House File 33 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 33 BY INGELS and LATHAM A BILL FOR An Act establishing an agriculture education grant 1 program within the department of education and making 2 appropriations. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 1062HH (1) 91 jda/jh
H.F. 33 Section 1. NEW SECTION . 256.20 Agriculture education grant 1 program. 2 1. As used in this section: 3 a. Agriculture education program means all of the 4 following: 5 (1) Instructional programs provided by school districts 6 to students enrolled in grades nine through twelve under 7 section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph h , subparagraph (1), 8 subparagraph division (a). 9 (2) Programs for career and technical education in 10 agriculture technology provided by school districts to students 11 under section 280.20. 12 b. Personal services costs means the costs associated 13 with a school district employing a teacher for a maximum of 14 sixty days of additional instruction outside of the teachers 15 regularly scheduled teaching duties to provide instruction in 16 an agriculture education program. 17 2. The department shall establish an agriculture education 18 grant program to expand student access to instruction related 19 to agriculture, food, and natural resources. 20 3. A school district may apply to the department for grants 21 under this section to offset the personal services costs 22 associated with employing teachers to provide instruction in an 23 agriculture education program. The maximum annual amount of a 24 grant the department may award to a school district under this 25 section shall not exceed: 26 a. One hundred percent of the personal services costs 27 associated with a teacher providing instruction in an 28 agriculture education program if the school districts 29 agriculture education program has existed for less than ten 30 consecutive years. 31 b. Fifty percent of the personal services cost associated 32 with a teacher providing instruction in an agriculture 33 education program for all other programs. 34 4. Moneys awarded under this section shall be used to 35 -1- LSB 1062HH (1) 91 jda/jh 1/ 3
H.F. 33 supplement, not supplant, existing public funding used by a 1 school district for similar purposes. 2 5. The department shall develop and make available to 3 school districts a statewide system to track the time teachers 4 devote to instruction facilitated by grants provided under this 5 section. 6 6. An agriculture education grant program fund is 7 established in the state treasury. The fund shall be 8 administered by the department and shall consist of moneys 9 appropriated by the general assembly and any other moneys 10 received by the department for deposit in the fund. The 11 moneys in the fund are appropriated to the department for the 12 agriculture education grant program. Notwithstanding section 13 8.33, moneys in the fund at the close of the fiscal year shall 14 not revert to the general fund of the state but shall remain 15 available for expenditure for the agriculture education grant 16 program for subsequent fiscal years. Notwithstanding section 17 12C.7, subsection 2, interest or earnings on moneys in the fund 18 shall be credited to the fund. 19 7. The state board shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A 20 to administer this section, including rules related to grant 21 application materials, eligibility requirements, and award 22 criteria. 23 EXPLANATION 24 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 25 the explanations substance by the members of the general assembly. 26 This bill establishes an agriculture education grant program 27 within the department of education (DE) to expand student 28 access to instruction related to agriculture, food, and natural 29 resources. 30 The bill defines agriculture education program as 31 instructional programs provided by school districts to students 32 enrolled in grades 9 through 12 in the agriculture, food, 33 and natural resources portion of the career and technical 34 education instruction and programs provided by school districts 35 -2- LSB 1062HH (1) 91 jda/jh 2/ 3
H.F. 33 under Code section 280.20 (career and technical agriculture 1 education), and personal services costs as the costs 2 associated with a school district employing a teacher for 3 a maximum of 60 days of additional instruction outside of 4 the teachers regularly scheduled teaching duties to provide 5 instruction in an agriculture education program. 6 The bill authorizes school districts to apply to DE for 7 grants under the program to offset the personal services costs 8 associated with employing teachers to provide instruction in an 9 agriculture education program. The department of education may 10 award a grant to a school district under the program totaling 11 100 percent of the teachers personal services costs if the 12 school districts agriculture education program has existed 13 for less than 10 consecutive years and totaling 50 percent of 14 the teachers personal services costs for all other programs. 15 School districts must use these moneys to supplement, not 16 supplant, existing public funding used by a school district 17 for similar purposes. The bill establishes an agriculture 18 education grant program fund in the state treasury. 19 The bill requires DE to develop and make available to 20 school districts a statewide system to track the time teachers 21 devote to instruction facilitated by grants provided under the 22 program. 23 The bill requires the state board of education to adopt rules 24 to administer the program. 25 -3- LSB 1062HH (1) 91 jda/jh 3/ 3