SF 255 – Extends SAVE for 20 more years
SF 281 – AEA mental health pilot
SF 301 – PPEL technical fix for West Des Moines
SF 356 – Makers labs at science center model of STEM
SSB 1048 – Licensing a childcare site on school
SSB 1053 – Student Aid Commission clean-up bill
SSB 1234 – Adds fine arts to common core
SSB 1239 – Changing statewide assessments to Smarter Balanced
SF 255 extends the 6 percent sales tax rate and the allocation to the SAVE fund until January 1, 2050, so that school districts may bond for the full 20 years. Many schools are now bumping up against a reasonable bonding period for new projects. The statewide 6 percent sales tax follows the transfer of amounts required for the natural resources and outdoor recreation trust fund and one-sixth of the remaining state sales tax revenue is transferred to the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE) fund. Moneys in the SAVE fund are allocated to school districts on a per-pupil basis to be used for infrastructure and property tax reduction purposes. Under current law, the sales tax rate of 6 percent is reduced to 5 percent on January 1, 2030, and school infrastructure bonding under the SAVE fund is repealed December 31, 2029. [3/4: 11- 4 (Behn, Johnson, Shultz, Zaun “no”)]
SF 281 appropriates $2.5 million to the Department of Education for FY16 for the purposes of awarding grants to Area Education Agencies (AEAs) to provide school-based mental health services in partnership with local mental health providers to students in Iowa’s school districts who could benefit from mental health counseling, and referrals for those students who need more intense mental health counseling.
The department must distribute the moneys to each AEA while providing for maximization of local funding for the provision of mental health services. The department will develop program evaluation criteria and submit its findings and recommendations in a report to the Governor and the Legislature by January 1, 2017. [3/4: 11- 2 (Behn, Shultz “no”]
SF 301 is a technical fix for a couple of school districts that would like to refinance their bonding rates. Current Code authorizes a physical plant and equipment levy (PPEL) of not exceeding $1.67 per $1,000 of assessed valuation in the district. The PPEL consists of the regular physical plant and equipment levy (which cannot exceed $0.33 per $1,000 of assessed valuation) in the district and a voter-approved physical plant and equipment levy (which cannot exceed $1.34 per $1,000 of assessed valuation) in the district. This bill allows a school district, by resolution of the board of directors, to impose a PPEL at a rate in excess of the levy rate limitations under Code section 298.2 if the board has refunded or refinanced a loan agreement and such refunding or refinancing complies with the maturity period authorized by voters and results in a lower amount of interest on the amount of the loan agreement. The rate imposed by a school district under the provisions of the bill will not exceed the rate imposed during the budget year in which the loan agreement was refunded or refinanced. [3/2: 15-0]
SF 356 directs the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) collaborative to administer pilot Iowa innovation learning spaces or “maker’s labs.” These labs are developed and maintained for local community members, including but not limited to children, students, inventors, entrepreneurs and artists, to gather and share skills and knowledge relating to STEM and applied arts. Iowa innovation learning spaces may include but are not limited to resources facilitating interactive science education for Iowa’s children (science museums), community centers that foster inventions, skill-sharing activities for local community members, career camps for students and adults, summer camps and classes, and efforts that encourage prototype and concept development activities relating to new business ventures. This bill does not provide a new appropriation. It adds this effort to the STEM initiative under their current appropriation. [3/4: short form]
SSB 1048 says that the Department of Human Services (DHS) will be the only state agency responsible for the licensure of such childcare programs, including those few programs that are located in a school. Under current law, either DHS or the Department of Education is required to license a childcare program operated by a school district or accredited nonpublic school. The bill takes effect January 1, 2016, except that DHS may begin implementation prior to that date. [3/2: 15-0]
SSB 1053 is a cleanup bill for the College Student Aid Commission. It eliminates provisions requiring the Commission to prepare and administer a state plan for a scholarship program, distribute informational material to elementary school children, and develop and implement a program to assist criminal offenders in applying for higher education assistance by consolidating certain authorizations and responsibilities. The bill cleans up redundancies relating to administration of the Tuition Grant and the All Iowa Opportunity Foster Care Grant programs, as well as other technical changes.
The bill authorizes the Commission to seek and administer higher education assistance programs under agreements with public and private entities; to accept appropriations, gifts, grants or other aid from those public or private persons or entities; and to establish one or more funds in the state treasury under the control of the Commission. Moneys in such a fund do not revert to the state’s general fund, and moneys earned as income from such a fund remain in the fund until expended.
A committee amendment made certain changes to the donations and grants section, as well as to allow recipients of the All Iowa Opportunity Scholarships to spread their award amounts over two years of college, and not be required to take their entire award in the first year. The amendment makes this a choice for a student, not a requirement for fund distribution. [3/4: 9-6 (party line)]
SSB 1234 modifies the core curriculum and 21st century learning skills to include fine arts and music. Currently, the required core curriculum includes English, mathematics, science and social studies; and the necessary 21st century learning skills include civic literacy, health literacy, technology literacy, financial literacy and employability skills. The bill requires that such core curriculum and 21st century learning skills include music, visual art, drama and theater, and other fine and applied arts. The bill also requires the Department of Education to employ a consultant to oversee the development of and compliance with the fine arts core curriculum. A committee amendment clarifies that there is no change to offer and teach requirements. This clarification will hopefully decrease any potential fiscal impact of the bill. [3/4: 11- 4 (Behn, Johnson, Shultz, Zaun “no”)]
SSB 1239 changes Iowa’s statewide student achievement assessments to the Smarter Balanced assessments, which was recommended by the Statewide Assessment Taskforce. The Smarter Balanced assessment consortium, initiated by the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association center for best practices, is a state-led consortium working collaboratively to develop assessments aligned to the common core state standards that measure student progress toward college and career readiness.
Currently, the State Board of Education is required to provide in rule for a set of core academic indicators in math and reading in grades 4, 8 and 11, and for science in grades 8 and 11. The Code also currently requires that the assessment administered after July 1, 2016, must at a minimum be aligned with the Iowa common core (Iowa core) standards in both content and rigor; accurately describe student achievement and growth for purposes of the school, the school district and state accountability systems; and provide valid, reliable and fair measures of student progress toward college or career readiness. Since the school year beginning July 1, 2011, school districts have used the Iowa Assessments developed by Iowa Testing Programs (ITP), a research unit at the University of Iowa.
A committee amendment struck all language in the bill, as well as the authority for the State Board of Education to select the statewide assessment vendor. This amendment makes this bill a shell bill that will move the discussion along without making any assessment decision at this time. [3/4: short form]