177, 35 -2- LSB 1609HV (1) 91 jda/jh 2/ 4
H.F. 272 subsection 8, information related to the advanced dyslexia 1 specialist endorsement competitive scholar program, including 2 the number of individuals who received tuition reimbursement 3 pursuant to this section, where the recipients taught, the 4 amount paid to each recipient, and other information identified 5 by the commission as indicators of outcomes of the program. 6 8. The college student aid commission shall adopt rules 7 pursuant to chapter 17A to administer this section, including 8 rules related to tuition reimbursement application materials, 9 eligibility requirements, application evaluation criteria, and 10 award criteria. 11 Sec. 2. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION COLLEGE STUDENT AID 12 COMMISSION ADVANCED DYSLEXIA SPECIALIST ENDORSEMENT 13 COMPETITIVE SCHOLAR PROGRAM. There is appropriated from the 14 general fund of the state to the department of education for 15 the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 16 2026, the following amount, or so much thereof as is necessary, 17 to be used for the purposes designated: 18 For deposit in the advanced dyslexia specialist endorsement 19 competitive scholar program fund established pursuant to 20 section 256.220A, if enacted: 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 335,000 22 Sec. 3. CODE EDITOR DIRECTIVE. The Code editor shall 23 designate section 256.220A, as enacted in this Act, as a new 24 section within chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 4, subpart 25 J, and may redesignate the preexisting subpart and correct 26 internal references as necessary, including references to 27 subpart headnotes. 28 EXPLANATION 29 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 30 the explanations substance by the members of the general assembly. 31 This bill establishes the advanced dyslexia specialist 32 endorsement competitive scholar program within the college 33 student aid commission for purposes of providing tuition 34 reimbursement to teachers to offset the costs associated with 35 -3- LSB 1609HV (1) 91 jda/jh 3/ 4
H.F. 272 obtaining an advanced dyslexia specialist endorsement issued by 1 the board of educational examiners. A teacher is eligible for 2 the program if the teacher works in a school in this state, or 3 in an area education agency, and the teacher is working toward 4 obtaining an advanced dyslexia specialist endorsement. 5 The bill requires applicants for tuition reimbursement under 6 the program to complete and file an application for tuition 7 reimbursement, file a new application and submit information as 8 required by the commission annually, and complete and return an 9 affidavit of practice verifying the applicant is teaching in an 10 Iowa school or an area education agency. 11 The bill provides that an individual shall be eligible for 12 tuition reimbursement under the program for not more than 13 two years. The bill establishes the total amount of tuition 14 reimbursement that the commission may provide to a recipient. 15 The bill establishes an advanced dyslexia specialist 16 endorsement competitive scholar program fund and appropriates 17 $335,000 to the fund in FY 2025-2026. The bill also 18 establishes reporting requirements for the commission related 19 to the program. The commission is required to adopt rules to 20 administer the program. 21 -4- LSB 1609HV (1) 91 jda/jh 4/ 4